Famous serf actors and actresses. Theater for dummies: What are serf theaters? What additional benefits did the owner receive?

SERPENT THEATER, a type of private theater in Russia, a home noble (landowner) theater with the participation of serfs. Home performances were organized in Russia at the end of the 17th century, but the serf theater became widespread in the 2nd half of the 18th - early 19th centuries; existed until the abolition of serfdom. In addition to serfs, amateur actors from the nobility and “free” professionals (actors, musicians) could participate in the serf theater; at the same time, in some theaters only the nobles themselves or their children performed, while serfs provided performances (construction and equipment of the stage, production of scenery and costumes, musical accompaniment, etc.); in others, they were played by both amateur nobles and “house” or “own” actors (that is, serfs). In some serf theaters, “free” artists of the public imperial stage or private professional enterprise were invited to play the main roles; sometimes “free” Russian and foreign celebrities appeared only as bandmasters, choreographers and theater teachers, and the performers were mainly “own” actors. Home theaters of landowners could be turned into public theaters with an entrance fee. Serf actors and musicians were sometimes bought into the treasury.

One of the first and most outstanding serf theaters is the Sheremetev Counts Theater. It began its activities around 1765 as an amateur noble theater in St. Petersburg, then (at the end of the 1770s) it took shape as a serf theater in Moscow in a house on Bolshaya Nikolskaya Street. At the same time, in the Moscow region estate of P. B. Sheremetev in the village of Kuskovo, 3 theaters were built: “air” (that is, on outdoors), Small, then Big. The Sheremetev troupe reached its peak in the mid-1780s, when N.P. Sheremetev became its owner, who built a new magnificent theater-palace in the Ostankino estate near Moscow in the early 1790s. The Sheremetevs maintained a huge staff of serf craftsmen, among them: architects P. I. Argunov, A. Mironov, G. Dikushin; artists Argunovs, K. Funtusov, G. Mukhin, S. Kalinin; driver F. Pryakhin; musicians S. A. Degtyarev, G. Ya. Lomakin, instrumental master I. A. Batov and others. They worked under the guidance and alongside famous European and Russian “free” masters. The troupe and orchestra included more than 200 people. The best actors were P. I. Kovaleva (Gorbunova, on stage - Zhemchugova), T. V. Shlykova (Granatova), G. Kokhanovsky, A. Novikov, T. Bedenkova, A. Buyanova (Izumrudova), A. Kalmykova (Yakhontova), F. and M. Urusov (Biryuzov) and others. The artists were entitled to a salary in money and food. The troupe was led by the serf “librarian of His Excellency” V. G. Voroblevsky, who was educated at the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy and visited abroad with N. P. Sheremetev. He was also involved in translations and adaptations of plays. The repertoire included more than 100 plays, the main part of which were comic operas, as well as comedies, operas and ballets.

The end of the 1810s saw the flourishing of another outstanding serf theater, which belonged to Prince N.B. Yusupov. In 1819, a theater building was built in Moscow “in the Yauzskaya part at No. 83”, which had a stalls, a semi-circular amphitheater, a mezzanine and 2 galleries. In the summer, the theater operated in the Arkhangelskoye estate, where the theater building built in 1817-18 and part of the scenery painted by P. di G. Gonzago were preserved. The Yusupov Theater gave mainly operas and lavish ballet performances; the best actresses were A. Borunova, S. Malinkina, A. Rabutovskaya. Around 1811, the P. A. Poznyakov Theater appeared in Moscow, located in Leontyevsky Lane. Mostly very lavishly furnished comic operas were performed here (the scenery was painted by the Italian painter G.B. Scotti). Serf actors were trained by S. N. and E. S. Sandunov. One of the best actresses of this theater is Lyubochinskaya. In Moscow at the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th century there were also theaters of S. S. Apraksin, G. I. Bibikov, I. Ya. Bludov, N. A. and V. A. Vsevolozhsky, P. M. Volkonsky, I. A. Gagarin, L.K. Naryshkin, N.I. Odoevsky, N.G. and B.G. Shakhovskikh, etc. In St. Petersburg, home theaters E. were famous. P. Baryatinskaya, P. A. Golitsyna, E. F. Dolgoruky, A. A. and L. A. Naryshkin, A. N. Nelidinskaya, A. S. Stroganov, I. G. Chernyshev, Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich and others.

