Yury Petrovich Kiselev
Significant performances
Theater�s Old-stagers

Theater's History

Saratov Academic Youth Theater named after Yu.P. Kiselev (TUZ Kiseleva) is a unique phenomenon in Russian culture. It is the world’s first theater for children opened on October 4, 1918. From 1943 to 1996 USSR People’s actor, laureate of the various Russian and International awards Yury Petrovich Kiselev led the theater. Under his guidance the aesthetical and pedagogical principles of the theater were developed.� Yury Petrovich Kiselev occupied one of the leading positions in the Russian office and international system of ASSITEJ and generously shared his rich experience helping to organize youth theaters in Cuba, USA, France, Yugoslavia, German Democratic Republic, Spain, Czechoslovakia...
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In 1995 Yu. P. Kiselev who was the permanent head of the theatre for 53 years and was always seriously concerned about the matter of succession of theatre’s artistic and moral tradition initiated the appointment of Yury Osherov, RF People’s Artist for the post of the main theatre director. In 2007, Yu. P. Osherov became the Artistic Director of the theater. From July 1995 Honored Worker of Culture of RF, Chairman of the Saratov Department of Russian social organization «Theater Union of Russian Federation (Russian Theater Society)», Chairman of the Saratov Department of Consortium of Creative Unions
Valery Raykov has been successfully working as the producer (managing director) of the theatre.

Saratov Youth Theater was a participant and laureate of the various international festivals, toured in Poland, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Italy, Germany, Belorussia, USA, Tunis and other countries. Our theater was awarded with the prizes of different Russian theater festivals: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Samara, Novyi Urengoy and others. During various years of the theater’s history the audiences of different Russian cities perceived the theater’s performances with great success: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Samara, Ivanovo, Cheboksary, Novyi Urengoi, Krasnodar, Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg, etc.

Saratov Youth Theater actors are a family of like-minded people, talented professionals who are faithful to the selfless devotion to the audience. Many generations of this complicated but wonderful profession went through the history of theater in Saratov, creating the unique phenomenon of Russian culture – Saratov Kiselev Youth Theater. Rich creative potential of the theater’s troupe attracts lots of attention from directors from Europe and all-over the world who come to Saratov for working on very interesting projects. Saratov Youth Theater works together both with young beginner directors and the real legends of the theater world: Matthias Langhoff (France/Germany), Lee Breuer (USA), Paolo Emilio Landi (Italy), Walter Schoen (USA), Georg Genoux (Germany), Jean-Claude Fall (France), Anatoly Praudin (St. Petersburg), Borislav Chakrinov (Bulgaria), Mikhail Byichkov (Voronezh), Georgy Tskhvirava (Omsk), Yekaterina Gorohovskaya (St. Petersburg), Marat Gatsalov (Prokopievsk), Sigrid Strem Reibo (Norway) and many others. In theater’s plans there are joint projects with such interesting directors as Alexander Morfov and Javor Gardev (Bulgaria).

Recently the theater is actively working in the field of the international cooperation. The international program of Saratov Kiselev Youth Theater includes not only inviting for making new productions famous directors and production designers from Italy, France, Germany, Norway, Bulgaria, USA and other countries, but an active participation in the international festivals. Unique collaboration projects exist with Richmond University (Virginia, USA) and Theater Junge Generation (Dresden). As guests famous theater figures annually visit the theater, forge long-term relationships all over the world – from Australia, Japan and Korea to Mexico and USA.

The Saratov Youth Theater consistently embraces the concepts of benevolence and human dignity, bringing them into everyday life through highly artistic performances, capturing the audience through their persuasiveness and sincerity. The Kiselev Youth Theater builds its repertoire on the best examples of classic Russian and world literature. This is truly a family oriented theater, since parents and children, as well as teachers and students attend performances together. The Saratov Youth Theater holds dear these precious moments of togetherness of the souls of its spectators. While carefully preserving the gathered experience the theater strives to find and test new forms and methods of theater.

�“To remember about the main principle: the audience doesn’t exist for us, but we exist for the audience” – that was the will of our Master, great theater doer, USSR People’s actor Yury Kiselev. The theater’s motto is his saying: “In the kind and joyful conversation with you, our young and grown-up spectators, Saratov Youth Theater sees its main purpose for existence”. Following this principle Saratov Youth Theater for years puts all its efforts to multiple its creative successes and stay to be the theater of the special meaning that is focused on the most grateful and demanding young spectators and on those adults who understand the big cares and problems of the little citizens of the planet Earth.

