Jubilee events dedicated to the 260th anniversary of the Theatre took place at the Alexandrinsky Theatre
On August 30, 2016, the Alexandrinsky Theatre, a rightful heir of the first Russian Imperial Theatre Company established by an order of Empress Elizabeth I, celebrated 260 years since the date of its establishment. This date is also considered the date of birth of the Russian professional theatre and a jubilee of the Russian theatre statehood.
The jubilee events started in the morning. Wreath laying and a litia at the grave of the Imperial Theatre Director V.A. Telyakovasky took place at the Serafimovskoye Cemetery of St. Petersburg. Later on, Alexandrinsky employees put traditional wreaths of white and red roses onto the graves of Empresses Elizabeth and Alexandra Feodorovna in the Peter and Paul Fortress Cathedral. At noon, in honour of the 260th anniversary, Artistic Director of the Alexandrinsky Theatre, Valery Fokin, discharged the traditional noon volley from the Naryshkin Bastion. In the afternoon, for the first time ever, media were present at the group’s meeting. Governor of St. Petersburg, George Poltavchenko, awarded Valery Fokin with the prize of the St. Petersburg Government for the outstanding achievements in the sphere of theatre arts. Letters of recognition had also been handed to: People’s Artist of Russia Igor Volkov, Distinguished Artists of Russia Yelena Zimina and and Svetlana Sheichenko; and actress Yelizaveta Volgina. People’s Actress of Russia Svetlana Smirnova, Distinguished Actresses of Russia Yelena Nemzer and Maria Kuznesova, Distinguished Artist of Russia Vitaly Kovalenko, actor Dmitry Lysenkov, actresses Yulia Marchenko and Alexandra Bolshakova, Deputy Artistic Director Yekateria Slepyshkova was awarded with RF Ministry of Culture Certificates of Merit. Sberbank awarded Diplomas to actor Pyotr Semak for the role of Vladimir Ognev in Valery Fokin’s performance Today. 2016 and actress Yelena Vozhakina for the role of Masha in Andryi Zholdak’s performance On the Other Side of the Curtain. A press-conference took place at the Media Centre of the New Stage of the Alexandrinsky Theatre.
The speakers told about the theatre’s plans for the 261st season and about the upcoming 10th International Alexandrinsky Theatre Festival; it was also announced that Nickolay Roshchin was appointed the Theatre Director of the Alexandrinsky Theatre. After the press-conference, in the lobby of the New Stage of the Alexandrinsky Theatre, Valery Fokin handed Alexandrinsky Theatre awards to representatives of the TV Culture Channel, TASS Information Agency, The St. Petersburg Vedomosti newspaper, and theatre critic Zhanna Zaretskaya; an award to theatre critic Irina Korneyeva was sent to Moscow.
The 261st theatre season for the public will start on September 10 with the 10th International Alexandrinsky Theatre Festival and the first night of Attila Vidnyansky’s Crime and Punishment after F. Dostoyevsky’s novel (the Main Stage).