By the end of the 18th century, serf theaters began to appear in provincial towns and on estates remote from the center. In the 1780s, S. G. Zorich (former favorite of Empress Catherine II) created a serf theater on his estate in Shklov. His theater, according to contemporaries, was “enormous”; the repertoire included dramas, comedies, comic operas and ballets. In addition to serfs, cadets of the Shklov Cadet Corps and amateur nobles took part in the dramatic performances, among whom Prince P. V. Meshchersky was famous (his acting was highly appreciated by M. S. Shchepkin). Only serfs danced in ballets, the best of them being K. Butkevich and P. Azarevicheva (Azarevich). After the death of Zorich, the ballet troupe was bought by the treasury in 1800 for the St. Petersburg imperial stage. Among the many home theaters, the gr. A. R. Vorontsov, which existed (around 1793-1805) in the village of Alabukhi, Tambov province, and then in the village of Andreevskoye, Vladimir province. The repertoire included primarily plays by Russian playwrights. The troupe numbered from 50 to 60 people, including musicians, painters, machinists, tailors, hairdressers, etc.; artists who received annual remuneration in money and things were divided into “first-class” (13-15 people) and “second-class” (6-8 people). The troupe was headed by a “theater director” of serf actors (first I. Petrov, then F. Yakovlev). M. Kaptelova was considered the best actress and singer, the first actor was F. Yakovlev, then Y. Kirilov.

In the early 1790s, the theater of Prince N. G. Shakhovsky appeared, which in the summer was located in the village of Yusupovo Nizhny Novgorod province, and in winter itself Nizhny Novgorod. In 1797, the prince built a theater building in Moscow, in the “Serpukhov part”. However (probably due to financial considerations) the Shakhovsky Theater did not play for long in Moscow. It was one of the first commercial serf theaters that charged admission. In the summer, Shakhovskoy took his theater to the Makaryevskaya Fair for the whole of July. The repertoire consisted of tragedies, comedies, dramas, operas with ballets and vaudevilles. The troupe in 1820 numbered about 90 people. Most famous actors- A. Ershov, M. Polyakov, D. Zavidov, A. Vysheslavtseva, N. Piunova, A. and N. Strelkov. After Shakhovsky's death (1824), his heirs sold the theater (1827). The actors received freedom and continued to play on the stage of the theater, which became a city theater. A similar public serf theater was created in Kazan by P. P. Esipov (circa 1803-14), who previously had a home serf theater in the village of Yumatovo near Kazan. The best actors of Esipov’s troupe were considered F. Lvov, the famous “Feklusha” and Kuzmina (she served as A.I. Herzen’s prototype for the heroine of the story “The Thieving Magpie”). In 1815, the theater of Count S. M. Kamensky opened in Orel, also public, with an entrance fee - one of the largest provincial serf theaters: in the first year alone, about 100 comedies, dramas, tragedies, vaudevilles, operas and ballets were staged. The count bought talented actors for his troupe from many landowners, and also invited famous “free” artists to play the first roles (M. S. Shchepkin and others played for him). The fortress theater made a valuable contribution to the development of the national theatrical arts, contributed to its wide dissemination not only in major cities, but also in the provinces.

Lit.: Golitsyn A.L. From the past. Materials of serf landowner theaters in the Oryol province. Orel, 1901; Drizen N.V. On the history of the serf theater // Capital and estate. 1914. No. 12/13; Sakhnovsky V. G. Fortress estate theater. L., 1924; Evreinov N. N. Serf actors. 2nd ed. L., 1925; Kashin N.P. Theater N.B. Yusupov. M., 1927; Beskin E. Fortress Theater. M.; L., 1927; Elizarova N. A. Sheremetev Theaters. M., 1944; Gozenpud A. Musical Theatre in Russia. From the origins to Glinka. L., 1959; Starikova L. M. Theatrical life of ancient Moscow. M., 1988; Lepskaya L. Repertoire of the Sheremetev serf theater. M., 1996; Krasovskaya V. Russian ballet theater from origin to mid-19th V. 2nd ed. St. Petersburg, 2008.

Fortress Theater serf theater

in Russia, a private theater of the nobility with a troupe of serfs. Originated in late XVII c., became widespread in late XVIII - early XIX centuries, mainly in Moscow and the Moscow region (theaters of the Sheremetevs, Yusupovs, etc.). The names of many serf actors entered the history of the theater (P. I. Zhemchugova, T. V. Shlykova-Granatova, etc.). Serf theaters became the basis of the Russian provincial stage.

