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- "Everyone was sitting with their mouths open": how a veteran of the SVO opened a children's theater in Vladimir
"Everyone was sitting with their mouths open": how a veteran of the SVO opened a children's theater in Vladimir
The Vladimir Youth Cultural Center is full of students from the Sergei Gryzov Theater, who are learning roles, rehearsing skits, and even preparing homework for school. After returning from the front, the veteran of a special military operation decided not to give up his vocation and created a space where children from disadvantaged families not only realize themselves through creativity, but also learn important truths.: what is friendship, patriotism and dedication? About the backstage life of the young actor's Theater — in the material of Izvestia.
Social Theater
Sergey Gryzov, who comes from a small village of 300 people in the Vladimir region, had devoted most of his life to the theater by the age of 40. He became interested in it back in his school years: he was engaged in creative work at the local recreation center, and in the 10th grade in the summer, when most cultural institutions went on vacation, he decided to organize and put up several miniatures.
— We liked it so much, the guys around us liked it, that we did the whole season. We didn't stop at one performance, we released another one in July, and there was a theatrical performance in August. All this turned into such an active and interesting point of attraction that we repeated it with 11th graders," he tells Izvestia.
Gradually, the team's work became more professional, and the young people were even able to attend an international festival. Sergey received a specialized education and created a children's theater at a school in his native village. When the school was closed, he and his students moved to a rural recreation center.
— The theater was more social, because a lot of children had difficulties there. And I myself first graduated from the theater department of the local college of culture, then I took courses at the STD (Union of Theatrical Figures. — "Izvestia"), organized in Moscow, — says the interlocutor of the publication.
In October 2022, Sergei Gryzov was mobilized to his military base and served in intelligence until February of the following year. He was injured in battle, which led to the development of a serious illness, so he went to the hospital for rehabilitation, and after that he left the service.
— Psychologically, I was very upset, I had a lot of fears and I did not think that I would return to the profession. I was already looking for other options: to retrain for something, to change my profile. And I didn't return to work for a long time: I was fired in July, but I didn't start working until mid—November," the source recalls.
His wife and the Defenders Foundation helped him through a difficult period of adaptation. And soon he was contacted by an acquaintance who offered to work with children.
The credo of the children's theater
More than 50 children of different ages are currently playing at the Sergei Gryzov Theater. Working in a creative team with the younger generation has become a kind of rehabilitation for the veteran. According to Sergey, the creative process goes on 24 hours a day, and it was thoughts about the theater, the search for forms, music, and other organizational issues that helped him distract himself.
— I wanted to make a musical theater so that everything would be live. No records for the kids to do everything by themselves. While I found teachers, while I found musicians, it was fascinating. You don't wake up at night because you had a terrible dream, but you get up and say: "Here, I've come up with an idea," "Here you can do this, and here you can do this."
At the same time, the man admits that even now theatrical activity is not without problems. Even before his graduation, Sergei noticed that the need and importance of children's theater was underestimated.
— Maybe this is my fate. Maybe this is really the credo of the children's theater. Because most of them are children from the difficult category: they don't have everything right at home or health problems. They are trying to realize themselves so much, but it seems to me that there is a lack of attention to them," complains the head.
When Sergey was just starting to communicate with the students, they did not perceive him as a specialist — for a while the man even hid that he was a veteran of a special operation. According to him, the youth even tried to get him out of the House of Culture.
— I have one such quality: I go to the end. I said: "I'll put on a performance, show you what the result should be, and then I'll leave quietly, I won't butt heads with you." Everyone was sitting with their mouths open when they saw our performance with live music, the work of the artist and the team. And the parents changed in many ways, they began to say: "Listen, this is yours, the children are yours," the director shares.
Patriotism as love
A special part of the work of the Sergei Gryzov Children's Theater is the development of social skills. Here, children not only reveal their creative abilities, but also realize the seemingly understandable communication details: you can not interrupt, swear, get into the conversation of adults, you need to be tactful, it is important to say hello, etc.
— It is necessary not just to raise children, but to educate them with high quality. You have to be honest to the end, not "change your shoes." To be faithful, to interact through this friendship," the man argues.
According to him, this position is based, among other things, on military experience, when the task must be completed in any way.
— Everything is open there, everything is clean, you can't hide anywhere, there's nothing. Therefore, they follow each other, help — and this is the most important thing," concludes Gryzov. Therefore, in his work with children, he pays great attention to talking about decency, devotion and patriotism, which, in his opinion, is primarily love.
This was also the case in his previous theater.
— When the pandemic was announced and all events were banned on May 9, I announced that let's lay flowers without waiting in line, everyone come on over. Then we turned on the music in our village, decorated everything with flags. It was so nice when people drove up. <...> This is probably a patriotic state," the veteran says.
Even before gaining military experience, the man believed that it was important every year — at least on Victory Day — to take up the topics of patriotic education, war, and study the tragic pages of the history of the Russian people with children.
— That's why we've been talking about this topic all the time. After all, life is not only a celebration, but also dedication," says the source.
"Theater is life"
All participants of the children's theater know that they can come to the Youth Culture Center with any problem, even a personal one.
— The theater is not only when you go on stage, work out and forget. No, it's 24 hours a day. For example, someone needs to give a report on history, and I graduated from the Faculty of History. I say, "Look for interesting facts, don't look for dry statistics, let me help you." It even happens that I throw something off through social media, I say: "That's right, you're working in this direction." Then they send it in the morning — an A on the report. The theater is about family and life," the source tells Izvestia.
At the same time, according to Sergey, the theater does not help everyone to reveal their talents. Someone just comes, tries, and realizes it's not his. Some come back after a while and try again.
— We had a child from a very difficult family. He had speech problems, and we tried to fix them. Once I forgot to put my boots on the stage and went out without boots. I almost fell through the ground, terrified. But at the same time, he walked and studied. Not so long ago, we met with him — he is already an adult and was injured himself," he says: "I'm thinking now, remembering how great it was with you at the theater," says Sergey.
Gryzov affectionately calls his other ward Andryushka. She helps him by choosing teachers so that in the future the boy can fulfill his dream of becoming an actor. In this way, the man helps the students to believe in themselves and that they are needed and not abandoned.
— They find a vocation and some friends. They learn to be friends, and gradually they gain self-worth. It's for life, not a fleeting projection," says Sergey.
In a new way
The staff of the Young Actor's Theater understands how difficult it is for children to withstand the routine and many hours of rehearsals, so teachers are trying to transform technical aspects into a playful form. In addition, classic plots often get a new lease of life, becoming more modern and understandable to the younger generation.
— I won't say that it's outdated, but something is a little out of time. We are trying, as teachers, to find contact with the present, with real life. When they started making Timur and the Team, they made the Simur Team," Sergey comments.
The golden rule of the children's theater in Vladimir is that its students have the right to vote. A lot of what the audience can see on stage, the guys come up with themselves. This, according to teachers, allows them to feel their importance and involves them more in the process.
— If a child brings something himself, even if it is not very high-quality, we must adapt and introduce it, — explains Gryzov.
In the future, the man wants to bring a little magic to the Youth Culture House — fairy tales, folklore and history of the Vladimir Region. And also to show everyone the importance of children's theater.
As for his military experience, the CBO veteran believes that after returning to civilian life, the most important thing is to be brave and open. Do not be afraid to ask for help from your comrades and the state, and do not shut yourself in.
— Everyone can find themselves, there are a lot of opportunities now. We must look for the truth in ourselves, not anger at this or that event," concludes Sergey.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
