Theater Institute named after Boris Shchukin: admission rules. How to enter the Shchukin School Shchukin Higher Theater School Pike

The Shchukinskoye School is a higher theater educational institution, into which only every hundredth applicant is admitted. For those who have won this colossal competition, the trials are just beginning. Every year, Freshers' Day is held here, where senior students visually show newcomers what they will experience over the next four years. Who ran the Shchukin School a hundred years ago? Why are only graduates allowed to teach at this institution? How to enter one of the most prestigious universities in Russia?

Let's study!

On October 23, 2014, the Shchukinskoye School celebrated its centenary. The first years of the existence of this educational institution occurred at a difficult time for Russia. It was created in 1914. The founder, Evgeny Vakhtangov, is a student of Stanislavsky, the same one who chronically did not believe in acting. According to legend, the former ward of the famous theater reformer uttered a significant phrase: “Let's learn!” It was with her that the Shchukin Theater School began its existence.

Zahava

At that time, the educational institution was just a small theater studio. But it was not for nothing that the great Stanislavsky assured that no one could teach according to his system better than Evgeniy Vakhtangov. The first productions brought enormous fame among Moscow theatergoers. In 1922, viewers saw the famous production of Princess Turandot. But the studio founder did not live to see the premiere. And the next leader was Boris Zakhava. The talented actor and director headed the Shchukin Theater School, albeit intermittently, for almost half a century. It was he who laid down the basic teaching principles that guide teachers within the walls of the legendary university today.

Boris Shchukin and teaching features

Only those who were once its students and successfully completed their studies can teach at this university. The leaders are confident that this is the only and main way to preserve the theater school, for which the Shchukinskoye School is famous, in its canonical form. By the way, the well-known name was given to this establishment only in 1939. Boris Shchukin is one of the favorite students of the studio founder. This man is one of the brightest representatives of the Soviet realistic school. He worked in the theater for more than twenty years. Shchukin is also known for being one of the first actors who were able to embody the image of Lenin on stage. There is an opinion that it was precisely because of these merits that the school was named after him.

Achievements

The Shchukinskoye School was transformed into an institute in 2002. Over the hundred years of its existence, the educational institution has produced such an impressive galaxy of talented actors that it is rightfully considered a record holder among other Russian theater universities. People call it "Pike". The big competition is stable every year.

Famous Alumni

From the walls of this institute came such celebrities as Yuri Lyubimov, Andrei Mironov, Vladimir Etush, Nikita Mikhalkov. Among the younger generation, Sergei Makovetsky and Maxim Averin should be noted. Of course, this is not a complete list.

The duties of artistic director, as you know, are performed by Vladimir Etush. The rector of the Institute is Evgeniy Knyazev.

Directing department

Until the end of the fifties, only those who dreamed of acting fame sought to enter the Shchukin School. This university did not graduate any other specialists. In 1959, future directors also began to be trained here. However, the form of training at the directing department is only by correspondence. The competition for it is not so severe - only three people per place. The rules by which the admissions committee works are such that yesterday’s schoolchild, dreaming of the laurels of Zakharov and Meyerhold, cannot enter the directing department at the Shchukinskoye School. Those who have professional experience as a theater director are accepted here.

People from all over the country come to study at the directing department, and not at all in order to conquer the capital. After all, applicants are welcome in their home theaters. And it is in their homeland that students will subsequently complete their diploma theses.

Acting department

Future directors stay within the walls of the institute for no more than two months a year, which cannot be said about those who study acting here. For future artists, in addition to the specialized discipline, the following subjects are studied:

• plastic expressiveness;
• musical expressiveness;
• scenic speech.

The acting department also has a department of history and philosophy.

Admission rules

The specialty exam is carried out in three stages:

1. Reading Krylov's fables, two or three poems and an excerpt from prose.
2. Checking musical, rhythmic and voice data.
3. Performing a small stage sketch.

If an applicant has passed the exam in his specialty, he is allowed to take the Russian language and literature (in writing), as well as a colloquium, which is aimed at identifying the level of knowledge in the field of culture, art, literature and national history.

