Theatres of Belarus

There are some famous theatres:
The National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater of the Republic of Belarus
The National Academic Drama Theater named after Gorky
The National Academic Yanka Kupala Theater
The State Puppet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus

The National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater of the Republic of Belarus
The first stationary theater was founded in Belarus in 1933 on the basis of the Belarusian opera and ballet school. The list of brilliant performances staged in the theater was opened with Bizet's Carmen. During several years the troupe had been growing and was increased by several high professionals and soloists.

"The Swan Lake", performed by K. Muller, was the first performance, showed at the scene of the new theater building. Theater's performances at the Decade of Belarusian Art in Moscow turned to be a great success. The theater didn't stop working even during the war (it worked in Nizhny Novgorod till Minsk Liberation in 1944, than in Kovrov).

During this time the repertoire was enriched greatly. The most famous operas staged in this theater are "Boris Godunov" by Mussorgsky, "Othello" and "Don Carlo" by Verdi, "Hoffman's Fairy Tales" by Offenbach, "Sadko" and "Golden Cockerel" by Rimsky-Korsakov, "Lohengrin" by Wagner and many other masterpieces of the world art. Nowadays you can see new interpretations of classical plays like "Carmen" and "Boris Godunov" as well as traditional performances.
The theater tours a lot and is welcomed in many countries all over the world. In Spain, Russia, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Israel, Portugal, China opera admirers are well acquainted with the repertoire of the Belarus Theater.

The National Academic Drama Theater named after Gorky
In 1920 there was a small travelling troupe under the leadership of a wonderful actor Vladimir Kumelsky. Only at the end of the decade, in 1928 the theater settled down in Mogilev and got a name - Regional Drama Theater. In 1932 the theatre received the status of the Russian Republican Drama Theater. In this period the pleiad of outstanding actors such as D. Orlov, A. Obukhovitch, V. Konopliansky, worked there.
The real pearl of the repertoire was the performance "The King Lire", that was awarded with the price for the best acting of A.Kistov by the British Royal Academy of Drama Art.
The new stagings of "The Moore Brothers" , "Three Penny Opera" and "A Human Tragedy" at once became big events in the theater life. The modern period of the theater is characterized by the constant enrichment of the repertoire by the classical masterpieces.

The National Academic Yanka Kupala Theater
Yanka Kupala National Theater is the oldest theater in Belarus. It was opened on the 14th of September, 1920. The first performances were originated from Belarusian folklore and works by Belarusian writers. But with the advent of Evstigney Mirovich in 1921, the theater's repertoire grows, and foreign works start to be produced on the stage as well as home ones.
The theater was on the real rise in the sixties, as it was a new period in its development. This period can be called modern. Productions by V. Raevsky bring in the spirit of newness and freedom.

Under the direction of Raevsky, the theater becomes more liberated in expressing feelings and thoughts on the stage. The new director managed to find that golden mean between the novelty, emancipation, and experiment, on the one hand, and classical tradition on the other hand. All this made his theater truly unique.
For thirty years that he was a director of the Yanka Kupala National Theater, Raevsky managed to produce lots of pieces by such authors as Shakespeare, Gogol, Dostoevsky. But special attention has always been given to national writers like V. Bykov, N. Matukovsky, E. Shaban and others.

The State Puppet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus
The history of the State Puppet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus began in Gomel, where in 1938 the Republic Puppet Theater was founded. While forming its repertoire, preference was given to Russian classical plays. The best plays of this period include: "Kashtanka" by Chekhov, "Tale of the pope and his worker Balda" by Pushkin and others. The theatre didn't stop working during the World War II. In 1950, it moved to Minsk and since the middle of the 60s the staff worked on the stage of the cinema "Victory". The staff of the theater didn't only to the plays for children. Experimental performances showed the combination of drama art, music and pantomime. The repertoire included works by Russian and foreign playwrights. Modern period of the theatre development can be characterized as classical one.

Staging of the classic has been always considered as the most difficult theatrical problems. But successful performances of the theater show that it is still possible. The staging of Bulgakov's conceptual novel "Master and Margarita" speaks for itself. The State Puppet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus tours a lot; its performances at international festivals of Puppet theatres in Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, France made the theater world famous.
The repertoire included works by Russian and foreign playwrights. Modern period of the theatre development can be characterized as classical one. Staging of the classic has been always considered as the most difficult theatrical problems. But successful performances of the theater show that it is still possible.The State Puppet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus tours a lot; its performances at international festivals of Puppet theatres in Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, France made the theater world famous.