In 1946 according to the results of All-Russian competition among theaters for children Saratov Youth Theater was mentioned in the list of the best theaters. was presented on the stage of the Chamber Theater. In 1952 the performance “Alesha Peshkov” (the play by O. Forsh and I. Gruzdev) production team led by Yu.P. Kiselev got the USSR State Award.

In 1967 the theater got the RSFSR State Award for the performance “The Tale About Distant and Near Future” (the play by G. Akulov); and in 1969 the theater was awarded the medal “Order of Badge of Honor”.� In 1979 the theatre participated in the International Festival of theatres for children organized by ASSITEZH in Lyon (France). In 1984 for great services in the development process of theater for children and youth Yu. P. Kiselev was awarded with the medal “Lenin’s Order”. In 1987 the actress of the theater Svetlana Vasilievna Osherova (Lavrentieva) became the K. S. Stanislavsky RSFSR State Prize Laureate. The performance on the play by W. Gibson “She, who Created a Miracle” (the director - RF People’s Artist Yu. Osherov) became an important event on the International Festival of Theatres for Children dedicated to the Memory of Yanush Korchak, which was held in Warsaw in 1996.

The Saratov Youth Theater has taken part and become the laureate of numerous prestigious international festivals. In 1996 and in 2001 the theater visited Latvia with tours, the performances were successfully accepted by Riga audience. In 2002 the performance “The Eternal Husband” was invited to the international festival in Bulgaria (Burgas). In 2003 the theater was the participant of the 1st All-Russia Festival “Postefremov Space” with the performance “The Eternal Husband” presented at that festival got a high appreciation of the capital leading theater critics.� In 2003 the theater participated in the festival “The Golden Knight” where the performance “The Italian Marriage” got the title “the festival’s laureate”. The RF Meritorious actress Elena Vovnenko was awarded with the RF State Prize for the part of Philomena Morturano in 2003.

During the summer of 2003 the First Open Festival of theaters for children “From A to Z” took place in the Saratov Youth Theater. In May of 2004 the theater became the laureate of the International Theater Festival “Russian Classics. Lobnya 2004” with performance “The Eternal Husband” (on F. M. Dostoevsky). In 2004 the theater got the Prize of Rolan Bykov Foundation “For Faithfulness to Great Art and Little Spectators”, as the best children’s theater in Russia.

In the International Festival “Rome Summer”, which took place in Italy’s capital during the summer of 2004, the theater was presented by the performance “A Servant to Two Masters”, the play written by a famous Italian playwright C. Goldoni. In 2005 the performance “The Eternal Husband” participated in the VIII Russian Festival “Real Theater” (Ekaterinburg). In the same year the performance “Just a Simple Story” on the play by M. Lado took part in the theater forum “The Golden Knight” which was conducted in the Belorussia’s capital Minsk.

In october 2006 on the II-nd International Theater Festival of Sister Cities “Podmoskovnye Nights” the performance “The Italian Marriage” of Saratov Academic Kiselev Youth Theater got the grand prize of Festival’s jury.� According to the results of the First “All-Russia Competition of the Performances Propagandizing the Ideas of Patriotism, and Love to Motherland” in 2006 the diploma winner of the competition became the performance “They are For Ever and Aye Alive” on the play by V. Rozov.

In the period from 2007 to 2010 Saratov Kiselev Youth theater three times was on tour: in Moscow in terms of the project “Saratov on the Strastnoy Boulevard” and twice in international trips – in USA, Richmond, Virginia (from 12th to 23rd of October 2008) and in Germany, Dresden, tjg.Theater Junge Generations (since 4th to 9th of November 2010). 5 theater’s performances were presented on tour.

The performance “The Cold Heart” under Yu. Osherov’s direction was presented on the IVth All-Russia Festival of Theatrical Art for Children “Harlequin” (St. Petersburg) in April 2007. On the 10th of November the Expert Council and the Council of Charity Foundation of the award “The Victor Rozov’s Chrystal Rose” (Moscow) awarded the title “Laureate of VI All-Russia competition of the prize The Victor Rozov’s Chrystal Rose” to RF People’s actor, the stage director of Saratov Academic Kiselev Youth Theater A. Ya. Solovyev for his staging work of the play by V. Rozov “They are For Ever and Aye Alive”.