The institute offers preparatory courses. Enrollment in them is carried out after an audition, during which it is necessary to read an excerpt from a prose work, a poem or a fable. Training in preparatory courses is conducted on weekends and consists of seventy-two

Educational theater

During their studies, students present their first works to the audience. The educational theater of the Shchukin School is a full-fledged unit employing a whole team of professionals. Students produce their diploma works together with directors and teachers. For seventy years, the educational theater of the Shchukin School has been preserving the traditions that were laid down by the students of the founder of this legendary university. The thesis reveals the creative individuality of each student. Inveterate theatergoers in Moscow have the opportunity to see performances by talented and young actors. This is a tradition that the Shchukin School has not changed throughout almost its entire existence.

Performances with the participation of students have been a stunning success more than once. The history of the institute is known for cases when, in order to get to see one of the theses, Muscovites stood in long lines at the box office for hours.

The repertoire of the educational theater is updated annually. On the educational stage, plays based on the works of both Russian and foreign authors are staged. Among them are “Mr. de Moliere” (based on the novel by Mikhail Bulgakov), “Poverty is not a vice” (A.N. Ostrovsky), “Farewell to Matera” (based on the story by Valentin Rasputin).

How to get there?

In the very heart of the capital is the Shchukin School. The address of this educational institution is Bolshoi Nikolopeskovsky Lane, 15, building 1. You can walk from the Arbatskaya metro station within ten to fifteen minutes.

Higher Theater School named after B.V. Shchukin, since 2002 - The Boris Shchukin Theater Institute at the State Academic Theater named after Evgeniy Vakhtangov is a higher theater educational institution in the Russian Federation. The institute trains specialists in the following areas: “Dramatic theater and film actor” and “Theater director”.

The first name appeared later - in 1917, after the first successful premiere - “Moscow Drama Studio of E. B. Vakhtangov”. In 1920, it was renamed the III Studio of the Moscow Art Theater - Vakhtangov, who was suffering from cancer, wanting to preserve the studio, turned to his teachers at the Moscow Art Theater and asked to take his studio among the studios of the Moscow Art Theater. With the cast of this very studio, Vakhtangov staged his famous “Princess Turandot”...

On May 29, 1922, Vakhtangov died after a long illness, unable to even come to the premiere and see his last most famous performance, “Princess Turandot,” in the auditorium. Left without a leader, the artists continued their journey, and in 1926 the team managed, having defended the building and the right to creative life, to receive the status of the State Theater named after Evg. Vakhtangov with its permanent theater school.

Only in 1932 the school received the status of a secondary theater educational institution. In 1939, it was named after the great Russian actor, Vakhtangov’s favorite student, Boris Shchukin, and in 1945 the school was given the status of a higher educational institution.

Features of teaching

Distinctive feature " Pike“(as the school is usually called in theater circles) this is that its teachers have always, for eight decades now, been its graduates. This is how the theater tradition and teaching culture are preserved.

Management team

From 1922 to 1976, the school was headed by Vakhtangov’s student, student of the first intake, the outstanding Soviet actor and director Boris Zakhava. In 1986, Vakhtangov resident, famous theater and film actor, Professor Vladimir Etush was elected to the post of rector - he still holds the position of Artistic Director of the Institute. In 2003, a new rector was elected - the leading actor of the Theater. Evg. Vakhtangov, professor E.V. Knyazev.

Such significant and outstanding teachers as Vakhtangov, Lileeva, Mansurova, Yuri Katin-Yartsev, Vladimir Galperin, Vera Lvova, Boris Brodsky, Evgeny Simonov, as well as talented mentors Albert Burov, Palamishev and many others taught at the School.

Departments:

• Department of Acting Skills
• Department of Plastic Expression
• Department of Musical Expression
• Department of Stage Speech
• Department of Art History
• Department of Philosophy, History and Theory of Culture
• Department of Directing

Preparatory courses at the Theater Institute named after. Boris Shchukin at the State Academic Theater named after. Evgenia Vakhtangova

Official biography

History of the Vakhtangov school- The Higher Theater School, and now the Boris Shchukin Theater Institute, dates back almost nine decades.

In November 1913, a group of Moscow students organized an amateur theater studio and invited as its director a young actor of the Moscow Art Theater, a student of Stanislavsky, the future great Russian director Evgeniy Bagrationovich Vakhtangov.

