Distinguished Artist of Russia

Born in 1947

Sytnik graduated from the Leningrad State Institute of Theatre, Music, and Cinematography named after N.K. Cherkasov (V. Merkuriev’s class) in 1969 and was immediately admitted to the Alexandrinsky Theater company. He performed over one hundred roles in the Russian and foreign repertoire on its stage. Among those were Don Juan (“The Little Tragedies” by A. Pushkin, 1969), Claudio (“Much Ado About Nothing” by W. Skakespeare, 1971), Morice Dora (“Life of Saint-Exupery” by l. Malyugin, 1971), Levushka (“Fairy Tales of the Old Arbat” by A. Arbuzov, 1971), Doulchin (“The Last Victim” by A. Ostrovsky, 1971), Yasha (“The Cherry Orchard’ by A. Chekhov, 1972), Tartalya (“The Green Bird” by C. Gozzi, 1976), Rastinjak (“Father Goriot,” O. de Balzac, 1984), Christian (“Sirano de Bergerac” by E. Rostand, 1987), Trigorin (“The Seagull” by A. Chekhov, 1990), Rosencrantz (“Hamlet” by Shakespeare, 1992), Laslo (“The Devil” by F. Moln?r, 1995), and others.  In Valery Fokin’s performances he played the roles of His Excellency (“The Double” by F. Dostoyevsky) and Prince Abrezkov (“The Living Corpse” by L. Tolstoy). He got invitation to play Sorin in “The Seagull” (Director Krystian Lupa). Since 1973, he has teached in Russian and foreign theater schools. He has been filming for many years. In Andrey Moguchy and K. Filippov’s performance “The Fortune” he plays the role of Time (Director Andrey Moguchy, 2011).

In 2005, the actor had played the role of a grand senior, His Excellency in the performance after the Petersburg poem of Fyodor Dostoyevsky The Double (Director Valery Fokin). His work in the performance of the well-known Greek Director Theodoros Terzopoulos Oedipus Rex (2006) after Sophocles’ tragedy turned into a remarkable stage experiment.  Semyon Sytnik played the role of a blind foreteller Tiresiy, who had predicted to Oedipus his tragic destiny.  This work in Terzopoulos’s performance enriched Sytnik with serious experience of perception of another theatrical tradition.  Terzopoulos’s words that “An actor should be tough” are very intimate to Semyon Sytnik.  According to the actor, this unique concentration on the process, the ultimate concentration of all spiritual and physical forces inherent to Terzopoulos’s rehearsals, has enriched him professionally and personally.  The many-hour training with elements of yoga, Japanese theater, and Eastern respiratory practices allowed the actor to lead his role in the complicated score of Terzopoulos’s performance very organically.   

Presently, the actor’s repertoire  includes the roles of Prince Sergey Abrezkov in Valery Fokin’s performance after L. Tolstoy’s play The Living Corps (2006); Pyotr Sorin in Khrystian Lupa’s performance The Seagull (by A. Chekhov, 2007); Professor Nemur  in the performance Flowers for Charley after Daniel Keyes’s novel Flowers for Algernon (Director Iskander Sakayev, 2007). Critic Andrey Pronin wrote about the latter work of the actor: “Semyon Sytnik is demonstrating us a master-class of impersonation: just a turn of his head, and you can see a self-enamored  academic, another slight movement, and you can see Charley’s father, a lonely old hair-dresser with uneasy conscience.” (A. Pronin, Flowers for Charley // AFISHA. November19 – December2, 2007). In 2009, three more roles appeared in the actor’s repertoire for the first time; these were:  Professor Serebryakov (Uncle Vanya by A. Chekhov, Director Andrey Serban); Astronomer Sergey Zaratustrov (Izotov by M. Durnenkov, Director Andrey Moguchy) and Geography Teacher Tretyakov from A. Vampilov’s one-act play A House with Windows on the Field (Vampilov. Plays, Director Oleg Yeremin).

In 2006, Semyon Sytnik was awarded with Pushkin Medal (Verdict of the President of the Russian Federation #392 as of April 17, 2006). 

In the new Oskaras Korshunovas’ performance “The Taming of the Shrew” by W. Shakespeare (2010), he plays the role of Lord by whose whim the actors are performing the comical action about taming the obstinate Katharine in front of Sly the Loafer. By the director’s idea, the Lord is a reputed actor trying to “push-up” his troupe with an unusual creative task so that they would not deepen in the routine and loose the taste to and sharpness of performing.

In the performance “The Fortune” by A. Moguchy and K. Filippov he plays the role of Time (Director Andrey Moguchy, 2011). In the performance “Hedda Gabler” by H. Ibsen (Director K. Ginkas, 2011) he plays the role of Assessor Brack.

In 2010, Semyon Sytnik was awarded for the role of Professor Serebryakov with the top St. Petersburg Golden Soffit Theater Award (in “The Best Male Role” nomination).