On the eve of its 90th anniversary, the theater held a creative project for children and parents with “The Return of the Blue Bird”, based on Maeterlinck’s extravaganza “The Blue Bird”. The performance for that play was the first to open the theater in 1918. The Saratov Youth Theater has got the Governor’s grant to fulfill the project.� In collaboration with the Association of Creative Unions of the Saratov Region another project was held: “The Return of ‘The Blue Bird’ for Disabled Children Suffering from Cerebral Infantile Paralysis” (Social and intellectual rehabilitation of disabled children with motor-skill disabilities through the perception of the world of Art). The great opening-nigh of the performance Maeterlinck’s “The Blue Bird”� took place on the 23rd of December 2007.

In 2008 Saratov Academic Kiselev Youth Theater celebrated its 90th anniversary. The Second Yu. P. Kiselev Povolzhie Festival of theaters for children – “From A to Z” – dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the world’s first professional theater for children was held in Saratov from the 26th of September until the 4th of October 2008.

In May 2008 the theater participated in the IX-th International Theater Festival “The Rainbow”, which took place in St. Petersburg Youth Theater (named after A.A. Bryantsev). In September 2008 Saratov Kiselev Youth Theater took part in the VIII-th International Youth Theater Laboratory-Festival “The Golden Turnip” (Samara) and in the 2nd International Youth Theater Festival “The Guttersnipe” (“Gavrosh”, Moscow).

1399th performance “The Scarlet Flower” took place on the stage of the theater on December 17th, 2008. The opening night for the performance was in 1948. Director - RSFSR Artist of Merit Vladimir Davydov, production-designer - RSFSR Artist of Merit, recipient of the USSR State Prize N. A. Arkhangelsky, composer - E. Kamenogradsky.

From the 18th to 23rd of March 2009 VI Fairy Festival "Ya-mal, Hello!" was held in Novy Urengoy. Saratov Academic Kiselev Youth Theater took part in the festival with the performance "A Sprout" (director - Ekaterina Gorohovskaya). On the 18th of May 2009 the Moscow City Organization of Russia Writers Union, the Union of the Translators and Writers awarded Saratov Academic Youth Theater with the Literature Award of S. Ya. Marshak and Literature Award of A.P. Chekhov for theater’s contribution in children’s literature development and rising of the young generation.� �

In November 2009 a delegation from the Dresden Theatre for the Young Generation (Germany) - managing director Felicitas Loewe and artistic director’s assistant Anna Schmidt -visited Saratov Youth Theater. The 3 years collaboration creative project for children was developed together with German guests.

In September 2009 Saratov Youth Theater took part in the X All-Russian Festival “The Real Theater” with the performance “Natasha’s Dream”.� In March 2010 the performance “Natasha’s Dream” by Ya. Pulinovich has won the Grand Prix of the VII Fairy Festival "Ya-mal, Hello!" (Novy Urengoy) and was praised by critics at the "Mask plus" project at XVI "The Golden Mask" Festival (Moscow).� In April 2010 Saratov Youth Theater was awarded with the special prize of Harlequin Award (St. Petersburg) – the diploma “For the significant contribution into Russian theaters for children development” and received “the Golden Badge” from Theater Union.

The creative laboratory “The Fourth Height. Contemporary Dramaturgy” has been taking place in the Saratov Kiselev Youth Theater since 2006. The uniqueness of such laboratory is that the creative team is supposed to stage a draft show in a very short period of time, which allows to interactively perceive the audience’s reaction, and gives actors an opportunity to discover unexpected sides of their talent. After each show there was a detailed and in-depth discussion of what was seen, conversation is conducted by the leading theater critics of Russia, festival’s guests and audience take part in it. The most successful shows are made full-scale performances, 7 performances enriched the theater’s repertoire as a result of the laboratories.

Director Maria Romanova (St. Petersburg) staged the play by Elena Isaeva “About My Mother and Myself” (opening night – on the 2nd of February 2010), this performance became a winner of the RF Ministry of Culture contest for young director’s support. Our theater also was awarded with the grant of Russian social organization «Theater Union of Russian Federation (Russian Theater Society)» for staging the performance “Be at the Ark by 8” written by German playwright Ulrich Hub, that appeared in the theater’s repertoire after the laboratory work (director – Sigrid Strem Reibo).

The cultural campaign “A Week of France in Saratov Kiselev Youth Theater” took place from 4th to 8th July 2010 under the patronage and with the participation of� French Cultural Centre in Moscow, The Embassy of France in Russian Federation and «Alliance Francaise Saratov» as part of the «Russia-France Year 2010». The culmination of the campaign will be the opening night for the “Cyrano de Bergerac” by E. Rostand. The production team is from France – director Jean-Claude Fall, production designer Gerard Didier.

