Culture of the Don Land. Учебное пособие

set off (by) – оттенять, противопоставлять, выделять performance – представление

to stage – ставить на сцене, инсценировать to applaud – аплодировать

audience – аудитория repertoire – репертуар jubilee – юбилей

Activities:

1.Work in pairs. Speak on the history of the Gorky Drama Theatre.

2.Imagine you are a newcomer in Rostov. Ask question about the Gorky Drama Theatre to your friend-Rostovite.

3.Write a letter to your pen-friend from Great Britain. Describe our Drama Theatre.

A PUPPET THEATRE

Find the answers to the following questions:

1.Have you been to the Puppet Theatre when a child?

2.Do you know where is it situated?

3.What is the tradition of the theatre?

On a quiet university by-street, there is a small building containing a Puppet Theatre. We are proud of it because it gives enjoyment to our children and teenagers. At the end of the 1920's, a group of puppet actors performed at the theatre for the young audience.

The actors enjoyed considerable popularity with, the audience and in 1938 the Theatre became independent.

The first performance staged at the Theatre was «A Brave Tailor», by Brothers Grimm. The repertoire of the Theatre includes works by A.Pushkin, L.Tolstoy, M.Saltykov-Shchedrin, Pierro, and others. The tradition of the Theatre is to find a way

71

to entertain the audience of different ages. The Theatre stages performances for children speaking about the main values of life. The Theatre pays attention to the soul of the child to bring sensitivity from the child to all the living things on the earth. During the past 16 years, the Theatre has been supervised by the people's actor: V.Bylkov, a pupil of Sergei Obraztsov. V. Bylkov is treated with great respect by the actors of the Theatre. The Puppet Theatre is closely connected with Pleven Puppet Theatre and the Studio of the Higher Institute of the Theatre Art in Sofia, Bulgaria. In 2003 the Theatre marked its 65th anniversary.

Vocabulary notes:

value – ценность

sensitivity – чувствительность anniversary – годовщина, юбилей

Activities:

Imagine you are speaking to your childhood friend. You together recollect your visiting of the Puppet Theatre with your friends.

THE ROSTOV YOUNG SPECTATOR’S THEATRE Find the answers to the following questions:

1.When was the first Theatre building in Rostov built?

2.Whom was the design of the future Theatre drawn up?

3.What does our Theatre look like?

4.What style was it built in?

5.Whom did the Rostovites applaud on the stage of the Drama Theatre in the 30th?

6.The names of what talented actors is the Theatre connected with?

7.Who is the Theatre leading actor?

72

The Rostov Young Spectator's Theatre is located in that part of Rostov which belonged to the town of Nakhichevan in the last century. It was built in 1899 by architect M.N.Durbakh.

In 1885 the Society of Dramatic Art Lovers addressed the town Duma with the request to build such a theatre. The first performance in the new theatre was by Leo

Tolstoy. The leading parts were played by actors Sinelnikov, Blumenthal-Tamarin, Petrovsky and others. The Theatre was built with great love, with a splendid hall, with superb acoustics, which gave the audience the opportunity to see the stage from different parts of the hall. Out in the spacious corridor, the marble staircase led to the original foyer.

The Gala rooms and corridors were adorned with double bronze candle-sticks. The curtain and the scenery were decorated with the paintings of Don Artist J.J.Krylov. He also painted the portraits of W.Shakespeare, N.Gogol, A.Ostroyvsky, D.Verdi, M.Glinka, P.Tchaikovsky on the walls of the foyer. The façade of the Theatre was built in the Renaissance style.

Our theatre is comparatively young, of course, as it opened its doors on February 23, 1964. The first performance «Chapayonok» was staged by the former producer of the prewar theatre J.Cab.

The performance was very sincere and lively. During the period from 1964 to 1994 the Theatre changed hands five times. The producers were very talented and gifted. They are Arthur Khaikin, V.Molchanov, Juri Yeryomin and V.Gvozdkov. All of them made a great contribution to the life of the theatre. It was very hard to stage performances during this time and it was the courage of these producers and some of the famous actors, such as Lobanova, Blinova, Lazebny, Suchkov and Tubiyashevitsch, who helped the Theatre to survive.

73

Epochs and the Theatre cast changed and it has become clear that the building is in need of serious reconstruction.

In 1983 reconstruction began. It took 6 years. But now we have a renovated building for a young audience. There are two stages, new rehearsal and make-up rooms. The Rostovites looked forward to the new construction of their favourite Theatre.

In 1985 the chief manager of the Theatre became V.Chigishev, a young and talented producer. He staged many performances for youth and the greatest success was the rockdrama «Dogs». This drama is an open Theatre metaphor: the performance about dogs and people both lost.