KREPOSTNOY THEATER, a private noble (landowner's home) theater in Russia, which arose on a feudal-serf basis. Separate home performances by serf actors began to be organized at the end of the 17th century, but serf theaters became especially widespread in the second half of the 18th and early 19th centuries and existed until the abolition of serfdom (1861).
Types of fortress theaters
The serf theaters, of which there were about two hundred, were distinguished by many significant nuances: some were played only by the nobles themselves, often titled and high-ranking, or their children - such a theater is usually called a noble amateur theater; in others, “domoi,” that is, serf actors, performed next to amateur noblemen; thirdly, “free” artists of the public imperial stage or private professional enterprise were invited to play the main roles, and the rest of the troupe were from their own “homegrown”; fourthly, “free” celebrities, Russian and foreign, appeared only as orchestra directors, choreographers and theater teachers, and the performers were mainly “own” actors; There were also landowner theaters, which turned into public theaters with an entrance fee.
Features of the fortress theater
Any such serf theater, intimate home or public, was created at the whim of the landowner, at his expense, thanks to the labor of his own serfs, used as actors, or orchestra musicians, or service personnel stage action, which took place most often in his (sometimes rented) home, where the owner was the absolute master on stage, behind the scenes and in auditorium, that is, he determined the artistic and aesthetic level of performances, formed the direction (dramatic or musical), chose the repertoire, distributed roles, etc., accommodated the audience at his discretion, and also determined the moral face of the theater.
Spread of serf theaters
At first, serf theaters were set up in the city estates of both capitals, especially in Moscow, where more than twenty of them existed in the 1780-90s alone. In winter, home theaters operated in the city, and in the summer, together with their owners, they moved to country estates. So, in Moscow at the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th century. theaters operated by: S. S. Apraksin, G. I. Bibikov, I. Ya. Bludov, N. A. and V. A. Vsevolozhsky, P. M. Volkonsky, I. A. Gagarin, A. I. Davydov, N. I. Demidov, I. A Durasova, I. K. Zamyatin, L. K. Naryshkin, N. I. Odoevsky, V. G. Orlov, S. M. and G. P. Rzhevskikh, D. E. and A. E. Stolypin, A. S. Stepanova, P. A. Poznyakov, D. I. and N. N. Trubetskoy, P. B. Sheremetev (cm. SHEREMETEV Petr Borisovich) and N.P. Sheremeteva (cm. SHEREMETEV Nikolay Petrovich), N. G. and B. G. Shakhovskikh, N. B. Yusupov and others. In St. Petersburg, home theaters were especially famous: D. P. Baryatinskaya, P. A. Golitsyna, E. F. Dolgorukaya, A. A. and L.A. Naryshkin, A.N. Nelidinskaya, A.S. Stroganov, I.G. Chernyshev, heir to the throne Pavel Petrovich (cm. PAVEL I Petrovich), and etc.
Count Sheremetev Theater
One of the first and most outstanding was the theater of Counts Sheremetev. He began his activities in St. Petersburg in 1765 as a noble amateur and finally took shape by the end of the 1770s in Moscow (on Bolshaya Nikolskaya Street). From hundreds of thousands of their serfs, the Sheremetevs carefully selected and trained various craftsmen who took part in the creation of the theater (architects F. S. Argunov, A. Mironov, G. Diushin; artists I. P. and N. I. Argunov (cm. ARGUNOV), K. Vuntusov, G. Mukhin, S. Kalinin; driver F. Pryakhin; musicians P. Kalmykov, S. Degtyarev, G. Lomakin (cm. LOMAKIN Gabriel Yakimovich) and etc.). They worked under the guidance and alongside renowned European and Russian masters.
At the Sheremetev estate near Moscow, Kuskovo (cm. KUSKOVO), theaters were built: “air” (in the open air), Maly and Bolshoi. The troupe included serf actors, musicians, dancers, decorators, etc. (more than two hundred people), among them the outstanding actress and singer Zhemchugova (P.I. Kovaleva). The artists were paid in money and food. The troupe was directed and supervised by the serf “his excellency’s librarian” B. G. Vroblevsky, who was educated at the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy (cm. SLAVIC-GREEK-LATIN ACADEMY) and visited abroad with N.P. Sheremetev in the early 1770s. Wroblewski translated the plays and remade them at the same time. The theater's repertoire included more than a hundred plays, mostly comic operas, as well as comedies, operas and ballets.
The theater reached a particular flourishing in the mid-1780s, when N.P. Sheremetev-son, an enlightened nobleman, a talented musician and a selfless lover of theatrical art, became its owner, who built a magnificent theater-palace in the village of Ostankino in the early 1790s (cm. OSTANKINO).
Fortress Theater of Prince Yusupov
