Theater Kamennoostrovsky. The Bolshoi Drama Theater. G.A. Tovstonogov

Theater Kamennoostrovsky, which since 2005 is the second or small stage of the famous BDT, the only wooden theater in Russia. One of the oldest theaters of the Soviet Union, opened in 1919 with the production of Don Carlos Schiller, long needed a second platform. But the gift turned out to be royal. Because, firstly, the theater was built on the direct orders of Nicholas I, and secondly, the Kamennoostrovsky Theater became an architectural monument of Russian classicism, and its most beautiful example.

New scene

To work in such an ancient temple of art is worth a lot. In a word, the new scene could not be more properly integrated into the stage complex of BDT, a theater known by this abbreviation to the whole world. But for the theater-goers, the welcome visit to the new stage was delayed for 7 years. And only in 2012 the small stage of the BDT opened with the famous play "Innkeeper" by Carlo Goldoni. Soviet TV viewers were very familiar with this play with the participation of a wonderful theater couple O. Vikland and M. Nazvanov. On the second scene there were general productions, as the building on the Fontanka was closed for repairs.

Summer Theater

What is the Kamennoostrovsky Theater? The summer theater project for the aristocracy, who chose the island for suburban estates, arose in 1826. This was facilitated by the fact that the main opera and ballet stage on the Theater Square was closed for long repairs. A concrete decision to build a building on the Stone Island by the Directorate of the Imperial Theaters was made in 1827. There are legends that the building was erected in 40 days. During this time, it was only collected from previously prepared structures. The author of the project and the head of the work was the architect Smaragd Shustov.

Theater architecture

The present small stage of the BDT was a beautiful, elegant wooden building, decorated in stone. Traditional for theaters Corinthian portico had 8 white columns that supported a triangular pediment with a lyre. Perfectly calculated proportions of the audience allowed viewers at any point to see and hear everything that was happening on the stage, which itself was unusually large, which allowed to put on it any performances. The hall was decorated in blue tones - velvet armchairs of the stalls and sides of the lodges, woolen cloth of the same color was studded in the bench of the third tier, the upper ones - with a canvas. The ceiling was decorated with flowers, boxes - arabesques (painter A. Shiryaev). Separate words deserve a floor of the hall, leaving under a slope to a scene. But if necessary (meetings, balls, masquerades), it was leveled with the help of lifting beams.

Features and further fate of the building

It should be noted that the backdrop of the scene moved apart, and the plays went against the background of natural scenery. The Kamennoostrovsky Theater had a stalls, three tiers of lodges, a balcony and a gallery for walks of the public in intermissions. The hall was designed for 800 seats. Initially, around the theater was a beautiful park, which was a masterpiece of landscape art (master D. Bush). In 1843, the architect A. K. Cavos, on the instructions of Nicholas I, designed and implemented the reconstruction of the dilapidated building - he completely disassembled the wooden structure, and then assembled it, exactly adhering to the original parameters. After the reconstruction on the stage of the theater, besides the operettas, which enjoyed incredible popularity (the performances were translated from the "Alexandrinka"), they also staged serious plays. In 1882, the theater, located at the address - Krestovka Embankment, 10, was closed and turned into a warehouse of scenery.

Stored by fate

The Revolution and the Civil War completely changed the face of the once aristocratic district - many buildings were destroyed, some new power was demolished. But the building of the theater survived. He was so good and so fit into the once luxurious park that the new reformers left the building, adapting it to attractions. The war also bypassed the theater side. Subsequent renovations adapted the building to a movie theater, then to the needs of television. After a certain time the building was owned by GTRK "Petersburg - Fifth Channel", there was a club of sports and ballroom dances.

Worthy gift

And in 2005, Vladimir Putin passes the ancient unique building of the BDT. The Kamennoostrovsky Theater becomes its small stage. His new life began with a fundamental reconstruction, which was so successful that at the specialized exhibition Denkmal-2010 she was awarded the Gold Medal "For outstanding services in the field of restoration." The theater of Tovstonogov, of which Kamennoostrovsky is now a part, is known, without exaggeration, all over the world.

Loved always

His current name he received in 1997 in honor of the great GA Tovstonogov, who led the theater from 1956 to 1989, the year of his death. "The Age of Tovstonogov" brought the theater for many years to the top of the country's theatrical life. One of the best troupes was assembled as an art director. The performances were always sold out, the prime minister was waiting, they became an event in the cultural life of the country. They were always struck by the freshness of the director's view and the originality of the interpretation. According to one of the next major directors about the fact that Tovstonogovs are born extremely rarely, it can be judged that up to the heights of that era the theater does not hold out. But BDT remains a favorite theater not only for the inhabitants of the Northern capital, and for performances with Alisa Freindlich still not get tickets. For the past two years, as the head of BDT is the new artistic director - A. A. Moguchy.