The studios offered Vakhtangov a production of a play based on B. Zaitsev’s play “The Lanins’ Estate.” The premiere took place in the spring of 1914 and ended in failure. "Now let's study!" - said Vakhtangov. And on October 23, 1914, Vakhtangov conducted the first lesson with students using the Stanislavsky system. This day is considered the School's birthday.

The studio has always been both a school and an experimental laboratory.

In the spring of 1917, after a successful exhibition of student works, the “Mansurovskaya” (named after one of the Moscow alleys on Arbat, where it was located) the studio received its first name - “Moscow Drama Studio of E.B. Vakhtangov”. In 1920 it was renamed the III Studio of the Moscow Art Theater, and in 1926 - the Theater named after. Evgeniy Vakhtangov with his permanent theater school. In 1932, the school became a special secondary theater educational institution. In 1939 it was named after the great Russian actor, Vakhtangov’s favorite student Boris Shchukin, and in 1945 it was given the status of a higher educational institution. Since that time, it has been known as the Higher Theater School (since 2002 - Theater Institute named after Boris Shchukin) at the State Academic Theater named after. Evgenia Vakhtangova.

The Vakhtangov School is not just one of the theater institutes, but the bearer and custodian of theatrical culture, its best achievements and traditions.

Our graduates teach acting in many theater schools in Russia. Professors and teachers of the Institute constantly travel for consultations, conduct seminars and master classes in large and small theater centers of the country, and in recent years - abroad.

The teaching staff of the Institute is formed only from our graduates, who pass on Vakhtangov’s precepts from generation to generation, and the principles of the school from hand to hand. The permanent head of the school from 1922 to 1976 was Vakhtangov’s student, student of the first intake, the outstanding Russian actor and director Boris Zakhava. The current Artistic Director of the Institute is People's Artist of the USSR, Vakhtangovite, famous theater and film actor, Professor V.A. Etush served as rector for 16 years (from 1986 to 2002). Since June 2002, the rector of the institute is People's Artist of the Russian Federation, leading actor of the Evg. Vakhtangov Theater, professor E.V. Knyazev.

The school is rightfully proud of its graduates. Among them are many outstanding actors of Russian theater and cinema, whose work has already become history. These are B. Shchukin, Ts. Mansurova, R. Simonov, B. Zakhava, A. Orochko, I. Tolchanov, V. Kuza, O. Basov, V. Yakhontov, A. Goryunov, V. Maretskaya, A. Gribov, A .Stepanova, D. Zhuravlev, N. Gritsenko and many others. On the modern Russian stage there are M. Ulyanov, Y. Borisova, Y. Yakovlev, V. Etush, V. Lanovoi, A. Demidova, A. Vertinskaya, O. Yakovleva, K. Raikin, A. Kalyagin, A. Shirvindt, L .Maksakova, I.Kupchenko, M.Derzhavin, V.Shalevich, E.Knyazev, S.Makovetsky, M.Sukhanov, E.Simonova, O.Barnet, I.Ulyanova, N.Usatova... This list is constantly updated. There are theaters whose cast is almost entirely made up of Vakhtangovites. This is primarily the Theater named after. Evg. Vakhtangov, as well as the Taganka Theater under the direction of Yu. Lyubimov. There are many graduates of the School in the troupe of the Lenkom Theater under the direction of M. Zakharov, in the Satire Theater and in Sovremennik.

Without Vakhtangov actors it is impossible to imagine the work of such outstanding masters of Russian cinema as I. Pyryev, G. Alexandrov, Y. Raizman, M. Kalatozov and others. Among the most famous actors of Russian cinema are the “Shchukinites” O. Strizhenov, T. Samoilova, R. Bykov, V. Livanov, A. Mironov, A. Kaidanovsky, L. Filatov, N. Gundareva, L. Chursina, Yu. Nazarov, L. Zaitseva, N. Ruslanova, N. Varley, A. Zbruev, N. Burlyaev, I. Metlitskaya, Y. Bogatyrev, N. Volkov, L. Yarmolnik, V. Proskurin, L. Borisov, E. Koreneva, A. Tashkov, Y. Belyaev, A. Belyavsky, A. Porokhovshchikov, E. Gerasimov, A. Sokolov, S. Zhigunov and others.