By the beginning of the 19th century. (around 1818) marks the heyday of the activities of the serf theater of Prince N. B. Yusupov. In 1819, a theater building was built in Moscow, which had a stalls, a semi-circular amphitheater, a mezzanine and two galleries. In the summer, the theater operated in the village of Arkhangelskoye near Moscow, where a magnificent theater building built in 1818 still remains. Pietro Gonzago painted the scenery for the theater (cm. GONZAGO Pietro). Operas and magnificent ballet performances were given at the Yusupov Theater.
"Theatrical phenomenon"
Around 1811, a “theatrical phenomenon worthy of special attention” appeared in Moscow - the serf theater of P. A. Poznyakov, located on Bolshaya Nikitskaya street in Leontyevsky Lane. The theater performed mainly lavishly staged comic operas, the scenery for which was painted by the Italian painter Scotti. The serf actors of this theater, who “played incomparably better than many free artists,” were trained by S. N. Sandunov (cm. SANDUNOV Sila Nikolaevich) and E. S. Sandunova (cm. SANDUNOVA Elizaveta Semenovna).
Provincial serf theaters
By the end of the 18th century. Serf theaters began to appear in provincial towns and estates, sometimes very remote from the center, including in the Urals and Siberia. Their level was very different: from primitive home-grown performances on hastily put together stages with a painted sheet instead of a curtain to perfectly organized performances in specially built theaters with a well-equipped stage. An example of the first is the theater of Prince G. A. Gruzinsky in the village of Lyskovo; the second - the theater of Prince N. G. Shakhovsky in the village of Yusupovo, and then in Nizhny Novgorod; I. I. Esipov Theater in Kazan; S. M. Kamensky in Orel; S. G. Zorich in Shklov.
Zorich Fortress Theater
In the 1780s, a favorite of Catherine II (cm. CATHERINE II), S.G. Zorich, built a theater on his estate Shklov, Mogilev province, which, according to contemporaries, was “enormous.” The repertoire included dramas, comedies, comic operas and ballets. In addition to the serfs, the dramatic performances included cadets of the Shklov Cadet Corps (established by Zorich) and amateur nobles, among whom Prince P. V. Meshchersky was famous - his acting was highly appreciated by M. S. Shchepkin (cm. SHEPKIN Mikhail Semenovich). In the ballets, which “were very good,” only serf dancers danced. After Zorich's death, his ballet troupe in 1800 was purchased by the treasury for the St. Petersburg imperial stage.
Vorontsov Fortress Theater
Among the provincial theaters, the serf theater of Count A. R. Vorontsov also stood out (cm. VORONTSOV Alexander Romanovich), located in the village of Alabukhi, Tambov province, then in the village of Andreevskoye, Vladimir province. Vorontsov, one of the most educated people of his time, was an ardent opponent of Gallomania, which spread among Russian nobles in the 18th century. Therefore, the repertoire of his serf theater primarily included plays by Russian playwrights: A. P. Sumarokov (cm. SUMAROKOV Alexander Petrovich), D. I. Fonvizina (cm. FONVIZIN Denis Ivanovich), P. A. Plavilshchikova (cm. PLAVILSHIKOV Petr Alekseevich), M. I. Verevkina (cm. VEREVKIN Mikhail Ivanovich),I. B. Princess (cm. KNYAZHNIN Yakov Borisovich), O. A. Ablesimova (cm. ABLESIMOV Alexander Onisimovich) etc. Such plays by Moliere were staged (cm. MOLIERE), P. O. Beaumarchais (cm. BEAUMARCHAIS Pierre Augustin), Voltaire (cm. VOLTER) and other European playwrights.
The total composition of the troupe ranged from 50 to 60 people, including musicians, painters, machinists, tailors, hairdressers, etc. The artists were divided into “first-class” (13-15 people) and “second-class” (6-8 people) and depending from this they received an annual reward in money and things. Vorontsov was not at the theater ballet troupe and, when dance scenes were required, “women who dance” were invited.
Public fortress theater
The public serf theater of Count S. M. Kamensky was opened in 1815 in Orel. It was one of the largest provincial theaters. It existed almost until 1835. In the first year of its activity alone, about a hundred new performances were staged: comedies, dramas, tragedies, vaudevilles, operas and ballets. The count, whom his contemporaries called “a brilliant tyrant” (primarily for his attitude towards serf actors), bought for his troupe talented actors from many landowners, and also invited famous “free” artists, for example M. S. Shchepkin, to play the first roles (cm. SHEPKIN Mikhail Semenovich)(his oral history formed the basis of the plot of A. Herzen’s story “The Thieving Magpie”; The atmosphere of this theater is also described by N. Leskov’s story “The Stupid Artist”).
Serf theaters existed in conditions where their owners tried to make the most of the talent of the serfs, as a result of which many of them died prematurely. However, in spite of everything, these theaters made a valuable contribution to the development of national theatrical art and contributed to its wide dissemination - many provincial theaters trace their history back to serf home troupes.