In 1989 «Dogs» was shown to French and German spectators at the International Festival and it enjoyed considerable popularity.

In 1994 the Theatre is celebrated its 40th anniversary. It enjoys considerable popularity with young people and students. For 30 years of its existence, the Rostov Young Spectator's Theatre has staged more than 170 performances. The group consists of 30 actors who have graduated from the best theatre schools in the country.

Billboards feature plays by such playwrights as Shakespeare, Kipling, Sholokhov, Chekhov and others. Young Spectator's Theatre is often touring over the country and participates in International festivals in France, Germany, Mexico, Poland and Turkey.

In 1993 the Theatre organized the Rostov International Minifest Festival to which the most outstanding performances of different countries of the world were invited. The theatrical forums were held in.Rostov in 1989 and 1991. The Theatre has several musical plays, comedies, psychological dramas and fairytale productions in its repertoire. Nowadays the theatre is called the Youth Theatre.

74

Vocabulary notes: adorned – украшать

candle-sticks – подсвечник marble – мрамор

sincere – искренний renovated – восстанавливать rehearsal – репетиция billboard – доска для афиш

feature – особенность, деталь; изображать, показывать

Activities:

1. Make up dialogues of your own:

a)intending to go to the Theatre (to read up the poster, to be on, to be worth, to praise, in my opinion, au excellent idea, to be in demand; to choose, to prefer, to look forward to ...);

b)booking a ticket to the theatre (row, the stalls, the gallery, the pit, the balcony, a box, to prefer, these seats will do);

c)going to the Theatre (to wear, to look nice, to keep somebody waiting, hurry up, I’d rather, to hire a taxi; to be held up, needn’t, at one’s disposal).

2. Try to make up the Theatre bill.

3. You talk to your friend from Glasgow about the repertoire of the Rostov theatre and choose one of them.

4. Describe one of your visits to the theatre and your impressions.

5. Speak about a performance, you remember best, say what impressed you: how the actors played, whether the scenery was splendid or simple; whether the audience liked the performance.

ROSTOV STATE MUSIC THEATRE Find the answers to the following questions:

1. When was Rostov State Music Theatre opened?

75

2. Why is it important that the theatre hall is decorated with natural wood? 3. What is the creed of the artistic director of the theatre?

Rostov State Music Theatre was opened on November, 12, 1999 with opera «Carmen» by Bizet. The company of the theatre is formed of actors of Rostov Theatre of Music Comedy and talented graduates of Rostov Conservatoire.

A unique building of white marble was erected for the theatre. Nothing of the kind had been built in Russia for 20 years. 1000 sit theatre hall is decorated with natural wood which provides perfect acoustics. The stage equipped with all modern technique (46 electric elevators, 13m diameter of the circle, 9m high and 14m wide mirror) gives the directors possibility to fulfill the most daring ideas.

The creed of Viacheslav Kushev, the artistic director of the theatre, is - «The best creations staged by the best directors and performed by the best actors».

During the first season rostovites enjoyed 10 opera, concert , ballet and operetta performances, such as Adan «Jizel», Bizet «Carmen», Tchaikovsky «Eugene Onegin», «Nutcracker Suite», Verdi «Traviata» and others.

The modern, beautiful and convenient building of the theatre is often used for different conferences, festivals and celebrations.

Vocabulary notes acoustics – акустика

electric elevator – электроподъемник creed – кредо

artistic director – художественный руководитель

Activities

Make up dialogues:

1. My first visit to Rostov State Music Theatre. 2.Repertoire of the theatre.

76

Module 4. CULTURAL TRADITIONS

OF ROSTOV REGION

Find the answers the following questions:

1.Why do we say that our region has rich cultural tradi-

tions?

2.What great people of our country are associated with Rostov region?

3.Where can the history of our city and other cities of our region be traced?

4.How was Ye. Vuchetich connected with Rostov?

5.What sculptures by Vuchetich do you know?

6.Have you ever heard of the famous surgeon N.Bogoraz?

7.What is he famous for?

8.What place does Anton Chekhov take in our Don his-

tory?

9.What do you think, why Chekhov felt seriously ill?

10.Do you understand Chekhov’s movements of soul and

heart?

11.What do you know about M. Sholokhov and his works?

12.Have you read Panova’s book «Seryozha»?

13.In what way are the names of I.Pavlov and A.Popov connected with our city?

14.What place in our region keeps memory of the gallant ataman S.Razin?

15.What was Caesar Kunikov? Why one of the streets in our city is named after him?

