Russian Theatre for Tragedy and Comedy

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RUSSIAN THEATRE FOR TRAGEDY AND COMEDY (previously the House of Golovkin), the first Russian state stationary professional public theatre was established by order of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna on 30 August 1756. It was originally set at the corner of the Third Line of Vasilievsky Island and Bolshaya Neva Embankment in the residence of disgraced Count M. G. Golovkin (unpreserved, today at 17 Universitetskaya Embankment). Until 1763, performances were given in turn by French and Italian troupes at the Opera House located close to the Summer Garden (1750, architect F.B. Rastrelli, at the intersection of the Neva River and Lebyazhaya Canal), and alternatively in 1757-64 at the Opera House of the Wooden Winter Palace (1757, architect F.B. Rastrelli, between Moika River Embankment and Bolshaya Morskaya Street, at today's Kirpichny Lane; both unpreserved). The theatre was comprised of former choir-members and comedians from Yaroslav, trained in the Infantry Cadet Corps and brought together in 1755 as the Court Drama Troupe under the guidance of A.P. Sumarokov. Initially there were eight male actors in the troupe, including F.G. Volkov, I.A. Dmitrevsky, and A.F. Popov. The company constantly grew and in 1757 began female actors. The core of the repertoire included plays by Sumarokov and J.-B. Moliere. Each performance (usually weekly) consisted of staging of two new plays - a tragedy and a comedietta. Until 1759, the theatre was not under the control of any other organization, was subsidised by the state, and gave free public performances. In 1759 it passed under the jurisdiction of the Court Bureau (see Imperial Theatres), ceased to be public, but still received subsidiary allocation. After Sumarokov's resignation in 1761, the post of theatre director was cancelled, and Volkov and Dmitrevsky, who replaced him successively, were involved only in artistic direction. The theatre's performances continued at Golovkin's residence until the end of 1757, and actors lived and rehearsed there up to 1761. Later on, the Russian Court Drama Company, for which this theatre had laid the foundation, was regularly added to and renewed, changing addresses and stages, and giving performances in turns with foreign drama troupes, as well Russian and foreign opera and ballet companies, quite often working on several St. Petersburg public stages at once.

References: Старикова Л. М. Первая труппа русского профессионального театра // Вопросы театра. М., 1987. Вып. 11. С. 273-283; Петровская И. Ф., Сомина В. В. Театральный Петербург: Нач. XVIII в.- окт. 1917 г.: Обозрение-путеводитель. СПб., 1994.

A. A. Kirillov. Dmitrevsky (real name Narykov) Ivan Afanasievich
Elizaveta Petrovna, Empress
Golovkin Mikhail Gavrilovich
Moliere Jean-Baptiste
Popov Alexander Stepanovich
Rastrelli Francesco de
Sumarokov Alexander Petrovich
Volkov Fedor Grigorievich
3d Line of Vasilievsky Island/Saint Petersburg, city
Bolshaya Morskaya St./Saint Petersburg, city
Kirpichny Lane/Saint Petersburg, city
Moika River Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city
Universitetskaya Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city, house 17
Старикова Л. М. Первая труппа русского профессионального театра // Вопросы театра. М., 1987
Петровская И. Ф., Сомина В. В. Театральный Петербург: Нач. XVIII в. - окт. 1917 г.: Обозрение-путеводитель. СПб., 1994 1751
1756