encyclopedic Dictionary. 2009 .

See what “serf theater” is in other dictionaries:

Fortress Theater in Russian Empire until 1861 (the abolition of serfdom) a private theater of a nobleman, consisting of serf actors who belonged to him by right of ownership. Such a troupe performed where, for how long and as indicated by the owner... ... Wikipedia

Modern encyclopedia

In Russia, a private theater of the nobility with a troupe of serfs. Arose in the end. 17th century, became widespread in the late 18 start 19th centuries, mainly in Moscow and the Moscow region (theatres of the Sheremetevs, Yusupovs, etc.). The names of many serf actors were included in... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Fortress Theater- FORFERT THEATER, in Russia a private theater of the nobility with a troupe of serfs. They arose at the end of the 17th century, were widespread in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and existed until the abolition of serfdom. Sometimes they had almost professional character,… … Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

View of a private noble theater in Russia; troupes were created by landowners from among the serfs. K. t. appeared at the end of the 17th century. They became widespread at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, mainly in Moscow and the Moscow region (at the turn of the 18th - 19th ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

The main house of the Lyublino estate, the Durasov Fortress Theater in Lyublino, was famous throughout Moscow and the outfit ... Wikipedia

Dictionary Ushakova

1. FORFERT1 [sn], serfdom, serfdom. 1. adj., by meaning associated with serfdom. Serfdom. Serf peasant. Serf farming. Fortress factory. Fortress theater. Serf labor. 2. in meaning noun serf... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

1. FORFERT1 [sn], serfdom, serfdom. 1. adj., by meaning associated with serfdom. Serfdom. Serf peasant. Serf farming. Fortress factory. Fortress theater. Serf labor. 2. in meaning noun serf... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

It is difficult for our contemporaries, who are fans of the performers in blockbusters and television series, to imagine that the profession of artists was once hard, forced and unpaid work. The centuries-old burden that fell on the shoulders of the most dependent profession will be discussed further in the “home” theaters of serf Russia.

When did “serf theaters” exist?

Fortress theater in Kuskovo

What is this phenomenon?

It is worth noting separately that subsidies to such groups were considered a luxury and implied significant expenses, which is why only owners of very large fortunes could afford such pampering.

Sheremetev Fortress Theater in the Fountain House

The most famous fortress theaters

Gonzago Fortress Theater in the village of Arkhangelskoye

Who were selected as artists?

How were the rehearsals?

Fortress Theater of N. A. Durasov in Lyublino

What else was taught?

Where did the actors live?

« Nothing to do, - says A. I. Herzen, one owner of a serf theater, - order in our business is half the success; loosen the reins in any way - trouble: artists are restless people. You know, perhaps, what the French say: it is easier to control an entire army than a troupe of actors».

Fortress Theater of Count Sheremetev in Ostankino

How much did serf artists receive?

A special case - home theater Count Sheremetev, where the actors were paid a salary of 10 to 60 rubles a year. An experienced valet or manager could receive this much. The Count established three levels of salaries for all servants: “low-level”, i.e. the subsidy corresponded to the lowest rate, then “dacha versus lackeys”, i.e. equal with lackeys, and the “supreme dacha,” which determined the privileged status of those involved in the theater.

Unknown serf artist. Palace in Maryino. 1816

What punishments were used?

However, punishment in the form of corporal floggings was more often applied only to men. Women suffered a different fate. So, for example, Count Sheremetev had a habit of forgetting a scarf while going around the bedchambers of actresses, which he suddenly remembered at night, unexpectedly visiting the girls’ bedrooms, which is why he soon acquired big amount illegitimate offspring.

At the same time, he himself severely punished for any violations of “decent rules.” So, for example, a student of his home theater, Belyaeva, once went to study at the house of the actor Sandunov in the same chaise with his student Travin. The Count brought down his passionate anger on both of them, indignant at the fact that “the girl was traveling with a single man,” after which he severely punished them.

Serf of the landowner N.N. Demidov, the great Russian actor Stepan Mochalov (1775-1823)

What did the actors fear most?

As I. Arsenyev describes, Count N.B. Yusupov had a strange habit, who entertained his Moscow guests after the end of the performance by appearing in a light blue tailcoat with a powdered wig with a pigtail, and the corps de ballet appeared in their “natural form.” Another example of how often the “home theater” realized the owner’s ideas about entertainment, which he lacked.

Fragment of the Last Judgment icon

How did you encourage real talent?

The prima of the Sheremetyevo Theater, Praskovya Zhemchugova (Kovalyova), after a concert before Paul I in February 1797, was so impressed by the beauty and tenderness of the timbre of the lyric soprano that she received an “imperial gift” as a gift - a ring worth a thousand rubles. And in 1801, the actress became the wife of Count Sheremetev. However, about secret marriage became known only in 1803, after the birth of the first-born Dmitry, who inherited untold riches and one and a half hundred thousand serf souls. But after twenty days great actress died suddenly from consumption.

What additional benefits did the owner receive?

How did “serfs” become “employees”?

In the 1820s, the serf theater groups gradually disbanded. The ruin of many noble families allowed the Directorate of Imperial Theaters to acquire several serf performers, musicians, barbers and seamstresses. But the situation when a serf passes from a landowner to professional team hasn't changed. The law introduced on December 17, 1817 on the “exclusion of artists and other theatrical servants from the capitation salary,” thanks to which talents received freedom from “revision” dependence, did not change the position of dependent talents. The new managers from the management also treated them like things.

How much does “serf” talent cost?

What did the “serf” do in the imperial theaters?

The daily routine of an employee of the Imperial Theater is traditional today: morning rehearsals, afternoon classes to “improve oneself in art” and evening appearances in public. At the same time, the incredibly short rehearsal period with large repertoire and no “hack jobs” or extra income.

