The closing ceremony of the F.M. Dostoevsky Theater Arts Festival took place

On November 4, Veliky Novgorod hosted the closing ceremony of the XXIX International Festival of Theatrical Arts named after F.M. Dostoevsky.

The ceremony began with a red carpet, which was attended by theater and film stars, organizers, and guests of the festival, including Alexander Dronov, Governor of the Novgorod Region, with his wife Elena, Deputy Governor Elena Kirilova, Vasily Yan, Mikhail Porechenkov, Maxim and Nadezhda Koroleva, Alexander Mizev, Olesya Sudzilovskaya, Victoria Shishkova, Sergey Dzeban, Svetlana Berdichevskaya and others.

Elena Kirilova (Deputy Governor of the Novgorod Region): "Staraya Russa, where the history of the festival began 29 years ago, and Veliky Novgorod are not just points on the map, but the authentic living space of a writer. It was in Staraya Russa that he worked on the novels The Brothers Karamazov and The Demons. The festival creates an image of a place of power where you can touch Dostoevsky and feel the atmosphere in which his brilliant works were born. This approach is an opportunity to create a unified cultural space and a recognizable regional brand. Of course, such geography is an organizational challenge. But we accepted it and turned it into an advantage. We are building the program in such a way that it is convenient for both the audience and the teams, so that a beautiful and dynamic theatrical journey turns out."

Svetlana Berdichevskaya (Theater critic, Program Director of the festival): "The family program has been a great success – there is a request for it, and we will continue to develop this area. I am also very glad that the festival has its own product, the installation performance “Nikolai Stavrogin. The prologue to the premiere.” We planned to show it for only a few days, but it aroused such audience interest that the guests of the Dostoevsky House Museum in Staraya Russa will be able to continue watching it."

To announce the winner of the Perspektiva competition program, the presenter invited Maxim Korolev, the general producer of the festival, to the stage. He summed up the program and announced the jury's decision: the sketch of the play "Three" was named the best. Director Ekaterina Polovtseva will receive a cash grant for the full implementation of the project and will show it at the F.M. Dostoevsky International Festival of Theatrical Arts next year. Unfortunately, Polovtseva was unable to attend the ceremony, so Maxim Korolev received the award. He promised to hand over the prize, and also announced that the band was waiting for another pleasant surprise – the partner of the festival, the Theater on Strastnoy, would provide an opportunity to work in its rehearsal hall for two weeks, and hold three dress rehearsals on the main stage.

Singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer Anna Mart and the choreographic group "Lik" were responsible for the musical accompaniment of the ceremony. The evening ended with a performance by director Sergei Vinogradov "Posadnik" of the Zelenograd Vedogon Theater.

The XXIX International F.M. Dostoevsky Festival of Theatrical Arts has become a real celebration for residents and guests of Veliky Novgorod and Staraya Russa, giving the audience the opportunity to fully enjoy theatrical art and Russian classics. About 400 guests and participants came to the festival, 22 performances from 4 countries and 10 cities were shown. The events were hosted by 6 venues in Veliky Novgorod and 3 in Staraya Russa. In just five days of the festival, it was attended by more than 6,000 spectators. The festival opened with the performance of the Moscow Drama Theater named after N.V. Gogol "Crime and Punishment" directed by Anton Yakovlev.

The main program of the festival featured performances based on classical Russian literature.: "Little Tragedies" by the Pskov Pushkin Drama Theater (directed by Gulnaz Balpeisova), "Idiot" by the Novgorod Academic Drama Theater named after F. M. Dostoevsky (directed by Alexander Muriti), "Double" by the Novgorod Academic Drama Theater (directed by Ivan Sudakov), "Meek" by the Saratov State Academic Drama Theater named after I.A. Slonova (directed by Irina Keruchenko), Sakhalin Island by the Russian Academic Youth Theater (directed by Oleg Dolin), 86 Martobrya by the Archive Theater Association (directed by Oksana Pogrebnyak). The unusual material was proposed by director Dmitry Krestyankin in his production of The Red Lantern (Theater at the Theater Museum) – the play is based on the diaries of the director of the Imperial Theaters Vladimir Telyakovsky.

The audience was presented with a special project of the festival – "Nikolai Stavrogin. The prologue to the premiere." The installation performance was created on the basis of letters related to the production of "Nikolai Stavrogin" based on F.M. Dostoevsky's novel "The Demons" at the Moscow Art Theater in 1913. This is a joint project of the Moscow Art Theater Museum and the F.M. Dostoevsky Festival of Theatrical Arts with the support of the Novgorod Museum-Reserve. The performance was timed to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the artist Mstislav Dobuzhinsky.

This year, the festival was not limited to just showing performances. The Novgorod Philharmonic hosted the exhibition "Shadows in the Background". The audience was able to get acquainted with the works of four contemporary artists: Tatiana Vafina, Katya Nikitina, Bella Novinkova and Kristina Purshina. The curator of the exhibition is art critic Victoria Shishkova. As part of the special project "Golden Fund of Theatrical Productions of Russia", created by the Union of Theatrical Figures of the Russian Federation and the Tricolor company with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives, the audience saw film versions of two performances at the Moscow International Music Center "Russia": "The Cabal of saints/Moliere", staged by the St. Petersburg State Youth Theater on Fontanka (directed by Semyon Spivak) and "Talents and Fans" by the Lipetsk State Academic Drama Theater named after Leo Tolstoy (directed by Boris Morozov). Before the screenings, Mikhail Anisimov, the general producer of the project, gave a lecture.

The panel discussion "Dostoevsky's Territory. Dialogue of Epochs: Dostoevsky and Russian Classic Writers in the 21st Century on the Modern Theatrical Stage.