Theaters in Russia

Main article: Culture of Russia

Theatre Institutes

• Boris Shchukin Theater Institute

Theaters

Opera and Ballet

Main article: Ballet in Russia

• Mariinsky Theater
• Bolshoi Theater

• Mikhailovsky Theater
• Tatar Opera and Ballet Theater
• Saratov Academic Opera and Ballet Theater
• Voronezh State Opera and Ballet Theater
• Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theater
• Bashkir Opera and Ballet Theater
• Helikon Opera Moscow Musical Theater

Drama theatres

Theaters of Moscow

• Theatre of Nations
• Moscow Art Theater named after A.P. Chekhov
• Yermolova Theater
• Satire Theatre
• A.S. Pushkin Moscow Drama Theater
• Vladimir Mayakovsky Moscow Academic Theater
• RAMT (Russian Academic Youth Theater)
• Moscow Taganka Theater
• Theater named after Evgeny Vakhtangov

Theaters of St. Petersburg

• Bolshoi Drama Theater named after G. A. Tovstonogov
• Alexandrinsky Theater

• Omsk Drama Theater
• Bereznikovsky Drama Theater

Puppet theaters

• Puppet Theater named after S.V. Obraztsov

Theater Museum named after A.A. Bakhrushin

Main article: Theater Museum named after A.A. Bakhrushin

2023

The number of spectators in Russian theaters exceeded the pre-pandemic level

The number of spectators in Russian theaters in 2023 for the first time exceeded the pre-pandemic (we are talking about the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic) level, reaching 35.9 million people. This is 6% more compared to 2019, when 33.8 million people visited theaters. This is evidenced by the data of the Ministry of Culture of Russia, published in May 2024.

Factors such as the Pushkin Map program and the development of domestic tourism contributed to the increase in the number of spectators. In 2023, the Pushkin Map program, launched in September 2021, allowed young people aged 14 to 22 to visit theaters, museums and other cultural institutions, which significantly increased attendance. The expansion of the repertoire of theaters and the intensification of domestic tourism also played a role.

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According to the Ministry of Culture, cash receipts from events at theater venues also exceeded pre-pandemic indicators. In 2023, ticket fees amounted to 37.9 billion rubles, which is 51% more than in 2019. Outbound events and theater tours attracted another 5.5 million people and brought an additional 3.3 billion rubles.

The total number of theatrical events in Russia in 2023 amounted to 195,777, which is 2% higher than in 2019 and 6% higher than in 2022. Of these, 160,530 events were held at their own theater venues, 26,493 were outbound events, 4356 were tours within their subject and 4398 were tours outside the subject.

In addition, according to the data published by the Ministry of Culture, the increase in the number of spectators and fees is also associated with an increase in the number of theaters and their branches. In 2023, there were 706 theaters in Russia, while in 2022 there were 666, and in 2019 - 671.

The representative of MTS Live noted that in Moscow and St. Petersburg the growth of the theater segment occurs mainly in monetary terms, and in the regions - in the number of spectators.

The editor-in-chief of the InterMedia news agency Yevgeny Safronov stressed that the theaters established by federal and local departments, thanks to budget funding, turned out to be more stable in the new realities. This allowed them to support and develop an artistic level, which increased their demand for viewers.^[1]

Mishustin allocated 836.5 million rubles for the reconstruction of regional theaters

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree on the allocation of 836.5 million rubles for the reconstruction and overhaul of children's theaters in the regions. The corresponding document was published in October 2023.

According to the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers, additional funding for the completion of the reconstruction and overhaul of theaters of young spectators and puppet theaters will be provided in 2023-2024. Of the total amount of more than 198 million rubles will go to the reconstruction of the Volgograd Puppet Theater. This will allow you to complete all work in 2023 - a year ahead of schedule.

Mikhail Mishustin

Also, additional funding in 2023 will be received by the Tomsk region to complete the overhaul of the regional puppet theater. In addition, in 2024, 630 million rubles will go to modernize the theaters of young spectators located in, Buryatia,, Republic of Mari El, To Tyva Trans-Baikal Territory as well as in,,, and Kaluzhskaya. Orenburg Ryazan Samara Saratov regions

The funding will allow updating children's theaters, help increase the number of visitors and increase the tourist attractiveness of the regions.

