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Some people always keep their "finger on the pulse," but Larisa Andreyeva literally keeps her finger on the text. Her long manicured fingers glide across the page without stopping for a second. Andreyeva has a rare profession – she is a prompter at the Maly Theater in downtown Moscow.

A backstage whisperer

How do you imagine a prompter? A person crouched in a box under the stage, bent over a notebook with only their head sticking out, hidden from spectators by the prompter's "shell".

"All the dust comes in through the tank peephole, as I call it, and I'm dreadfully allergic to dust and can't put up with it for even five minutes – I start coughing and sneezing. Once, someone in the first row said 'Bless you!' and I almost flipped out," says Andreyeva.
That's why she stopped using the prompter’s box a long time ago and now works from backstage – she sits in the wings, either stage left or right, depending on the set. A small desk with a lamp is always ready for her arrival. She keeps a cup of tea close by because her throat feels dry all the time.

Today, she arrived in the theater just an hour and a half before the start of the performance, The Cherry Orchard, which has been in the theater's repertoire for many years, so no special rehearsal is needed. Andreyeva has been involved in this production since its premiere, so she knows everything about everyone – who says what and when, and why someone suddenly goes silent. "They can stay silent for a whole five minutes, and I will stay silent because I realize it’s part of the performance."

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Onstage to backstage

Andreyeva became a prompter by accident – in her youth she worked as an actress at a theater in the city of Kurgan. Once, both prompters were sick and the actors needed help. Then, one of them suggested to Andreyeva that she try out the role herself: "It might be useful in life." That's how the young actress became a part-time prompter.

During her years in Kurgan, Andreyeva played many roles and became a Merited Artiste of Russia. Then, in 2003 she moved to Moscow and was looking for a job, and chance brought her to the Maly Theater, which needed a prompter at the time.
Initially, it was very difficult emotionally to leave her acting career, and Larisa is reluctant to talk about that time. "Time heals all things, however, and now, if they asked me to join the acting company, I would never agree," says Andreyeva.

A dying profession

"My profession is not just dying – it is already dead," Andreyeva says. The Maly Theater is one of the two remaining drama theaters in Moscow that still use prompters. At the final stages when preparing for a production, stage managers in some theaters will do rehearsals with actors, but in other theaters the actors have to cope on their own. At the same time, in opera theaters, including the Bolshoi, the profession of prompter is in high demand.

The art of prompting is not taught in Russia; rather, it's an intuitive job. At the Maly they can teach those who want to join the profession. Recently, a young woman started working at the theater, and Larisa thinks she has the right instinct for the job.
Currently, five prompters work at the Maly Theater. Of course, an actor can use an earpiece or some other piece of technology, but it's psychologically important for actors to work with prompters.

"At the Maly everyone knows that, come what may, the prompter is going to be there. When we go on tour, the first thing they ask is whether I’ll be sitting stage left or right," says Andreyeva. When there's a new stage with unknown acoustics – the prompter is their trusty backup.

A psychologist for actors

The working copy of the prompt text looks like a complex musical score, with dozens of marks that only a professional can understand. In some places part of the text is crossed out – the director decided to cut this. In other places a sentence is underlined – an actor keeps forgetting it. An exclamation mark – one has to pay special attention to this moment. A tick – the actor pauses here. Three ticks – a long pause.

The actors don't have to turn their heads in different directions looking for Andreyeva's desk backstage. She very well knows who needs help and at what moment. The Russian word for "prompter" – suflyor – comes from the French souffler, meaning “to breathe” or "to blow." Thus, a prompter is someone who lightly but precisely blows words in an actor's ear. At the same time, the spectators are unaware that anything is going on.
Sometimes Andreyeva's prompts involve not just words but also the action on stage: "Go right", "put it down" or "hand it back". The actors say that they can already lip-read what she is saying.

Andreyeva tells us “the only joke about prompters". It’s opening night, and the lead actor goes to the prompter before the start of the performance and says: "Today you can relax, there’s no need to prompt me, I know everything." The first call comes. The same actor goes to the prompter and says: "You know, you'd better keep an eye on me." The second call comes. "You know, that monologue, remember the one I mean? Watch out there." And finally the third call. "Every word, I beg you!"

Andreyeva never tires in repeating the same script day after day because no performance is like the previous one – each time it is played differently. In fact, sometimes she marvels at a new interpretation or emotional nuance that the actor has come up with.

Alexandra Guzeva, Russia Beyond

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Dear friends,

On June 1, People’s Artist of Russia Liliya Vitalevna Yudina celebrated her artistic anniversary in the Maly Theatre. All the details, including scenes from Ostrovsky's Not Enough Stupidity in Every Wise Man are in our video report.

Every theater lover is thrilled by the chance to go backstage and see what’s happening there. However, sneaking a glimpse behind the scenes at the Maly Theater is extremely rare, even for journalists. The theater's artistic director and legendary actor, Yuri Solomin, believes that people shouldn't know how stage magic is created. Otherwise, the magic evaporates.