Many graduates of the institute became widely known thanks to television - A. Lysenkov, P. Lyubimtsev, A. Gordon, M. Borisov, K. Strizh, A. Goldanskaya, D. Maryanov, S. Ursulyak, M. Shirvindt, Y. Arlozorov, A Semchev, O. Budina, E. Lanskaya, L. Velezheva, M. Poroshina and many others.

The Vakhtangov school gave the Russian stage famous directors - N. Gorchakov, E. Simonov, Y. Lyubimov, A. Remizova, V. Fokin, A. Vilkin, L. Trushkin, A. Zhitinkin. The famous Yuri Zavadsky made his first directing and teaching experiments within its walls. She raised the great Ruben Simonov, to whom the Evg. Vakhtanogov Theater owes the most brilliant era of its existence.

The school helped and is helping the birth of new theater studios and groups. This is, first of all, the Yuri Lyubimov Theater on Taganka, which arose from the graduation performance “The Good Man from Szechwan” by B. Brecht; Moldovan youth theater "Luchaferul" in Chisinau; Theater-Studio named after R.N. Simonov in Moscow; theater "Sovremennik" in Ingushetia; studio "Scientific Monkey" in Moscow and others.

And today the Boris Shchukin Theater Institute has a strong reputation as a theater university that trains the elite of Russian theater, film and television.

Currently, at the Institute, along with Russian students, graduate students and masters, students and graduate students from South Korea, the USA, France, Israel, Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine and Moldova are studying.

Unofficial biography

October 23, 1914 is considered the birthday of the Boris Shchukin Theater Institute. On this day (October 10, old style), Evgeny Vakhtangov gave his first lecture on the system of K.S. Stanislavsky to the students of the Commercial Institute who had gathered around him. From this day the story began. But there was also a prehistory.

Evgeny Bogrationovich Vakhtangov(1883 - 1922), student of K.S. Stanislavsky and L.A. Sulerzhitsky, employee of the Moscow Art Theater and student of the First Studio of the Moscow Art Theater (1912), staged his first professional performance based on the play by G. Hauptmann “Feast of Peace” at the Studio in the fall of 1913. In this production he expressed his attitude towards the world and the theater. But his teachers, seeing in him only a student, and not an independent creative person, intervened in the production: they broke it and corrected it. Vakhtangov developed into a creative personality very quickly. Already by 1911 he was thinking independently and freely. Having become acquainted with Stanislavsky’s work on the system, he wrote down: “I want to form a Studio where we would study. The principle is to achieve everything yourself. The leader is everything. Check system K.S. on ourselves. Accept or reject it. Correct, supplement, or remove lies.” (Vakhtangov. Collection of materials, M.VTO, 1984, p. 8.

The desire to test the Teacher’s discoveries, his dependent position in the theater and the First Studio forced Vakhtangov to look for opportunities to organize his own studio. The meeting with students of the Commercial Institute took place in the late autumn of 1913, against the will of Vakhtangov. They themselves chose and found him, offering to lead their amateur club and stage a play. Vakhtangov agreed. The meeting took place on December 23, 1913 in an apartment rented by the Semenov sisters on Arbat. Vakhtangov came solemnly, festively dressed, and even embarrassed the future studio members with his appearance. Vakhtangov began the meeting by declaring his devotion to K.S. Stanislavsky and the Moscow Art Theater, and called the dissemination of Stanislavsky’s system his task.

At the first meeting, we agreed on staging B. Zaitsev’s play “The Lanins’ Estate.” In March 1914, the premises of the Hunting Club were rented, where they were going to perform a performance.

Vakhtangov immediately got down to business, but, realizing that the amateurs had no experience, he began to practice exercises with them according to the system. The classes lasted two and a half months. The performance took place on March 26. The performers played their roles with gusto, but their enthusiasm did not reach the audience through the stage. Vakhtangov ran behind the scenes and shouted to them: “Louder! Louder!” - they didn’t hear him. After the performance he said: “So we failed!” But even here they did not believe him. We went to a restaurant to celebrate the premiere. In the restaurant, the performance designer Yu. Romanenko invited everyone to join hands and form a chain. “Now let’s be silent for a minute, and let this chain forever connect us with each other in art” (Chronicle of the School, vol. 1, p. Vakhtangov suggested that amateur students begin to study the art of theater. To do this, it was necessary to find a room where they could work. With this, they parted ways until the fall. But when Vakhtangov came to the theater, he was awaited by an angry scolding from K. S. Stanislavsky, who had received information from the newspapers about the failure of Vakhtangov’s work. He forbade Vakhtangov to work outside the walls of the Moscow Art Theater and his studio.

