Children's theater behind the black river. Theater "beyond the black river"

17.07.2021

April 18, 1983 is considered our birthday, when the official opening of the theater "Beyond the Black River" took place, but the prerequisites for the emergence of the theater, perhaps, should be sought back in 1975, when the young director Oleg Mendelssohn was invited to work at the Yusupov Palace.

It all began with the Theater of Youth Creativity (TYUT), which existed at the A.A. Zhdanov, led by a prominent theater teacher Matvey Grigorievich Dubrovin. It was not just a good theater - it was a whole theatrical and pedagogical direction in the life of the country, because the principles of TYuT's work were based on very interesting things. The fact is that there children not only played - they necessarily mastered one of the theatrical professions - an assembler, a lighting fixture, a costume designer, a make-up artist, a props, etc. In short, the principle of self-service and self-management was at work.

In this organization, there was "education through the theater." Many became actors, directors, theater experts, and many became chemists, doctors, wood craftsmen, that is, absolutely any profession.

O. Mendelssohn is a graduate of TYuT. In 1973, after graduating from the Leningrad Institute of Theater, Music and Cinematography (LGITMIK) in the class of the People's Artist of Russia, Professor Z. Ya. Korogodsky, the young director was sent to work at the Stavropol Drama Theater named after M. Yu. Lermontov, and then - in the Youth Theater in Rostov-on-Don.

The circumstances are such that after the death of Matvey Grigorievich Dubrovin, who also worked in the Yusupov Palace, Oleg Mendelssohn, his student, was invited to work there.

And so, some time after O. Mendelssohn's arrival at the Yusupov Palace, a fairly strong theatrical collective of like-minded people was formed there, which created very serious and interesting performances - in some ways even experimental, revolutionary! - and, probably, that is why among amateur theaters I have always occupied exclusively first places ...

O. Yu. Mendelssohn: “Our theater is a chamber theater, we have only 80 seats and a small stage. In some performances this is an advantage, since a somewhat different, warmer relationship of actors with the audience is established. But at the same time, there are serious limitations: not each work can be taken for staging. And yet we try to stage those performances that we like - this is our repertoire policy. Most of the actors are good, non-commercial people. And with all this, very often the artists themselves have to sewing costumes, drawing, making scenery ... The smaller the theater, the more problems it has. However, it is "very good, that while we feel bad" (remember the song from the movie "Aybolit-66"?), because life's difficulties do not allow us to relax, to rest on the laurels of poise, stability. We are constantly in a situation of creative adventure. "

In this organization, there was "education through the theater." Many became actors, directors, theater experts, and many became chemists, doctors, wood craftsmen, that is, absolutely any profession.

The circumstances are such that after the death of Matvey Grigorievich Dubrovin, who also worked in the Yusupov Palace, Oleg Mendelssohn, his student, was invited to work there.

The formation of the theater is associated with the Theater of Youth Creativity that existed at that time, which worked at the "Palace of Pioneers named after Zhdanov" under the direction of Matvey Grigorievich Dubrovin. The uniqueness of this theater was that it was pedagogically oriented and was considered the only one of its kind in the country.

When children began to master acting skills, they simultaneously had to study one of the professions associated with the theater, for example: costume designer, make-up artist, assembler, lighting, props ... We can safely say that only here there was the principle of "education through the theater." Not all of these children chose a profession related to theater in the future, there were both chemists and doctors, but most of them were directors, theater experts and actors.

After the death of Dubrovin, one of his students, Mendelssohn, was invited to work in the theater. From that very day, “Beyond the Black River” was born. The theatrical associates club began to stage unique, interesting and serious performances. Most of the spectators in the collective saw the desire for revolutionary, experimental actions, which is why the theater is considered the best among other amateur ones.

At the moment, several generations have already grown up on the performances of this theater. Parents are happy to bring their children, the theater has been wildly popular for several decades, and tickets must be bought in advance.

Facts about the theater "Beyond the Black River"

The prerequisites for the creation of the theater were still ten years before the opening. The beginning of the story - Oleg Mendelssohn in 1975 was invited to work in the so-called Yusupov Palace

Theater address: St. Petersburg, Bogatyrskiy prospect, 4, near the metro station "Pionerskaya"

The theater "Behind the Black River" (St. Petersburg) has existed for a little over 30 years. It was founded by director Oleg Mendelssohn. The troupe's repertoire includes performances for both adults and children.

About the theater

The theater "Behind the Black River" was officially opened in 1983. Prior to that, its founder, Oleg Mendelssohn, gathered a troupe of amateurs in the Yusupov Palace. But there he was cramped, and the performances were very rare - once a week.

The director and his actors have changed their habitat. They moved to the village of Kolomyagi in 1980. There the troupe worked unofficially for three years, and in 1983 the theater "Behind the Black River" was officially opened.

Over the 10 years of its existence, the collective has staged more than twenty performances. The repertoire included both adult and children's plays, both classics and works of contemporary authors.

11 years later - in 1994 - the theater received the status of a professional and a new building. The troupe moved to Bogatyrsky Prospekt, where it lives to this day.

The auditorium of the theater is small and has 80 seats.

The troupe works not only on its own stage, very often the artists show their performances on the leading stages of the city of St. Petersburg. And also the actors actively go on tour. They have already visited many cities of Russia and the countries of the former USSR. The theater toured Germany with great success.

The troupe of the theater is small, but only talented artists work in it. Celebrities from other theaters are often invited to cooperate. Over the years, Yulia Rudina, Mikhail Matveev, Era Ziganshina, Alexander Lykov, and others shone on the stage of the theater "Beyond the Black River".