This is why many employees suffered from drunkenness. An indicative case occurred in December 1833 with the oboist Chernikov, who returned naked after a three-day absence. In the explanatory note, the culprit said that he was drowning in a depraved and riotous life, having found himself in debt in different places, which is why he left with the owners of the taverns “a cloak from Karl Ivanovich, who lived at the Blue Bridge as an apprentice to the master, a vest, a shirt-front and a tie in the Tsaritsyn tavern, trousers - in the Ekateringof restaurant, and a state-owned theater oboe - in the Hotel du Nord tavern... The instrument was pawned at Ivan’s marker for 30 rubles, and the money was no more than 14 rubles, the rest is all interest.”

Another musician was imprisoned for drunkenness prison cell at the Bolshoi Theater and issued a punishment with whips with a warning that if such a case will be dismissed and sent to the soldiers.

How did the tradition fade away?

“Guests listening to a gypsy choir” (engraving by L. Serebryakov based on a drawing by V. Schrader, 1871)

By the time of the abolition of serfdom in 1861, the serf theater was preserved only in the musical version of holiday chants, when lackeys and girls who could sing performed. Their creativity became the source for walking " folk song”, as well as incredibly popular then sentimental romances. In the ceremony of walking or festivities on boats or outside the city, choirs were considered an obligatory attribute, just as a group of singers was in the house churches of the nobility. In cases of particularly extreme wealth, a “footman” was hired, capable of handling a “violin” during parties along the river or forest. Here is one typical advertisement from Vedomosti: “For sale is a man 25 years old, tall, able to write and play the violin, and fit for a footman position. See it and find out about the price at the Galerny yard, in the English tavern near the town of Favle.” But this tradition was also put an end to by the Decree of Nicholas I of 1841 banning the sale of serfs individually.

What is the “GULAG Fortress Theater”?

The term “serf theater” was also used in the twentieth century, and denoted an example of the black humor of Soviet dissidence in relation to a phenomenon widespread in the Soviet repressive system. The unexpected return of the tradition of “serf artists” was formed in a series of mass arrests totalitarian regime of imprisoned professional actors, directors, musicians, dancers and other theatrical professionals. From the fruits of their labor, the zone administration came up with an incentive system, when for “Stakhanov’s” achievements in camp labor the prisoner received additional benefits in the form of a club ticket with good places to watch performances and literary evenings. “Gulag serf troupes” were also considered elements of not only entertainment, but also prestige.

FORTRESS THEATER existed in Russia for about a century (from the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century). There were two types of serf theater: estate and city. The first was well-appointed premises with a large repertoire, a large troupe of artists who had been trained for theatrical activities, orchestra, ballet, choir and soloists. This type also includes the so-called “booth theaters”, which showed their performances at large fairs in county towns, in suburbs at monasteries, etc. The second type includes estate theaters, which were closed in nature - for the amusement of the gentlemen themselves and invited guests. Only at first glance did such serf scenes exist in isolation: their living connection with social and cultural life Russia.

Forced actors were trained professional artists, composers, choreographers. Often serf artists were brought up in state-owned theater and ballet schools, and free artists played next to them on the fortress stage. It happened that serfs, rented out by their owners, appeared on the imperial stage (in such cases, in posters and programs, the serfs were not called “Mr.” or “Mrs.,” but simply wrote their last names). There are known cases when serf artists were bought by the treasury to enroll on the imperial stage; Stolypin serfs, together with the courtyard actors of the landowners P.M. Volkonsky and N.I. Demidov, entered the troupe of the state theater formed in 1806, now known as the Maly Theater. Among the serf artists were M.S. Shchepkin, S. Mochalov (father of the tragic P.S. Mochalov), E. Semenova, according to A.S. Pushkin, “the sole queen of the tragic stage,” and many others.

Such serf troupes as the theater of Count S.M. Kamensky in Orel are widely known. The special building had a stall, mezzanine, boxes, and gallery. The ushers were dressed in special livery tailcoats with multi-colored collars. In the count's box, in front of his chair, there was a special book for recording the mistakes of artists and orchestra members during the performance, and on the wall behind the chair hung whips for punishment. Within six months in 1817, according to the Friend of the Russians, in the theater of Count Kamensky, “82 plays were staged for the amusement of the public in the city of Orel, of which there were 18 operas, 15 dramas, 41 comedies, 6 ballets and 2 tragedies.” The count's estate has not survived, but in Orlovskoe drama theater them. Since the late 1980s, since the late 1980s, there has been a memorial “stage of Count Kamensky” with a reconstructed stage area, a small hall, a curtain, a museum and a makeup room. Chamber performances are performed here, and above the chair in the last row hangs a portrait of the count and a rod for punishment.