And yet, on October 23, 1914, the first lesson of the new studio took place. It was called at different times: “Student Studio”, “Mansurov Studio” (located at 3 Mansurovsky Lane) and “Vakhtangov Studio”. But she worked secretly so that Stanislavsky and the Moscow Art Theater did not know about her.

Vakhtangov built the House. The studios did everything with their own hands, since Vakhtangov believed that the House becomes yours only when you drive at least one nail into its walls.

While studying Stanislavsky's system, Vakhtangov changed the order of the elements of the system, proposing a path from simple to complex: from attention to the image. But each subsequent element contained all the previous ones. When creating the image, all elements of the system had to be used. We did exercises, sketches, excerpts, improvisations, and independent work. Performing evenings were shown to selected viewers. And in 1916, Vakhtangov brought the first play to the studio. It was “The Miracle of St. Anthony” by M. Maeterlinck. The play was satirical, but Vakhtangov proposed staging it as a psychological drama. This was natural, because the studio members were not yet ready-made actors; in mastering the image, they followed Stanislavsky’s formula “I am in assumed circumstances.” Therefore, Vakhtangov demanded that they justify the behavior of the embodied image. The performance was shown in 1918, and it was actually a graduation ceremony for the first group of students.

The first studio members were students of the Commercial Institute, including B.E.Zahava, B.I.Vershilov, K.G.Semenova, E.A.Aleeva, L.A.Volkov. Gradually new studio members came to the Studio: P.G.Antokolsky, Yu.A.Zavadsky, V.K.Lvova, A.I.Remizova, L.M.Shikhmatov. In January 1920, B.V. Shchukin and Ts.L. were accepted into the studio. Wollerstein (who took the pseudonym Mansurova). Everyone who wanted to become a studio member first went through an interview, which determined whether he could become a studio member according to his moral and intellectual level. And only after this the applicant was examined. Vakhtangov, building a theater and wanting to have a permanent school with it, looked closely at the students and determined which of them would be a teacher and which would be a director. The main thing was to develop independence in students.

In 1919, Vakhtangov underwent two operations on his stomach. They did not produce results - cancer developed. Wanting to save the studio, Vakhtangov turned to his teachers at the Moscow Art Theater and asked to take his studio into the number of studios at the Moscow Art Theater. In the fall of 1920, the Vakhtangov Studio became the Third Studio of the Moscow Art Theater. Having transferred to the Academic Department, the studio received its own building on Arbat, Berg’s small, dilapidated mansion, which the studio members turned into a theater with their own hands. On November 13, 1921, the theater opened with the play “The Miracle of St. Anthony” by M. Maeterlinck in a new, satirical solution. For the theater of the Third Studio, the Moscow Art Theater staged Vakhtangov and his famous “Princess Turandot” by C. Gozzi, in which the direction of the Vakhtangov theater was most clearly expressed. He himself will call it “fantastic realism.” Staged in the traditions of the Commedia del Arte theater, “Princess Turandot” amazed Moscow in 1922 with its theatricality, freedom of acting, and the imagination of the director and artist (I. Nivinsky). “Princess Turandot” turned out to be Vakhtangov’s last performance. On May 29, 1922 he died. The studios were left without a leader and had to build the theater that their leader aspired to, alone. The studios managed to defend their independence, not to lose buildings, not to destroy the school existing inside the studio, and in 1926 received the status of the State Theater named after Evgeniy Vakhtangov.

For many years, until 1937, a small Vakhtangov school existed inside the theater. Future actors were accepted into the school on the basis of their need for the theater. Admission to school meant admission to the theater. They studied and worked in theater performances right away, from their first year. And the teachers were Vakhtangov’s students: B. Zakhava, V. Lvova, A. Remizov, L. Shikhmatov, R. Simonov...

In 1925, B.E.Zahava (1896 - 1976) was appointed head of the school, who led the school until his death.