In total, more than 1.3 billion rubles are provided for the modernization of theaters of young spectators and puppet theaters in the federal budget in 2023, in 2024 - almost 2 billion rubles. The work is being carried out within the framework of the national project "Culture," the press service of the Russian government said.

On October 18, 2023, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation submitted a draft resolution on the issuance of annual grants from the President of Russia to theaters from the DPR and LPR. In total, the Ministry of Culture proposes to allocate more than 188 million rubles. for the reconstruction of Donetsk and Lugansk theaters. If the draft document is approved by the head of government Mikhail Mishustin, it will enter into force on January 1, 2024.

Government of the Russian Federation Order of October 20, 2023 No. 2910-r

How the digitalization of Russian theaters is going

On June 7, 2023, it became known that the National Drama Theater of Russia (Alexandrinsky Theater) in St. Petersburg initiated the creation of an IT cluster that will help eliminate the shortage of specialized software in the field of culture.

According to CNews, Russian cultural organizations, in particular, theaters, need software that takes into account the peculiarities of their activities. These are, for example, applications for planning performances, analyzing advertising, selling tickets, etc. However, IT specialists are not eager to work in such institutions, and therefore Russian culture is the least digitalized industry.

Alexandrinsky Theater

The project of the Alexandrinsky Theater is designed to change the situation for the better. This institution has already developed its own Customer Interaction System (CRM), supplemented with modules for planning performances, tracking sales, and tools for performing analytical operations. In addition, the Alexandrinsky Theater is working on the introduction of NFT - non-replaceable tokens that will be used to sell rights to unique collectible items, such as figures dedicated to performances.

The next step in the development of software for the cultural sphere is the formation of an IT cluster within the framework of the Association of National Theaters (also formed on the basis of the Alexandrinsky Theater). CNews notes that the new structure will allow "to unite the efforts of theaters in terms of creating products, as well as better understand the needs of theaters from the regions." The IT cluster will include several groups of programmers, including developers of user interfaces and server components, testing specialists, etc. National theaters from Bashkortostan, Tatarstan and North Ossetia have already shown interest in the project.^[2]

2022: Revenue of Russian theaters increased by 15% compared to 2019

The revenue of Russian theaters from the sale of tickets for performances in 2022 exceeded the results of 2019 by 15% and reached 28.9 billion rubles. This is evidenced by the data of the Ministry of Culture, which became known in early August 2023.

As RBC writes with reference to the materials of the department, in 2022, relative to 2021, the fees more than doubled: then, against the background of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, events brought theaters 18.7 billion rubles. Nevertheless, the number of viewers in 2022 turned out to be less than in 2019, by 8% - 31.2 million against 33.8 million (in 2021 - 21.6 million) people, respectively.

The revenue of Russian theaters from the sale of tickets for performances reached 28.9 billion rubles

That is, in fact, we can say that our institutions are systematically moving towards pre-pandemic indicators by stabilizing the epidemiological situation and removing restrictions on the occupancy of auditoriums, the Ministry of Culture explained.

The publication of the publication notes that 2022 has also become a turning point for Russian theaters due to frequent personnel changes in the leadership of major theaters, such as Sovremennik, School of Modern Play and Gogol Center. In Moscow, in order to optimize its activities, several theaters were reformed and a merger was carried out. This probably affected the activities of theaters in 2022. A special role in the increase in theater attendance was played by the removal of most of the restrictions associated with the pandemic, as well as the reorientation of Russian troupes to internal performances and tours in connection with the abolition of cooperation with foreign artists. Theater attendance also grew due to a surge in audience interest caused by the cancellation of tours by Western musicians and a reduction in repertoire in cinemas.

