Premiere status: "Lenkom" is preparing a production based on Fellini and "The Golden Calf"

Mark Zakharov's Lenkom has finally got an Artistic Director, Vladimir Pankov, Honored Art Worker of the Russian Federation and Artistic Director of the Center for Dramaturgy and Directing, where he will also retain his post. The new management, including the director and president, was presented to the theater staff on January 28. Pankov and Lenkom are planning to produce not 20 but two quality premieres: "Orchestra Rehearsal" by Federico Fellini, dedicated to Mark Zakharov, and the classic "Golden Calf" based on the novel by Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov. Vladimir Nikolaevich did not announce any revolutionary changes, but promised to keep the team and not to reshape the repertoire - all the iconic productions will remain in it. Izvestia has also stepped into the new era of Lenkom.

Dedicated to Mark Zakharov

"If you enter the theater, then only like this," - Vladimir Pankov addressed the troupe of "Lenkom", journalists and, justifying his name, dashingly did a somersault right on the stage. He says that this is his tradition. And immediately after the enthusiastic applause of the troupe, with which the director came to get acquainted, he began to announce his plans: there will be a lot of work, butonly two premieres are planned so far. "Lenkom" will stage a play based on the pseudo-documentary "Orchestra Rehearsals" by Federico Fellini and "Golden Calf" by Ilf and Petrov. In the first Pankov offered to participate in the entire orchestra of Lenkomov, but the roles are small. The production will be dedicated directly to the one whose name Lenkom bears, the legendary Mark Zakharov, after whose death in 2019, the post was vacant until Pankov's introduction to the collective.

- What Mark Anatolievich was always famous for, what direction he took - this is very consonant with Fellini. We will make an author's story, which will include autobiographical things of Zakharov, it will be a performance-action. We need it so that we remember and unite even more, so that the whole troupe, both age and young artists, are maximally involved. Theater is wonderful because it is multi-generational, a very rare quality. It is important to educate a whole generation of Lenkomites, because the theater has a task not only to make plays, but also to educate. It's a whole institution," Pankov told reporters.

Both in "Orchestra Rehearsal" and in "The Golden Calf" Pankov will act as a director. He believes that in the first two years he should do everything himself, and then involve other directors. When rehearsals will begin, it is not clear yet, this moment the new artistic director will discuss with the management of the theater - the new director of "Lenkom" Dmitry Berestov and now the president of the theater Mark Varshaver. Pankov does not plan to ruin the schedule already approved for the season. The new director did not name the approximate dates of the two premieres either. Head of the capital's Department of Culture Alexei Fursin at a meeting with the troupe noted that in two years the theater will celebrate its 100th anniversary. It is possible that at least "Rehearsal of the orchestra" will be included in the plan of the jubilee year.

- For a long time the theater did not have a creative leader. Vladimir Pankov, who becomes the director of Mark Zakharov's Lenkom, should open a new stage in the life of the theater. As for the post of head - Dmitry Berestov used to work at the Theater of Satire, and after that he took over the management of the Theater on South-West in a rather difficult state and in a few years brought it to the top 10 theaters in the city according to its indicators. But any reshuffle, any personnel changes always bring certain difficulties and difficulties, everyone thinks whether there will be replacements, dismissals and so on. I ask my colleagues - both Vladimir and Dmitry - not to make any sudden movements. The team must be stable, the team must continue to work," Fursin said.

The news that "Lenkom" is changing management, traveled theatrical Moscow on January 22. The noise was raised by rumors that the director of "Lenkom" Varshaver leaves his post. Formally, this is true. Mark Borisovich really left the post of director, but not the theater. Now he is the president of "Lenkom". Varshaver, who came to "Lenkom" 46 years ago, will actually be the mentor of the young Dmitry Berestov.

Both Pankov and Berestov will also retain their positions in their theaters. The former will remain the head of the Center for Dramaturgy and Directing, the latter the director of the Theater on Southwest. They join the ranks of managers running several institutions. They include Vladimir Mashkov (Oleg Tabakov Theater and Sovremennik), Konstantin Bogomolov (Theater on Bronnaya and Viktyuk Theater), Irina Apeksimova (Theater on Taganka, "Commonwealth of Actors of Taganka", "ApArte" which eventually merged into one theater) and Evgeny Gerasimov (Satire Theater, Theater of the Moon).

- I will help the wonderful new director Dmitry Yurievich in every possible way, if he asks me to. He is the main person in charge of economic issues and all sorts of decisions. The director is practically everything in the theater. The artistic director is pure creativity. It's actors, directors and performances, because we work all for the audience," Varshaver said.

They will not cut the repertoire and fire actors

The audience was no less concerned about what will happen to the repertoire of "Lenkom", especially against the background of alarming reports from the Theater - Stages "Melnikov", whose employees, after the change of management, were outraged by the cancelation of some of the performances, staged by Viktyuk, and the reduction of the team. The Lenkom director promised that all the performances planned for this season will take place.

- It is very important to keep the cult productions of Mark Anatolyevich Zakharov. It must remain unshakable. Especially "Juno and Avos", "The Memorial Prayer" and so on. And when we do a new repertoire, one will slowly supplant the other, but Zakharov's productions will remain on the playbill. I'm not going to fire anyone," Pankov said.

Now for Vladimir Nikolaevich there comes a stage of acquaintance with the structure of the theater, and with its staff. How they will accept each other, time will show. The artistic director himself assured that in case of anything "he will be crushed here", but he still wants to work with those "whom I want to embrace".