In 1937, the school moved to a newly built building on B. Nikolopeskovsky Lane, 12a, and separated from the theater. She had the rights of a technical school, but with a four-year period of study. The artists who graduated from school went to different theaters around the country. In 1939, Boris Vasilyevich Shchukin (1894 - 1939), a brilliant artist of the Vakhtangov school, teacher, and director, died. In his memory, in the same year, the school was named after B.V. Shchukin. In 1945, the school was equated to higher educational institutions, retaining its old name. Since 1953, targeted courses began to study at the school - groups of students from national republics, who, in most cases, became the founders of new theaters. The tradition of national groups continues to this day. Now there are two Korean and Gypsy studios studying at the institute. In 1964, from the graduation performance “The Good Man from Szechwan” by B. Brecht, the current Taganka Theater was formed, headed by Y.P. Lyubimov, a graduate of the school, an actor of the theater. Vakhtangov and a teacher at the school. In 1959, a correspondence directing department was created, which produced many famous directors.

After the death of B.E.Zahava, the school was run by an official from the Ministry for a whole decade. He morally and artistically failed to manage such a complex organism as the school. And in 1987, People’s Artist of the USSR V.A. Etush was unanimously elected to the post of Rector. At the moment, he is the Artistic Director of the Institute. Under Rector Etush, the school entered the international arena: students and teachers began to travel with their work to different countries of the world and teach classes in schools in different countries. A special fund “Vakhtangov 12a” was also organized, which always supports the school in difficult times.

In 2002, the school was renamed the Boris Shchukin Theater Institute, and in 2003 a new Rector was elected - People's Artist of Russia Evgeny Vladimirovich Knyazev. With youthful enthusiasm, the new Rector decided to return the institute to Vakhtangov traditions. I started by completely transforming the appearance of the institute. Having carried out a major overhaul, filling the building with equipment and new furniture, the Rector raised the prestige of the institute.

The educational theater hosts graduation performances every year from autumn to spring, and the performers often receive prestigious awards for the best performance. M. Aronova, N. Shvets, D. Vysotsky were awarded such prizes in different years. For a number of years, the first prizes have been awarded to the institute's performances at the festival of student performances in Brno (Czech Republic).

The Boris Shchukin Theater Institute is the most famous educational institution in Russia, which trains actors and directors. Most of the masters of the stage and film set have passed through this institute with many years of glorious history.

History of the Institute

The Boris Shchukin Theater Institute was founded in 1914. One of the main initiators of its creation was Evgeny Vakhtangov. At that time he worked at the Moscow Art Theater. Even then, he had the idea of ​​​​founding a studio in which actors could improve their skills. Vakhtangov decided to use a personal example to test how Stanislavsky’s system works. He began to actively invite amateurs who dreamed of a stage, considering his main task to spread the Stanislavsky system. At the same time, he was extremely interested in his own search.

The students willingly began to master the famous director’s system while rehearsing the performances. The first production was "The Lanins' Estate" based on Zaitsev's play of the same name. The premiere took place in the building of the Hunting Club, located on Vozdvizhenka. The artists faced complete failure. Vakhtangov then agreed that it was necessary to study the system systematically and gradually.

The Boris Shchukin Theater Institute considers October 23 its birthday. It was on this day that Vakhtangov gave his first lecture to students.

First successes

After this, the students of Vakhtangov’s studio released the play only 4 years later. It was “The Miracle of St. Anthony” based on the work of Maurice Maeterlinck. By this time, it was possible to form studio ethics, master the elements of theater school, and organize a strong and “combat-ready” team. The audience received the performance more favorably. There were even positive reviews.

By 1920, Vakhtangov's health had deteriorated greatly. In order to save the studio, he convinced the management of the Moscow Art Theater to take it under his wing. This is how the third studio of the Moscow Art Theater appeared. In 1921 it opened with a new edition of Maeterlinck's play.

Vakhtangov also manages to stage Gozzi’s “Princess Turandot,” in which his artistic method, which he himself called “fantastic realism,” was most clearly manifested. The theater actor and director died in 1922 from stomach cancer.

Boris Zahav is appointed as the new head of the studio. In 1926, he sought to assign the studio a new status - a state theater. And it existed in this form until 1937.

A new stage in the life of the institute

In 1937, the Boris Shchukin Theater Institute moved to a new building. Now it is located on Bolshoi Nikolopeskovsky Lane. The school becomes a technical school. The training lasts for 4 years.

