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 People’s Artist of Russia
Galina Karelina graduated from the Leningrad State Theater Institute named after A. Ostrovsky in 1956. She was invited to work to the Pushkin Academy Drama Theater. In the 50 years on the stage of the Alexandrinsky (Pushkin) Theater, Karelina played more than 60 roles of the modern and classic repertoire. Those included: Olga (“The Years of Travel,” A. Arbuzov, 1959), Polixena (“Truth is Good, but Happiness is Better,” Ostrovsky, 1959), Donna Anna (“The Little Tragedies,” A. Pushkin, 1962), Inken Peters (“Before the Sunset,” H. Hauptmann, 1963), Aunty (“An Ordinary Story,” I. Goncharov, 1965), Anna (“Biderman and Arsonist,” M. Frish, 1966), Mrs. N. (“Life of Saint Exupery,” L. Malyugin, 1966 – this performance was repeated over 800 times!), Olga (“The Family Charge” I. Turgenev, 1967), Elizaveta (“An Ordinary Story,” I. Goncharov, 1967), Yulia Tugina (“The Last Victim,” A. Ostrovsky, 1971), Anna Petrovna (“Ivanov,” A. Chekhov, 1978), Vassa Zheleznova (Gorky’s play of the same name, 1983), Fru Alving (“Ghosts,” H. Ibsen, 1985), Matrena (“The Power of Darkness,” L. Tolstoy, 1986), Arkadina (“The Seagull,” A. Chekhov, 1990), Kruglova (“Every Day Is Not Sunday,” A. Ostrovsky, 1991), Princess Ligovskaya (“Monsieur George. Russian Drama” after M. Lermontov's play, 1994), and Khlestova (“Woes of Wits,” A. Griboyedov, 1996). These characters make far not the full list of her prominent roles. The actress was particularly good in the roles of strong, powerful characters; behind the reserved, slightly cool, manners of her heroines one could always feel a passionate and active nature, capable to get over the obstacles and overcome the hits of fate.
Galina Karelina belongs to the galaxy of outstanding masters of the Alexandrinsky stage. In the 1990s, talent and mastership of the actress were demanded by the vanguard modern directors. Scandalous post-modernist “Seagull” by Igor Larin (1996, Montplesir Theater) sounded as a manifest of the theater vanguard of the 1990s; it brought the well deserved success to the actress at many international theater festivals (Grand Prix of the Piatra Neamt International Theater Festival in Romania in 1998). In this very special performance Galina Karelina played a generalized image of a woman who had absorbed all female roles – from Nina Zarechnaya to Arkadina. In the fevered mind of the main character Karelina’s heroine appeared sometimes as a vision of the Universal soul, sometimes as a young Lady Love, sometimes as an all-forgiving Mother mourning for her son, sometimes turning into a mocking impersonating Comedienne leading an everlasting dialogue with the “tyrant” director. This creative union with Igor Larin was continued in the performance after A. Pushkin's “The Queen of Spades” (1998, Montplesir Theater), where Galina Karelina played the role of the Infernal Countess in a grotesque and sharp style. Galina Karelina was honored with the award “For the Best Female Role” at the Christmas Parade International Festival (1999).
The role of the Grand Mother in the performance “Trees Dye Standing” by Alexandro Casona (2001, Director Vladimir Golub) became her true benefice. Another interesting role was Galina Karelina’s Mrs. Sedley in the”Vanity Fair” by W. Thackeray (2002, Director Alexandr Belinsky)
Presently, Galina Karelina’s repertoire includes the role of Mother Klara Olsufievna in Valery Fokin’s performance “The Double” after Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s poem about Petersburg (2005); the role of Grandmother in the performance “Ksenia. The History of Love” by V. Levanov (Director Valery Fokin, 2009) and the major role in the performance “The Fly” (after Joseph Brodsky’s poem with the same name and Korney Chukovsly’s “Mukha-Tsokotukha” (“The Clattering Fly”) fairy-tale) directed by Oleg Yeremin (2007). Theater critic Eugene Sokolinsky wrote about this work: “Closer to the end, the Fly unseals another egg with a whole snarl of old cinema film. Karelina is looking at the filmed images with sadness. It might be that she is seeing herself playing the role of Inken in Hauptmann’s “Before the Sunset,” or Donna Anna in “The Little Tragedies.” In the heartbreaking poet’s writing Karelina is apparently finding lines very close to her own feelings. She is transferring the autumn moods of “The Fly,” which the author had identified him with. The phrase: “Don’t die, stand firm and creep!” has its special meaning. And she does, in fact, stand firm under the strokes of time and fate. Karelina is a courageous and daring actress. She willingly participated in Igor Larin’s risky experiments (“The Queen of Spades,” “The Seagull”); now she has agreed to support the young director Yeremin. She is playing the wordless role in “double’s” ensemble with true devotion. Though the Director failed to braid together two very different poetic texts, we are truly thankful for the echo of the ‘wonderful old culture’.”(E. Sokolinsky. Fly Experts from the Alexandrinsky Theater.// St. Petersburg Chas Pik 45. November14 – 20, 2007). Galina Karelina was awarded with the Prize of Public’s Sympathy of the Theater-Goers Society in February 2008.
In 2006, Galina Karelina was awarded with the FRIENDSHIP ORDER (Verdict of the President of the Russian Federation #392 as of April 17, 2006).
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