16.What places in our region were visited by the great Russian poet A.Pushkin?

17.Why was Pushkin so interested in our region?

18.What places of interest and what people impressed

him most of all?

77

Our region is rich in cultural traditions. The old-timers name proudly dozens of outstanding figures in literature, art, science and technology, medicine whose life and work were associated with Rostov and Taganrog, Azov and Novocherkassk, Cherkassk and some other villages in the Don region.

Here Mussorgsky gave concerts, and the great Russian actor Mikhail Shchepkin played to packed houses, the writers Vera Panova, Mikhail Sholokhov created their best works.

Among the honoured Rostovites are the outstanding Russian doctor M.Bogoraz, the great sculptor Ye.Vuchetich, the Armenian writer and enlightener M.Nalbandyan, the composer M.Gnesin, the radio inventor A.Popov and the physiologist I.Pavlov, the gallant ataman of Don Cossacks S.Razin. The history of our city and some other towns of our region can be traced in the names of its avenues and squares, in its monuments and streets.

Stepan Razin

There is a preserve corner of Stepan Razin in our country. This is a birthplace of the gallant ataman, the former town Chercassk and now stanitsa Starocherkasskaya on the Don. Cherkassk, the «old nest» of the Cossacks, Razin's town, tied its name with the name of the famous rebel.

In 1921 in Starocherkassk the museum named after Stepan Razin was opened thanks to the local teachers, a mother and a daughter the Grinyovs. It took many years and efforts for these women to organize this museum. And nowadays this museumpreserves works as a museum of the history of Don Cossacks. For many years this museum has been enriched with different exhibits.

One can see various weapons of the Cossacks, the ancient Cossacks utensils and constantly existing exhibition devoted to

78

the life of the heroes of the Don. The adornment of this exposition is Stepan Razin's sculpture according to Vuchetich design.

Created by our talented sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich, the ataman is sitting, thinking deeply. He is full of huge strength and energy, but there is sadness in his heart.

A.P.Chekhov

One of the streets in Rostov is named after Anton Chekhov, the famous Russian writer, he brought glory not only to our country, but also to our region. We are proud that his life is closely connected with our region. Chekhov was born in Taganrog on the sea of Azov in 1860. His grandfather was a serf who had saved money to buy his freedom and that of his three sons. One of them, Pavel by name, opened a grocer's shop at Taganrog, married and had five sons and one daughter. Anton was his third son. Pavel was uneducated, vain, selfish and deeply religious. When Anton was 16, his father crippled with debts and fearful of arrest, fled to Moscow, where his two elder sons were at the university.

Anton was left at Taganrog to continue his schooling in the gymnasium and supported himself as best as he could by tutoring backward boys. When after three years he matriculated and was granted as scholarship of 25 roubles, he joined his parents in Moscow. Having decided to become a doctor, he entered the medical school. He was then a tall young man with light brown hair and brown eyes. He found his family living in a slum. Anton brought with him two school friends and fellow students to board with the family. Their payment and his scholarship were enough to provide food for nine people and pay the rent.

Anton had the gift of improvising funny stories which kept his friends in fits of laughter. He sent off his stories to a Petersburg weekly call «The Dragon Fly». To his surprise it was

79

accepted. From 1880 to 1885 Chekhov wrote 388 stories. While he was writing, he was working at the medical school to get his diploma. He could only write at night after his hard day's work at the hospital. The conditions after which he wrote were difficult. In his stories Chekhov defends the insulted dignity of a «small man».

After his final examinations Chekhov became a qualified doctor. But intelligent persons in Petersburg found in Chekhov a talented writer and invited him to contribute to their journals.

Chekhov was impressed. But he had never intended to become a professional writer. «Medicine», he said, «is my lawful wife and literature only my mistress».

Tuberculosis was in the family and later Chekhov understood that he had been at death's door. In 1887 after graduating from Moscow University Chekhov came back to Taganrog and was depressed by the spiritual poverty of the narrowminded people. The journey about our native Don region gave him material for writing the story «The Steppe», which is penetrated with love to our native nature.

Chekhov fought courageously his illness but at the age of 44 he died. Chekhov's work is immortal. On his initiative there was erected a monument to Peter the Great on a high steep shore of the sea of Azov in Taganrog. Many places in Taganrog are connected with the name of the outstanding Russian writer A.P.Chekhov among them the Chekhov memorial museum – a small house, where in 1868 Chekhov was born. The Chekhov literary museum was founded in the 30-ies. The Taganrog Drama Theatre was given the name of Chekov in 1944.

Ivan Pavlov

The great Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov lived in Rostov in 1881 and 1887.

80