Theatrical Periodicals (entry)

Categories / Press. Mass Media/Periodical Press
THEATRICAL PERIODICALS. Theatre related information appeared in Petersburg periodicals (including special theatrical sections) when the first professional theatres sprang up in the mid-18th century: the newspaper Sankt-Peterburgskie Vedomosti, I. A. Krylov's journals Pochta Dukhov(1789), Zritel(1792), Sankt-Peterburgsky Merkury(1793) and many others. The Russische Theatralien in German was the first specialised journal on theatre in St. Petersburg (with 3 issues coming out in 1784) followed by its Russian counterpart Dramatichesky Vestnik, published by Prince А. А. Shakhovskoy (1808). Mixed format theatre and music publications were not uncommon. Journals Teatralny Albom(1842-43), Repertuar Russkogo Teatra(1839-41) and Panteon Russkikh i Vsekh Evropeiskikh Teatrov(1840-41), which later merged into Repertuar Russkikh i Panteon Vsekh Evropeyskikh Teatrov (1842-56; it changed name several times and was subject to reorganisation, with F. A. Koni as one of its editors) were St. Petersburg's most popular theatrical periodicals of the first half of the 19th century. The second half of the 19th century saw the publication of such journals as Muzykalny i Teatralny Vestnik (1856-60), Russkaya Stsena (1864-65), Muzyka i Teatr (1867-68), Sufler (1878-86), and a musical-theatrical newspaper Nouvellist (1878-1905) which circulated as supplements to musical journals. The abolition of the monopoly of Imperial theatres, in 1882, boosted the publishing business. It was within this time that Teatralny Mirok(1884-93) emerged. It was succeeded by Teatralnaya Gazeta(1893), Dnevnik Teatra i Iskusstva(1898-1905, which came out with a regularity of 2 to 4 issues annually). During the pre-revolutionary period there circulated A. R. Kugel's (his psydonym was Homo novus) journal Teatr i Iskusstvo, from 1897 to 1918 with the supplement Slovar Stsenicheskikh Deyateley (from 1898 until 1903 saw a release of 16 issues from letters А to М inclusive). The journals Biblioteka Zhurnala and Teatr i Iskusstvo printed from 1898 to 1918 contained plays, printed music, narratives and memoirs. V. E. Meyerhold's journal Lyubov k Trem Apelsinam was printed in the first years of the war 1914-1916. The range of Petersburg periodicals also encompassed the journals Peterburgsky Dnevnik Teatrala (1903-05), Teatralnaya Rossia (1904-05) and Stsena i Zhizn(1909-18). There also operated journals with a particular scope of subject matter, i.e. the publication of drama pieces: with Rossiysky Teatr, ili Polnoe Sobranie Vsekh Rossiyskikh Teatralnykh Sochineniy(1786-91 and 1793-94); Sobranie Teatralnykh Pyes... (1858-59) and Dramatichesky Sbornik (1858-62), united in 1859 as a supplement to the journal Musykalny i Teatralny Vestnik. In addition, there was also Domashny Teatr - a supplement to the journal Rodina (1895-1904), Vestnik luchshikh dramaticheskikh proizvedeny frantsuzskikh pisateley printed in 1901-02 simultaneously in French and Russian and a number of others were in operation. Other types of periodicals such as Libretto, collections of theatrical programs and other events reviews, contained short articles on theatre and were represented by: Repertuar Sankt Peterburgskikh i Moskovskikh Teatrov, which circulated as a supplement of the Repertuar Russkikh Teatrov (1839-41); Tekushchiy Repertuar Russkoy Stseny was a supplement to the Panteon Russkikh i Vsekh Evropeyskikh Teatrov (1840-41); Obozrenie Teatrov (1906-18); Programmy Leningradskikh Teatrov (1924-29, 1930-36; the name was occasionally changed), beginning with 1941 - it was the Leningradskie Teatry (in 1942-46 it was not published), in 1957 rebranded as Teatralny Leningrad and from 1989 known as Rampa, (circulating until 1991, with a few issues released in 1992-93 under Teatralny Peterburg), eventually establishing itself as Teatralny Peterburg in 2001. Until the October Revolution of 1917 the majority of theatre periodicals were privately owned, with the exception of few supervised by theatrical organisations and theatres, such as the publication of the Imperial Theatres Directorate Yezhegodnik imperatorskikh teatrov (1892-1915), Zhurnal Teatra Literaturno-khudozhestvennogo Obshchestva (1906-10, until 1907 in circulation as the Teatr iteraturno-khudozhestvennogo obshchestva), Izvestia Soveta Imperatorskogo Teatralnogo Obshchestva(1913-17), Zapiski Peredvizhnogo Obshchedostupnogo Teatra, (1914, 1917-24). With an upsurge of theatrical entrepreneurship at the outset of the 20th century periodicals of chiefly advertising kind devoted to vaudeville theatres, night clubs and cabarets came into circulation, for instance Artist i Stsena (1910-12). The early pre-revolutionary period saw the publication of the Vestnik Gosudarstvennykh Teatrov(1917-19), Biryuch Petrogradskikh Gosudarstvennykh Teatrov (1918-20) supplemented by Repertuar Gosudarstvennykh Petrogradskikh Teatrov (1918-19), Zhizn Iskusstva (1918-29), Ezhenedelnik Petrogradskikh Gosudarstvennykh Akademicheskikh Teatrov, (1922-23), Rabochy i Teatr 1924-37, Iskusstvo i Zhizn (1938-41). Due to the tendency of extreme centralisation and ideological control over the publication of theatre periodicals, from the 1930s the number of periodicals in Leningrad substantially reduced. It was predominantly the bulletins of public and theatrical trade union organisations that appeared regularly (for instance: Byulleten Leningradskogo Otdeleniya Profsoyuza Rabotnikov Iskusstv, which was printed in 1928-30, Informatsionnye Materialy o Rabote Leningradskogo Otdeleniya Vserossiyskogo Teatralnogo Obshchestva(1957-60). In 1989-92 Iskusstvo Leningrada circulated, which published information on the theatre (in 1992-93 it published a number of issues under the name Rossiysky Zhurnal Iskusstv). The Peterburgsky Teatralny Zhurnal , presently claims the leading role among theatrical periodicals, having been in print since 1992. The Petersburg Theatre Library has its own periodical known as Zapiski, which has been published since 1997. The journal Baltiyskie Sezony has been published since 2000. Occasionally there emerged small short-life periodicals (e.g., Peterburgskaya Afisha (1991), Teatralnaya Afisha (2001) Peterburgskaya Stsena (from 2002) and a number of others.

Reference: Вишневский В. Е. Театральная периодика: Библиогр. указ.: В 2 ч. М.; Л., 1941.

A. A. Kirillov. Koni Fedor Alexeevich
Krylov Ivan Andreevich
Kugel Alexander Rafailovich
Meyerhold Vsevolod Emilievich
Shakhovskoy Alexander Alexandrovich
Вишневский В. Е. Театральная периодика: Библиогр. указ. В 2 ч. М.; Л., 1941 Sankt Peterburgskie Vedomosti (St. Petersburg Gazette), newspaper
Imperial Theatres Board
Iskusstvo Leningrada (The Leningrad Art), journal