On the 12th of October 2010 an opening-night for the production on the play by the famous American playwright Sam Shepard “The Curse of the Starving Class” staged by director Lee Breuer, one of the founders of American avant-garde theater tradition and artistic director of the New York Mabou Mines company. Production designer – Emil Kapelush (St. Petersburg).� This� was project developed by the Bilateral Presidential Commission created on the 6th of July, 2009, by Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama. Saratov Kiselev Youth Theater received a grant from the US State Department and United States Embassy in Russia for Lee Breuer’s production.

In November 2010 Saratov Youth Theater received a grant on the regional contest of social and cultural projects as part of the regional program “Civil society institution’s development in Saratov province for 2010-2012” for the social-creative project “The Forth Height. Contemporary Drama. The New School.”� In the end of 2010 Saratov Kiselev Youth Theater got the financial support of the Italian Institute of Culture in Moscow for the production for C. Gozzi’s “The Love of Three Oranges” (director Paolo Emilio Landi, production designer Santi Migneco, ballet mistress Lidia Biondi). Within the Year of Russian culture and language in Italy and the Year of Italian culture and language in Russia announced in 2011 held a cultural campaign “A Week of Italian Culture on the Stage of Saratov Kiselev Youth Theater” from the 4th to 11th of February 2011. Also Saratov Kiselev Youth Theater took part in the� International Commedia dell'Arte Day on February 25, 2011.

In 2011 Saratov Kiselev Youth Theater takes part in the XVII National Theatre Award and Festival "The Golden Mask" with two performances "Cyrano de Bergerac" written by Edmond Rostand (director� Jean-Claude Fall, as part of the off-Mask plus program) and "We're doing fine here" written by Dorota Maslowska� (director – Georg Genoux, as part of the New Drama festival of contemporary plays). On the 13th of May 2011 Saratov Academic Kiselev Youth Theater took part in the XII International theater festival "Rainbow" in St. Petersburg with "The Curse of the Starving Class" written by Sam Shepard, staged by Lee Breuer (USA).

Saratov Academic Kiselev Youth Theater in 2010-2012 carries out a collaboration project with tjg.Theater Junge Generation (Dresden, Germany) as part of the overall cultural development between our cities and countries. Actors of tjg.theater junge generation and has been part of a program for the children and youth theatre centre called „Theater für die Allerkleinsten“ (theatre for the very young), which was about the exploration of children's reception of art. They now are exchanging their experience with Saratov actors. During 3 seasons Saratov Kiselev Youth Theater together with the Dresden tjg.theater are working together on the project dedicated to the theater for little children. From the 4th to 9th of November 2010 Saratov Academic Kiselev Youth Theater was on tour to Dresden tjg.Theatre for the Young Generation and Chemnitz with the performance "A Sprout" for children from 2 to 5 years old. In May-June 2011 tjg.theater junge generation (Dresden, Germany) presented on the stage of Saratov Academic Kiselev Youth Theater two performances for the very young spectators:
«Funkeldunkel Lichtgedicht» and «Fingerfühl, Hörehell und Schlauschau». As a result of the collaborative work of the theaters in 2012 two performances for the little spectators will appear in both theaters’ repertoires.

In January 2011 representatives of the Kijimuna Festa – Okiniwa international children's theatrical festival Hisashi Shimoyama and Asaki Shimoyama visited the theater (Japan). As a result, Saratov Kiselev Youth Theater was included into the program of Theater for Young Audience Olympiad and International ASSITEJ Congress that Kijimuna Festa 2012 will host.

In 2011 Kiselev Youth Theater took a great interest and participated in the organization of the IX Small Town Theatres Festival in Balakovo, Saratov Province.

Saratov Academic Kiselev Youth Theatre is a laureate of the various theater awards. In 2011 our theater was awarded with the Russian Federation Government Prize named after Fedor Volkov and as an awarded theater took part in the XII International Theatre Festival of Fyodor Volkov "Russian drama in the languages of the world". The prize-giving ceremony of Volkov’s award took place on November 3rd and on the 5th November the showing of Saratov Youth Theatre performance Moliere’s "The Imaginary Invalid" (the director of the project – a well-known theater director Anatoly Praudin (St. Petersburg) took place in Yaroslavl Drama Theater.