The theater of Prince Shakhovsky, whose permanent residence was located in a specially equipped premises in Nizhny Novgorod, also belonged to the same type of public serf theaters. Every year in July the prince brought his theater to the Makaryevskaya Fair. The repertoire of the serf theater included dramatic, opera, and ballet performances. A similar type of theater is depicted in the story by Vl. A. Sologub Kindergarten customs and life of theatrical figures of the early 19th century. conveyed here with the same tragedy as in the story by A.I. Herzen Thieving Magpie. There is fairly accurate information about the repertoire of serf theaters in the 1790s, mainly the works of V. Levshin and I. Carzelli: comic operas King on the hunt, Master's wedding Voldyreva, I can't bear my own burden, Imaginary widowers and etc.

The theaters at the master's estates had a more complex repertoire and structure. In his study, V.G. Sakhnovsky notes that they were organized “more often as fun, as entertainment or a desire to respond to the prevailing fashion, less often, but for the correct assessment of the art of theater in Russia, and also for the assessment artistic culture in Russia in general, it is all the more significant as the need in the forms of theater to express one’s sense of life, worldview and, consequently, to quench the passion for the art of the stage.” The greatest role in the development of the “instinct of theatricality” in the Russian nobility, according to the general opinion of researchers on the topic, was played by the district master’s theater. The most famous theaters nobles of Catherine's and Alexander's time in Moscow and St. Petersburg there was a theater of Prince Yusupov on the Moika and in Arkhangelskoye near Moscow, Counts Shuvalov on Fontanka, Potemkin in the Tauride Palace, Counts Sheremetevs in Kuskovo (later in Ostankino), Counts Apraksins in Olgov, Counts Zakrevskys in Ivanovsky, Counts Panins in Marfin (N.M. Karamzin, who visited this theater, wrote a play for the serf theater marked “only for Marfin”), Counts Zagryazhskys in Yaropolets Volokolamsk.

By the 1820s, not only the center of Russia, but also the southern and northern outskirts were flooded with master's estate theaters, both winter and “aerial”, organized in summer time in manor parks. At the first time of its creation, the serf Russian theater was largely imitative, starting from costume and furniture to language and gesture, it was absolutely alien to nature and home life, and, consequently, to the complex of concepts that reigned among the masses, not excluding and far from always a well-educated nobility. It was a time of impulse, the desire to create one’s own Russian theater. But over time, the most educated of the creators of serf theaters (Shepelev, Sheremetev, etc.) began to enrich their theaters with the heritage of European artistic culture the repertoire increasingly included mythological works, and, according to the correct observation of V.G. Sakhnovsky, “the world of fantastically real art” arose scenes... he embodied the most diverse mental states, first of the serf actors senselessly pronouncing the incomprehensible roles of servants and girls, and then he brought the amazing variations and the most diverse solutions of motives and melodies of world stage and dramatic themes and ideas among serf actors to clear movements, stunning intonations and original play.” The development of alien life proceeded through adaptation and gradually became one’s own. This was the dominant feature of the Catherine and Alexander era of Russian serf theater. By the second quarter of the 19th century. The estate theater sometimes began to compete with the capital's theaters. This was the theater of I.D. Shepelev (A.V. Sukhovo-Kobylin’s maternal grandfather) in Vyksa (Vladimir province). In size it was slightly smaller than the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theater, the internal arrangement (parterre, boxes, benoir, mezzanine, etc.) was absolutely the same. The theater was lit by gas, although at that time even the imperial theaters in St. Petersburg were lit by oil lamps. The orchestra consisted of 50 people, there were 40 choristers. Shepelev also invited artists from Moscow and St. Petersburg, who willingly came to Vyksa, since Shepelev offered high fees. Fortress theaters were visited not only by guests of estate owners, but also by emperors, of which a lot of evidence has been preserved. The distinguished guests distinguished especially beloved serfs with valuable gifts and money. The repertoire poster became more and more complex over time. Technical improvements on stage platforms made it possible to turn to works that had many magical effects.

The theater of Count N.P. Sheremetev in Kuskovo enjoyed particular fame. According to contemporaries, it was considered “the oldest and best of the Russian private theaters, not inferior to the St. Petersburg courtiers and far superior to the structure of the then Moscow one, maintained by Medox.”

see also THEATER.

Serf theaters - a lordly whim or a love of art? July 22nd, 2016

Serf theaters are an original Russian invention. Nowhere else in the world have there been such cultural wonders. However, a special question is whether this is worth being proud of.

Let's start with the fact that the key word here is “serfs”. This means that the entire theater, including the actors, was the property of the landowner. The serf theater arose at the whim of the landowner. The landowner was the absolute owner, both on stage and behind the scenes, and in the auditorium too. The owner chose the repertoire for his theater, assigned roles and even directed performances, although in those days the work of a director was not at all glorious or honorable.

Thus, the serf theater was a private theater of the nobility. This determined its purpose. It was done not so much for the purpose of earning money, but for the entertainment of oneself, friends and neighbors. Entertainment here should be understood in a very broad sense, as will be discussed below.