Until 2004, the theater had its own studio. Children of school age from 10 to 16 years old studied here. They took part in performances and studied various professional disciplines - vocals, acting, choreography, stage movement. Many of the graduates have become artists. Most of the troupe left the studio.

In 2011, a tragic event took place in the life of the theater "Behind the Black River" - a great loss. Oleg Mendelssohn, the founder, director and leader, has passed away. The troupe now lives by trying to do everything so that Oleg Yuryevich's ideas do not sink into oblivion, but come true. During these several years, several new performances have already been staged without O. Mendelssohn.

Three years ago, in 2013, the theater celebrated its thirtieth anniversary. By this date, the team came full of creative energy and with a desire not to stop there, not to stand still, but to develop. There are searches for new genres, plays, authors. The theater is looking for new forms of communication with the audience, which will be in tune with the time and will allow talking with the current audience in a language it understands, touching the soul, stirring up feelings, but at the same time the troupe tries to remain faithful to the traditions of the Russian drama school and continues to talk with the audience on eternal topics.

In the 2014-2015 season, the theater "Behind the Black River" presented its audience with several premiere performances: "The story of panda bears, told by a saxophonist who has a girlfriend in Frankfurt", "My friend Carlson", "Love letters", "Petty marital crimes" , "Two".

This season (2015-2016), the theater hosted four more premieres, two of which are intended for a children's audience. These are performances: "Teach me to fly", "Witch from the closet", "Minor marital crimes" and "The story of one night."

Actors

The theater "Behind the Black River" gathered a small troupe on its stage.

Efim Kamenetsky.
Rodion Prikhodko.
Alexey Shishigin.
Alla Danishevskaya.
Sergey Byzgu.
Sergey Barabash.
Yana Krivulya.
Ivan Stavissky.
Sophia Dushkina.
Alexander Iovlev.
Roman Rolbin.
Vadim Franchuk.
Julia Kaim and others.

Performances for adults

The theater "Behind the Black River" offers its audience the following repertoire:

"Science of Love".
"Goonies".
"Trick".
"Lieutenant from Inishmore Island."
"Notes of a provincial doctor".
"Roadside Picnic".
"Lyubka".
"The story of one night".
"Date with Capricorn".
"Marble" and so on.

Performances for children

The theater "Behind the Black River" also does not disregard the young spectators. The poster offers the following performances for boys and girls:

"Urfin Deuce, or the Mystery of the Three Stones".
"The leader of the Redskins".
"The witch from the closet".
Hello Mary Poppins.
"The man from the watch".
"My friend Carlson".
"The Tale of the Priest and His Worker Balda".
"Murson's Magic Lamp".
"Mr. Sherlock Holmes".
"Zoki and Bada".
"Visiting Andersen".
"Teach me to fly" and others.

Founder

Oleg Mendelssohn created the theater "Behind the Black River". The director was born in 1946 in Leningrad. Since childhood, he studied at the theater studio at the Palace of Pioneers. From the age of 16 he worked at the BDT as a prop. The work in the theater and the constant presence at rehearsals prompted him to the fact that Oleg decided to become a director.

At the age of 17, O. Mendelssohn became the head of the studio at the boarding school. Here he gained his first experience as a stage director.

Two years later, Oleg entered the directing department of LGITMiK. After graduation, he was appointed director of the Rostov Youth Theater.

Returning to Leningrad in 1975, he began to teach acting at LGITMiK and the A. Vaganova Choreographic School. At the same time, he headed an amateur theater at the Yusupov Palace.

He founded the theater "Behind the Black River" in 1983. Initially, it was a youth studio that worked at different sites. It quickly developed into a theater with its own premises.

Oleg Yurievich Mendelssohn was the permanent director and artistic director of the troupe until his death. He died in May 2011.

Additional services

In addition to watching performances, the theater "Behind the Black River" offers various services.

Here you can rent any theatrical or carnival costume, as well as stage shoes. Carlson, Snow Maiden, Santa Claus, Musketeer, Cinderella, Clown, Pirate - there is an outfit for a theater, concert, photo shoot or just a carnival.

The theater has its own recording studio. It provides services for digitizing and arranging musical material. Any discs can be recorded in the studio. Sound editing is in progress. The theater provides the ability to record voice, vocals, instrument, advertising information for radio broadcasting.

Here you can order fireworks and a pyrotechnic show for any holiday, regardless of where it will take place - outdoors, indoors, on land or on the water.

In the theater "Behind the Black River" you can also order individual tailoring of any costume.

Natalia Tkachenko

One of the famous actresses of the theater "Behind the Black River" - Natalia Tkachenko. She is known to viewers for her numerous roles in films and TV shows. The artist was born in Leningrad in 1972. Graduated from SPbGATI. She worked in the "Shelter of the Comedian", "Comedy" named after

Has played in over 80 films and TV shows.

Natalia starred in the following films:

"Martha's Line".
"Agitation brigade" Beat the enemy! "
"Protection of Krasin".
"Mine".
"May Day" and others.

Sophia Dushkina

One of the theater's actresses is Sophia Dushkina. Since childhood, she has been studying music. In 1999 she graduated with a degree in musical theater actor, and then the directing department of SPbGATI.

The first years she worked in Moscow. Then she came to the theater "Beyond the Black River". Here she works not only as an actress, but also as a director. The troupe's repertoire includes several performances staged by Sophia.

S. Dushkina participates in various musical projects of other theaters in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

On account of her roles in such musicals as: "Ball of the Vampires", "Nord-Ost", Tomorrowland, "An Ordinary Miracle" and "12 Chairs".