In the beginning of 2011 an outstanding theater director Matthias Langhoff, a legend of the European theater worked in the Saratov Kiselev Youth Theater. He staged a play «Sophocles. Oedipus the Tyrant» written by leading theater figure of the twentieth century Heiner Müller based on adaptation by romance poet Hölderlin of Sophocle's tragedy, Russian translation made by Russian playwright, living in Germany Alexey Shipenko. On the 25, 26th of October the opening night of «Sophocles. Oedipus the Tyrant» a play written by Heiner Müller based on Hölderlin's adaptation of Sophocle's tragedy will take place. Director - Matthias Langhoff. The opening night took place on the 25, 26th of October.

Soon after Langhoff’s premiere in the Saratov Kiselev Youth Theater another wonderful event took place - The Shakespeare Festival (seventh creative laboratory "Fourth height"). It was held from October 27 to November 1, 2011 with the support of the Russian social organization «Theater Union of Russian Federation (Russian Theater Society)», Institut Français (Moscow) and Goethe-Institut (Moscow). The festival’s program consisted of sketch performances of Shakespearean drama, created by interesting directors from Russia and Europe, who have already declared themselves in the theater world: Razerka Ben Sadia Lavant and Yann Joel Collin (France), Andreas Merz (Germany), Dmitry Volkostrelov, Polina Struzhkova and Elena Nevezhina (Moscow). The Festival was dedicated to the undying works of William Shakespeare. The discussion about Shakespeare was conducted by Doctor of Art Criticism, Professor, RF Meritorious Scientist, Chairman of the Russia’s Shakespeare Academy of Sciences Commission Alexey Bartoshevich and the leading drama critic of Russia Oleg Loyevsky.

For more than quarter of the century the construction of the new theater building lasted. After decades from the first model project for the Kiselev Youth Theater was approved, on the 24th of Ocober 2003 the opening of the Small Stage in the building that was still in construction took place. Since then more than 120 performances are shown there annually. And after almost ten years more in the end of 2011 the construction of the Big Stage of the new Kiselev Theater for 700 spectators has been finished. The dream of our Master – Yury Petrovich Kiselev has come true.

In the days of the New Year school holidays of 2011-2012 for the first time on the Big Stage of the new building Governor’s of Saratov Region New Year shows for children took place, more than 20 000 spectators watched them, but the main celebration is still in the future. The opening of the Big Stage of the new building is a noted event for the whole country; Saratov and Kiselev Youth Theater are now in the middle of attention from the whole country. The triumphant opening of the new theater building establish Saratov Province as a cultural centre of the Volga Region.

With the new stage opening theater’s responsibility before its audience has increased, especially before children. The first premieres on the new stage in 2012-2013 was prepared by the best Russian theater directors. “The Captain's Daughter” by A.S. Pushkin staged by the Russian maestro theater director Adolf Shapiro was the first opening-night that took place in April 2012.

Dedicated to the Children’s day the opening night of the joint Russian-German project with tjg.Theater Junge Generation “And the Stars Above Us” took place on the 1st of June 2012. The performance was born from the laboratory work in the field of the theater for the very little spectators.

The culmination of the whole series of events dedicated to the completion of the 30-year construction of the new theater building will be the Festival “Kiselev’s Dream – The New Opening”. The guests and the participants of the Festival will be the leading Russian theaters, in which graduates of the Saratov theater school are working: Moscow Art Theater, The Oleg Tabakov Theatre, Theatre of Nations,� the theatre "School of Dramatic Art".

In 2013 the famous youth theater will celebrate its 95th Anniversary. In honor of this event the traditional Open Festival of theaters for children “From A to Z” will be held. For the first time the Festival will have four venues, in the Festival’s program the shows of the best Volga Region theaters and performances from Moscow and St. Petersburg will be included, also the Third Festival will have an international program.

At present, the theater occupies four stages situated in the two separate buildings. In the theater playbill there are fifty shows, and each year audience can watch no fewer than ten premiers. Performances based on the works of the best Russian and foreign writers and playwrights are very popular among all spectators, adults and children alike. Each year the Saratov Kiselev Youth Theater offers up to 470 performances, which are attended by more than 170,000 spectators. With the new stage opening 1500 people can visit our theater daily.

Each month children from boarding schools, orphanages, low-income families, as well as abandoned and disabled children attend the theater free of charge.� Today the Kiselev Youth Theater strives to continue and support an intimate dialogue with its young viewer, to awaken “kind feelings”, to boost self-esteem, to preserve light and hope in the hearts and souls of those people who are at the very beginning of life’s journey.

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