The uniqueness of the phenomenon of the serf theater was determined by the word “serf”. In the middle of the 18th century, when such theaters began to emerge, of all European countries, serfdom (that is, to put it bluntly, slavery) was only in the Russian Empire. Naturally, it was impossible to start serf theaters anywhere except Russia due to the lack of serfs. Moreover, in some parts of the Russian Empire, where serfdom was abolished “in working order” (the Baltic states and Finland), or where it never existed (Pomerania, Siberia, Cossack regions), it was also impossible to create similar, so to speak, “centers of culture.” But in other places there were serfs in sufficient numbers for serf theaters to appear.

There are 3 types of fortress theaters. The nobles themselves, as well as their children, played in theaters of the first type. The serfs were busy with technical work: raising and lowering the curtain, changing the scenery. An orchestra, in which serfs played, could accompany the performances. In principle, it was not a serf, but an amateur noble theater. In theaters of the second type, along with amateur nobles, serf actors were released onto the stage to play minor roles. Finally, theaters of the third type could be called serf theaters without any discount. All roles, both major and minor, were performed by serf actors.

Usually in winter, serf theaters played in city manorial estates. In the summer, together with the owners, the theater moved to country estates.

Were there many serf theaters? A fair amount. At the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th century, the theaters of S.S. Apraksin, G.I. Bibikov, N.A. and V.A. Vsevolozhsky, I.A. Gagarin, P.B. and N. were famous and popular P. Sheremetev, N. B. Yusupov in Moscow and many others.

Perhaps the most famous of the serf theaters is the Sheremetev Counts Theater. He began his activities in 1765 in St. Petersburg. At that time it was a nobleman amateur theater. By the end of the 1770s, the theater settled in the Moscow Sheremetev house on Bolshaya Nikolskaya Street. In this area in the very center of Moscow, very close to the Kremlin, later there was the famous Slavic Bazaar restaurant, which burned down in 1993. For the summer, the theater moved to the Sheremetevs' Kuskovo estate near Moscow, and then moved to a building specially built for it on another estate, in Ostankino.

The Sheremetevs numbered tens of thousands of serfs. Therefore, there was someone to choose from among actors, stage workers and service staff. Famous masters were invited to stage performances. The repertoire of the Sheremetev Theater included more than a hundred plays. These were mainly comic operas, vaudevilles and ballets. In the mid-1780s, under N.P. Sheremetev, the theater reached its heyday. First of all, this was due to the fact that Nikolai Petrovich Sheremetev (1751-1809) He turned out to be an enlightened nobleman, a talented musician and a great lover of theatrical art. Another side of N.P. Sheremetev’s activities, charity, is described in the article “How did a hospice house appear in Moscow on Bolshaya Sukharevskaya Square?” dated June 30, 2016.

Another well-known serf theater at the beginning of the 19th century was located on the estate of N. B. Yusupov “Arkhanglskoye”. Magnificent opera and ballet performances were given here. There were serf theaters in the provinces: in Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Orel and even in the city of Shklov, Mogilev province.

Was it a joy to be a serf actor? The answer here depended most of all on the character of the landowner and... on the gender of the actor. The fact that many owners of serf theaters entertained themselves not only with spectacles but also with lovely serf actresses is not evil fiction, but the bitter truth. “Notes and Letters” by M. S. Shchepkin (who himself was a serf actor), the stories “The Stupid Artist” by N. S. Leskov and “The Thieving Magpie” by A. I. Herzen. The fate of the serf actress Praskovya Zhemchugova, who became the wife of N.P. Sheremetev, is a rare exception.

If the master did not like the serf actor/actress in some way, the list of punishments for them was as wide as for other serfs. IN best case scenario removal to some distant estate, to worst case- corporal punishment and sale to another owner.

N. Leskov’s story “The Stupid Artist,” although not copied from reality, has a very real basis. In Orel there was a serf theater of Count Kamensky. Kamensky was distinguished by his cruelty. Actors who made any mistakes were personally punished with a whip. So the screams of the actors being punished during intermission reached the audience. All the serf actresses formed a kind of harem for the count. But art is above all. The new favorite was always brought to Kamensky in the costume of Saint Cecilia. In general, the life of a serf actor was not honey, not honey at all!

Although Prince Pyotr Andreevich Vyazemsky, an educated and intelligent man, a friend and favorite interlocutor of A.S. Pushkin, found positive aspects even in serf theaters. In his opinion, such theaters instilled in the serfs the rudiments of education, literacy and familiarity with the arts. In addition, thanks to the theater, courtyard people became widely known, which ultimately contributed to their redemption. The famous Russian actors M.S. Shchepkin and P.S. Mochalov were born serfs and later became free.

According to P.A. Vyazemsky, theatrical and musical performances had a beneficial influence on landowners, distracting them from rough amusements: drinking bouts, cards and hound hunting.

1. Fortress theater on Wikipedia


2. Kripatsky Theater on Wikipedia


3. Presentation