The famous Soviet theater and film actor Boris Shchukin dies in 1939. In memory of him, the school is named after him. Soviet audiences remembered Shchukin most of all for his roles in Mikhail Romm’s films “Lenin in October” and “Lenin in 1918.”

It is worth noting that not everyone is accepted for them. In order to get into these courses, you need to prove yourself in a preliminary audition. The competition committee will evaluate your artistic reading of a fable, poem or prose passage.

The program of preparatory courses includes the subjects “acting skills”, “rhythm”, “history of Russian and foreign theater”, as well as “history of domestic literature”. Separately, they will study stage speech. Classes are taught by teachers from the institute, who in the future will take your entrance exams, and then, possibly, teach with you.

If you failed to enroll in a budget department, then there is a chance to get an education on a paid basis. In this case, the amount will be from 100 to 250 thousand rubles per year, depending on the chosen faculty.

Open Day

In order to attract new applicants, the Boris Shchukin Theater Institute annually holds an open day. It is held on the eve of a new intake. When classes are already ending in schools, and graduates are actively starting to look for a university to receive higher education. Applicants will be told in what conditions they will study and all their questions will be answered. To do this, you just need to come to the Boris Shchukin Theater Institute. Address - Moscow, Bolshoi Nikolapeskovsky Lane, building 12a, building 1.

What attracts you to this university?

The main advantage of this university is its teaching features. Everything is based on three main factors.

The first is arranging the elements of acting in a strict logical sequence.

Secondly, an entire academic year is devoted to creating a stage image. Students and teachers engage in observation, perform fantasy exercises, learn to impersonate, and act out sketches based on classical literary material.

And finally, last but not least. The Shchukin Institute does not have a system of isolated creative workshops, as is the case in other theater universities. The education and training of future artists is carried out centrally. The entire acting department works with each one.

These components are the secret of the institute’s success.

Anyone who has ever wanted to become an actor knows firsthand that the Shchukin Theater School has a very strict selection process and many applicants, but if you are enrolled in one of the faculties, you will definitely receive the best knowledge.

The Boris Shchukin Institute was opened at the State Theater named after. Vakhtangov. The school trains specialists in two areas: “Theater and Film Actor” and “Theater Director”. There is an opportunity to study both on a budget basis and on a paid basis after passing the competition and announcing the results.

The school is located in a building that was built in the thirties of the twentieth century in a laconic style with elements of art decor: high windows, decorative cornices, a powerful base - everything gives the building monumentality and solidity. Already in 1937, the school moved to this building, when it separated from the theater, although it remained under his leadership, and only in 2003 was it completely renovated.

History of creation

The Shchukin Theater School was opened in 1914, when Evgeny Vakhtangov held his first lesson in an amateur acting circle.

Evgeny Vakhtangov himself was once a student of Stanislavsky, but chose a slightly different line of study and staged his first performance already in 1913. However, his teachers did not appreciate this production very much, since they did not see the director as an independent person, but only as their student. But Vakhtangov worked long and hard, in search of his educational system, going from simple to complex, in order to convey to the viewer the essence of the production.

The first name “Moscow Drama Studio of E. B. Vakhtangov” was assigned after the premiere of the play took place in 1917. Unfortunately, during these years Vakhtangov suffered from cancer and practically stopped attending classes, and he could not even see his most famous performance “Princess Turandot” and died in 1922 from a long illness. His followers for a long time defended the building and the right to exist of the acting school and were able to obtain the status of the State Theater named after. Vakhtangov, under whom there was an acting school.

In 1932, the school received the status of a secondary educational institution, in 1939 it was named after Boris Shchukin, and in 1945 - the title of a higher theater school. Only in 2002 the school was renamed into an institute.

Shchukin School: faculties and additional education

What faculties exist in this educational institution? As mentioned earlier, the Shchukin Theater School in Moscow trains in two areas: actors and directors, where the training period is from 4 to 5 years. However, after graduating from the institute, you can additionally enroll in a master's program in Theater Arts for 2 years and graduate school in two areas: Art History and Theory and History of Art for 3 years of full-time study.

Additionally, the school conducts various courses for applicants and for advanced training, such as stage speech, plastic arts, drama directing, and musical expressiveness.

