People's feat: the premiere of the Banner of Victory was presented at the Army Theater

The military drama "The Banner of Victory" was shown on the Big Stage of the Central Academic Theater of the Russian Army. The production was directed by People's Artist of Russia Igor Ugolnikov. The main roles were played by Sergey Selin, Nikolai Kozak, Sergey Kolesnikov. The roof of the Reichstag was erected on the stage, and 80 years later, they told who and how planted the red flag on the building that personified the power of the Third Reich. Izvestia visited the premiere and was amazed at the scale of the production.

Double Anniversary premiere

Even on the way to the Army Theater, the special solemnity of the event, timed to coincide with the main holiday of our country, was felt. Rows of holiday flags were waving at the entrance. The letters "Victory!" were installed on the square. And the building itself, in the shape of a red star, was illuminated from all sides by red spotlights. People went to the performance with their families, children carrying flowers in their hands. The premiere screenings coincided with two significant dates. The first one is dedicated to the 60th anniversary of awarding Moscow the title of hero city. And the next day, the whole country celebrated the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory.

There was an exhibition in the foyer of the theater. The photographs and artifacts show the life of the Army Theater during the war: the entire path of the front—line brigades, starting in the summer of 1941 and ending with the victory days in Berlin. Posters and sketches of performances staged during the Great Patriotic War have been preserved — "Simplicity is enough for every wise man", "Once upon a Time", "The Immortal," The Front", "Stalingraders", "Piggy Bank". And the Museum of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation presented a selection of military posters of Kukryniks.

All tickets for the performance were sold out. The audience of one and a half thousand people was waiting to hear what the modern directors would say about the Berlin special operation to plant the red flag in the very center of Nazi Germany. Among the honored guests were eleven Heroes of the Soviet Union and Heroes of Russia. The audience greeted 104-year-old veteran of the Great Patriotic War, Colonel Leonid Vasilyevich Soshin, with a standing ovation. The audience chanted, "Thank you!"

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Stalin is with them

The plot is based on the story of how the Soviet Army took Berlin. The nine best divisions involved in the operation fought for the right to plant their banner on the Reichstag. But Meliton Kantaria, Mikhail Egorov and Alexey Berest did it. They fixed the assault flag of the 150th Order of Kutuzov II degree of the Idritsky Rifle Division on the dome of the Reichstag. The soldiers were setting up the banner under the bullets. But in order for the Red Army soldiers to succeed, thousands of others who participated in the Berlin operation gave their lives. The Reichstag was stormed from April 28 to May 2, 1945. The creators of the play decided to remind the descendants whose other names should not be forgotten.

The action on the biggest stage in Europe began with the lines of "Requiem" ("Eternal Glory to the heroes") Robert Rozhdestvensky, played to the music of Yuri Poteenko. The plot shifts to April 1945. Berlin is still 60 km away, and Victory is a month away. Meanwhile, a meeting of the State Defense Committee is taking place in the Kremlin. Stalin gathers the marshals to discuss the most important issues related to the outcome of the war.

"Despite the agreements reached in Yalta, the Allied forces are not going to cede Berlin to us," the commander—in—chief says. — Just yesterday, I received our intelligence data.

According to a source in Washington, the Anglo-American command is preparing an operation to capture Berlin. He sets the task of taking the city before the Red Army does. The main group is being created under the command of Field Marshal Montgomery. Stalin drew attention to the fact that the Nazis would open the shortest route to Berlin for the Allies. He poses the question to the front commanders, who will take the capital of the Reich — us or the Allied forces? Marshal Ivan Konev assures us that the Red Army will do it. And Konstantin Rokossovsky, commander of the 2nd Belorussian Front, adds that the banner of our Victory will be hoisted over the capital of the Third Reich.

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Superior in strength

The artist of the play, Anastasia Glebova, recreated the huge dome of the Reichstag on stage. Lighting designer Andrey Abramov created a light score that transported the audience to the highest point of burning Berlin. And video artist Muse Sokolova complemented the production with spectacular black-and-white newsreel footage.

The commander of the 756th Infantry Regiment, Colonel Fedor Zinchenko, was played by Honored Artist of Russia Nikolai Kozak. The soldiers of his regiment hoisted the division's assault flag over the Reichstag, which later became the Banner of Victory. He has selected the most worthy scouts who will complete the operation. The order was carried out by Egorov, Kantaria and Berest. Few people know that the Victory Banner was personally made by Captain Vasily Buntov (Daniil Stein). The play tells about how the red cloth was taken out in Berlin, how nine banners were made, according to the number of divisions.

Stalin is played by Honored Artist of Russia Sergey Kolesnikov. Denis Kutuzov plays the role of Marshal Konev. Marshal Rokossovsky was played by Mikhail Danilyuk. Honored Artist of Russia Sergey Selin turned into Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov.

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Directors Yulia Shulyeva and Sergey Kuzmin worked on the play together with Igor Ugolnikov. In the finale, the audience couldn't hold back their tears. All the actors involved in the production read Vlad Malenko's poem "The Banner of Victory" and in the last lines they handed over a giant scarlet banner to the audience, which was handed over to the gallery. The Victory Banner itself, which rose over the Reichstag on May 1, 1945, is kept in the Central Museum of the Armed Forces. Made in artisanal conditions, it is now a state relic of Russia.

— Everything we do is memory, and I feel that we are responsible to it, — says Igor Ugolnikov. — The current victory is also important now. Because if there is no victory today, then our ancestors, including my grandfather, who died, will have their past taken away. Therefore, everything about my work — current, past and future — is done in order to preserve the Victory of the previous generation.

The next performance of the play "The Banner of Victory" will take place on June 21, on the eve of a terrible date for our country. On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany attacked the USSR without declaring war. And as the creators of the play say, this powerful story will have a sequel. In autumn, Igor Ugolnikov will release the second part of the dilogy, a play about understanding historical processes, which we need now — "The Court of Nations".