The market for spectacular performing events as a whole has recovered, but its structure has changed, said the head of InterMedia agency Yevgeny Safronov.^[3]

2020: Decrease in revenues of federal theaters in the Russian Federation to 4.95 billion rubles due to COVID-19

Federal theaters in Russia at the end of 2020 earned in the amount of 4.95 billion rubles, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation reported. They noted that theater revenues decreased due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, which led to the complete closure of these institutions in the spring and restrictions on hall occupancy later. Theater revenue more than halved in 2020.

The department noted that the volume of funding for the state assignment was not reduced for cultural institutions, despite the failure to fulfill the main indicator for it - the number of visitors.

Federal theaters in 2020 earned in the amount of 5 billion rubles, the decline in earnings was influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic

Thanks to support measures implemented jointly with the Russian government and the professional community, cultural institutions were able to consistently go through a difficult period associated with restrictions due to the pandemic and return the viewer to the halls after the resumption of their work, - said the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Olga Lyubimova, whose words are quoted by the press service of the department.

According to Lyubimova, the Ministry of Culture does not plan to reduce the amount of funding for the state assignment for cultural institutions for 2021.

Depending on the epidemiological situation in the regions, theaters were able to return to work with spectators in the summer of 2020, while the number of seats in the auditorium was reduced according to the recommendations of Rospotrebnadzor and ranged from 15% to 75%.

2019: Earnings of federal theaters reached 12.6 billion rubles, 5.1 million viewers accepted

According to the Ministry of Culture, in 2019, federal theaters in Russia received 5.1 million spectators and earned 12.6 billion rubles. The number of productions also increased from 6.2 to 7.9 thousand.

The geography and the number of performances that residents of various regions of the country saw also increased. In 2019, 730 thousand viewers of 162 Russian cities watched more than 2 thousand theater productions touring as part of the program. In total, the Ministry of Culture of Russia allocated 510 million rubles to finance the program in 2019.^[4][5]

1986

Autograph of director Mark Zakharov to the exhibition dedicated to the XXVII Congress of the CPSU. February 2, 1986 From the funds of the Bakhrushinsky Museum

1983

1965

1964

1950

Central Theater of the Red Army. 1949-1950

Photo by: N. Tartakovsky]]

1939: The building of the Meyerhold Theater becomes the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall

About the Meyerhold Theater see Concert Hall named after P.I. Tchaikovsky

1920: Vsevolod Meyerhold creates "RSFSR-1 Theater"

The RSFSR-1 Theater was created by Vsevolod Meyerhold in Moscow in the 1920s (Meyerhold Theater since 1923).

1910: Stanislavsky Theatre Reform

"Stanislavsky was not satisfied with his modern theater and the technique of work of artists," said Elizaveta Vostrikova, an employee of the Bakhrushinsky Theater Museum, in 2023. - Having embarked on a radical path for his era of reforming the theater, Konstantin Stanislavsky (real name Alekseev) inevitably came to the realization of the need to form new principles of the actor's work on the stage and create a stage image. He was looking for completely different methods than those adopted in his time that would allow actors to achieve the most lively existence on the stage, which would be absolutely organic and close to reality. "

The great theater reformer rejected emotions and feeling as a motivator of acting existence in the process of creating an image, since if an actor tries to appeal to emotions, he inevitably comes to a stamp: turning to the unconscious in the process of work evokes a banal, trivial image of any feeling, Stanislavsky said.

This system has been used by artists and directors not only in Russia, but also around the world for more than 100 years. His system is the basis of many other theatrical techniques developed by his followers, precisely because it still remains modern, universal and understandable for artists.

1905: Production of "The Inspector General" in the Irkutsk Theater with the participation of M.M. Petip

Marius Mariusovich Petipa (1850-1919) - Russian drama actor, the eldest son of the famous choreographer Marius Ivanovich Petipa. Bakhrushinsky Museum

1823

Sketch of the scenery. Ivanov I., Gonzago (Gonzaga) P. City street. Unspecified performance. 1823 Bakhrushinsky Museum

1800: August von Kotzebue appointed director of the German Theater in St. Petersburg

Main article: August von Kotzebue

Notes