Russian Theatre is fairly young when compared to the rest of Europe. During Shakespeare’s time, at the beginning of the 17th century, Russian theatre only existed as pagan plays and fables that were too often persecuted by the church. Although the concept didn’t exist until later, audiences had a history of being entertained by travelling performers. Theatre and ballet later started to take shape under a sponsorship of royal families. An imperial theatre was founded by a Lutheran pastor named Gregory during the 17th century reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, and from here drama began to take its shape in Russian society.
One of the earliest roots of Russian theatre is found in an old Slavic tradition in which people would change their clothes during the holidays to confuse or scare away evil spirits. Many folk rituals in medieval Russia also included performances from musicians, acrobats, jesters, and singers. Creative bands of artists known as “squads of merrymen” would also travel around performing for curious audiences. The most popular entertainment genre at the time was folk comedy. Royals and government officials would hire talented folk jesters to permanently live and work in their homes to entertain them and their guests.
In the 17th century, Gregory recruited a group of talented artists and began to teach them short comedies. Many residents living in a nearby German settlement were hired for the performances. This was the first time that props were being used for performances and a cohesive plot was portrayed. The artists sang and danced and enacted various scenes, and theatre began to reflect modern life. Imperial theatres were funded by the royal court. Foreigners were particularly encouraged to join troupes, resulting in many theatrical elements being borrowed from the west.
The first school theatre was formed at the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy and was known to stage holiday performances that involved the entire student body, with teachers writing scripts and students performing on state. Serf theatres also became a unique part of Russian culture. Noble families opened private theatres in which serfs, including the women, performed. In 1702, Peter I opened the first public theatre in Moscow and secular theatre began to pave its path in Russia. Soon after, professional and amateur troupes began to perform in all regions of Russia.
By the 1840s due to the political conditions in Russia, many theatres went bankrupt. They gradually began to recover over the next 20 years. In the second half of the 19th century, musical drama held the largest audience appeal. From 1860 to 1880, theatre continued to expand and the number of buildings increased 50 percent in just the first 10 years. Widespread changes in staging methods were possible because of the changes in architecture and machinery; the complex Victorian theatre scenery required flying around the stage and this turn in technology made it possible.
Sources cited:
Russian theater. Advantour. (n.d.). Retrieved August 28, 2022, from https://www.advantour.com/russia/culture/theater.htm
A quick history of Russian theatre. Liden & Denz Russia. (2018, December 10). Retrieved August 28, 2022, from https://www.russiancourses.com/blog/russian-theatre-quick-history/
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