“I say to the artists that we play one game – like football” – News

Photo: Igor Zaharkin

From 12 to 18 December on the stage TC “On Strastnom” will tour St. Petersburg theater “Workshop”. With the founder and artistic director of the theater, directed by Grigory Kozlov met the correspondent of “Izvestia».

– «Workshop” was 4 years old, but the idea of ​​the theater-studio you seem obsessed with for a long time?

– As a young director, I did nothing asked. Just worked – and received offers. The only thing I ask is to give me a course: To tell the old dream of his theater, even tiny. In the mid-1990s, I was allowed to dial directing course at the St. Petersburg Theater Academy. With these guys in 2000, I created a “workshop” at the Youth Theatre named Bryantseva, which was conceived as a free creative space inside the State Theatre. And to this, students joined my next course, already acting and directing.

– And after a couple of years after the creation of the “Workshop” you headed Theatre for Young People. As far as the device Spectators meet your idea about the theater?

– First, in the Youth Theatre I realized that this studio. First, at the level of sensations: a boy when I drove my mother there. The performances had the feeling that all of us – so young and mischievous actors and the audience – are involved in the overall process. As a director, I began to gravitate to the principles of studio work – when all feel the same family. And in fact TYuZe similar to the case brought up for decades of its leaders: Bryantseva, Korogodskii, then Andreev. Love of the theater, skill, ethics – all this passed from hand to hand. I generally close what has always lived Theatre for Young People. This so-called pedagogical direction and the position of “Hamlet today and tomorrow statistician,” or “There are no small roles – have young actors».

– How the current “Workshop»?

– Realizing that my baby does not fit into the program, that for various reasons, theater and “Studio” not fused, I left the Theatre for Young People. But with the third generation of his students I realized an old dream and created an independent theater. By the end of training, I gathered all and said, “You guys are absolutely free to choose: whether to go their separate ways in the profession or stay together, we have this opportunity.” The boys chose the latter. They are amazing. Their faith, the desire to create something new, their burning eyes helped overcome all difficulties. The new theater was called “Workshop”, and the city gave us the former building of the “Buff” at the People’s 1. A year and a half ago, we received the status of state theater.

– What do you mean by the term “workshop”, so fundamental for you?

– First of all, it means that we learn, do not want to stop there. From this – continuous work on themselves and on each show. Usually gosteatre artists come an hour before the performance, play and miss. The guys immediately wanted us to, as before, going for two, three, five hours before the start that something again, check controversies. Artists are ready, if necessary, rehearsing from morning till night – and even at night. Sometimes such proposals received and (laughs).

Of course, it is important that we all have the same blood group. People who studied together for several years, are to each other as brothers and sisters. The basis of the troupe – graduates of my “third wave”, but in fact work in the theater actors and directors from all my courses. In general, under one roof several generations. It’s like a football team, whose members come though at different times, but it was the same school. These players understand each other perfectly.

– Question you as fan performance – in some the sense of a football match?

– Of course, what I am. I say to artists: “We’re playing a game like football.” If someone is playing a different game, albeit wonderful, will not be the ensemble. The actor must be able to submit a general agreement. So I understand the expression BDT “voluntary dictatorship”, very close to me, although I’m not a hard man.

– Almost immediately after the premiere of “Pacific Don ‘you released “Days of turbines.” Themes of family and home, so important to the novel Sholokhov and Bulgakov’s plays, pass through all your work.

– Yes , starting with “Crime and Punishment” in the image of TYuZe family arose in a variety of my performances, even by Sophocles. This image, as you might guess, associative stretches to tovstonogovskim “philistines”. There was a brilliant scene: all the characters are gathered around the table, singing “Evening Bells”. By adolescence this performance BDT made a strong impression on me, I’ve seen it four times.

– What same thing happened to your theater for 3 years?

– perhaps all – important. Each day of life. Opening of the theater accompanied by skeptical voices: the viewer, they say, will not go to them. And I replied: “To be honest we work – go.” Everything happened. Although to get to our building is not so simple, and the performances we have, as you know, is not short. But as long as there is enthusiasm – we are alive.