Acting department

The Shchukin acting school has been teaching students the craft for 4 years, but before they come to classes, they have to go through some tests in the form of exams and auditions. The first thing a prospective student should do is read a passage from a fable, a poem, or a passage of prose. At the same time, they may ask for one thing, or maybe several.

Next comes a check of musical, voice and speech data, as well as the performance of a scene. Anyone who passes all these three stages moves on to the next round of selection, where they will have to show their knowledge of the Russian language, literature, and knowledge of history within the scope of the school curriculum.

The decision on admission is made by the commission, which makes its verdict based on the results of all passed exams.

Directing department

In 1959, a direction was opened at the school, where they began to teach the skills of theater directors. Today, such a direction also exists, but the form of education is only correspondence, since the Shchukinskoye School already accepts those people who have some experience and know the basics, but would like to receive additional education.

Most of the students are directors from different cities of Russia who are already working in the theater, and their thesis upon completion of training must be staged in their native theater.

How to enter school

Everyone who dreams of becoming an actor knows that entering one or another educational institution where acting is taught is not easy, and the Shchukinskoye School is no exception.

The first thing you need to do is sign up for the audition 5 days before it starts. Next, you need to come to the audition, which can last several days, since 10 people are allowed into the hall. At the first stage, the bulk is eliminated, where everyone has to read some excerpt from a fable, poem or prose.

If luck smiles and you advance to the next round, it will be more difficult than the previous one. In this round, everything will be assessed at once: talent, charisma, appearance and plasticity, and you need to try to show all your skills.

Next, you will need to perform a sketch at the discretion of the commission and undergo an interview, where they will talk about your knowledge regarding theater, literature and history, and finally play a hero from the proposed plays, having previously prepared.

For each round, the commission assigns points and adds them to the points for the Unified State Examination in literature and Russian language, which must be passed at school. The more points you have, the higher your chances of admission.

It also happens that those who are admitted are dropped out in the first year for incompetence and absence from classes. Don't despair, and those who couldn't get in the first time should definitely try next year.

Additionally, before starting recruitment, you can take a two-month course, where they will talk about the basics of acting and help in working with plasticity and speech. These are very important and necessary courses provided by the Shchukin School. The address of this educational institution will be presented to your attention at the end of the article.

Famous students of the Shchukin School

For more than 90 years, the Shchukinskoye School has graduated over 500 students, many of whom became famous and sought-after actors and theater and film directors. It would take a long time to list them, but you can name a few to understand how in demand this educational institution is, where future actors strive to get into every year.

Over the years, the following people became graduates of the school: Leonid Yarmolnik, Nonna Grishaeva, Pavel Lyubimtsev, Maxim Sukhanov, Andrey Sokolov, Maxim Averin, Maria Poroshina and many others.

The famous Soviet actor Vasily Livanov recalls that he went to the Shchukinskoye School for two reasons: Ruben Simonov and Boris Zakhava, who once studied with Vakhtangov himself, taught here, and the second reason is that the school gives more freedom, which was not the case at the Moscow Art Theater, or at the Maly Theater.

As Ekaterina Guseva says, she accidentally ended up in the school. She was noticed by assistant Evgenia Simonov, who was a teacher at that time, at the last bell, where eleventh-grader Katya acted out skits and sang songs. The assistant’s nephew also graduated with her, and at the end of the evening she approached Ekaterina and offered to try to enter the school.

Teachers of the school named after Shchukin

The Shchukinskoe School maintains its traditions and culture of teaching and has this peculiarity - the teachers are former students, and now graduates, who know the whole “kitchen” from the inside and thus can better present information and teach everything that they themselves know.

After all, it was Yevgeny Vakhtangov’s student, the famous actor Boris Shchukin, who at one time also taught at the Vakhtangov school.

We can list several famous names of people who taught at the institute over the years: Vladimir Etush (who still holds the position of artistic director of the institute), Alexander Shirvindt, Boris Shchukin, Evgeny Simonov, Vasily Lanovoy, Lyudmila Maksakova and others.

Where is the school and how to get there

The Shchukin School in Moscow is located at: Bolshoi Nikolopeskovsky Lane, 12 a. You can get there by metro to the Arbatskaya or Smolenskaya stations, or by bus or trolleybus to the Oktyabrskaya stop.