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The Maly Theater has been around for almost two centuries. While the official opening took place in 1824, the theater’s first troupe appeared in 1756, though based at Moscow University. From its inception, the theater has focused on the production of classical plays: “The Marriage of Figaro” by Beaumarchais, and Shakespeare's “Hamlet”; as well as later, “Woe from Wit” by Alexander Griboyedov, “The Government Inspector”, and “Marriage”, both by Nikolai Gogol, and also plays by Alexander Ostrovsky and, of course, works by Anton Chekhov.

The Maly is a repertory theater, with each production running for many years. Its current season features more than 20 plays, and the costumes for each are ready and waiting for their moment in the limelight.

The theater's museum collection boasts over 200 historical costumes. Most are in excellent condition, despite years of use, and some are even brought out of the archive if a play is restored to the repertory. The oldest costume in the collection dates to 1849.

In total, over 10,000 costumes have been created for Maly productions since the theater was founded. Some of the original designs are used still and new costumes are made using 19th century technology. For example, if the costume designer decided to decorate Arkadina’s dress in “The Seagull” with real peas, so be it!

The head of the women's wardrobe section, Alla Zemlyakova, has been with the Maly Theater for 20 years. She speaks about costumes with incredible affection, handling them as if they were museum exhibits. She explains that on the day of a performance, the morning begins with preparing the costumes – steaming the silk sashes and checking the condition of the dresses.

Next, the costumes are taken to the dressing rooms. The special rolling racks used at the theater have become the stuff of legend. They say that even artistic director Yuri Solomin once rode them down the corridor, to entertain some of the actors’ children who had come to visit the theater.

Before the performance, costumers help actresses to get dressed. “Some of the costumes are simply impossible to put on without help. Some weigh a lot, while others have complex corsets.

Yet, what we provide is not just physical assistance. We, as psychologists, help the actresses to get in the right mood for the play, to absorb the atmosphere of the time,” Alla explains.

Once an actress puts on a costume, she can no longer have a cup of coffee or do anything that might spoil the precious garment.
“For many actors it is very important that they wear historical costumes. They treat them with awe. Once, a pair of gloves that we bought in an antique shop for a particular production got a hole. We suggested replacing them with a modern and artificially aged pair of gloves, but the actresses flatly refused and asked us to fix the old ones to the extent it was possible.”

Men's dressing rooms and the men's wardrobe section are located on another floor of the theater.
“Of course, we do not have crinoline dresses,” says the head of the section, Larisa Pasyuta, taking a gorgeous full-length fur coat from the hanger. With a twinkle in her eyes, she draws our attention to her favorite exhibits, bringing out from the store room one heavy costume after another as if they were light as a feather.

This section does not have the magnificent ladies' dresses of the past centuries, but boots, military uniforms, and doublets are no less exciting. A dozen snow-white gloves are drying on a coat hanger after washing. Larisa says her staff literally blow off dust from every costume.

Gloves and pants can be washed, but dry cleaning is done only after the season is over: costumes cannot be removed from the theater because any one of them might be urgently needed.

Alexandra Guzeva, Russia Beyond

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May 30 marks 50 years of service in the Maly Theatre of the Honored Artist of Russia Zinaida Andreeva. The actress has performed on the stage more than 50 roles for almost half a century. Apart from acting on the stage, Andreeva, has directed a number of productions. Thanks to her efforts, many performances of the Maly Theatre are well preserved and maintained at the proper level. Congratulations to Zinaida Elivkerievna on her creative jubilee!

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By Decree of the President of the Russian Federation Lyudmila Petrovna Polyakova, People’s Artist of Russia, was awarded the Order For Services to the Fatherland, III degree for her great contribution to the development of national culture and art. We would like to extend our warmest and most sincere congratulations to Lyudmila Petrovna on this outstanding achievement!

Dear friends,

On June 1, People’s Artist of Russia Liliya Vitalievna Yudina, will celebrate her anniversary on the stage of the Maly Theatre performingin the role of Sofia Ignatievna Turusina in Ostrovsky's Not Enough Stupidity in Every Wise Man.

Dear friends,

The 4th football tournament “ERMOLOVA CUP” is over.

Congratulations to the winners, the team of the Satirikon Satirikon on winning the tournament!

The team of the M.N. Ermolova Theatre ended up coming 2nd place and Et Cetera Theatre in the third.

We thank everyone who came to support the team of the Maly Theatre!

Details in the channel "Culture" coverage

Dear friends,

Summertime is finally here, and we are excited to renew our walking tours - «MARIA ERMOLOVA AND ALEXANDER SUMBATOV-YUZHIN.MOSCOW ADDRESSES OF THE GREAT ACTORS».

Would you like to visit two museums in one day and learn about the life and work of two great artists of the Maly Theatre - Ermolova and Yuzhin, about their relationship, once very complex and difficult, which ultimately resulted in the warmest and most sincere friendship?

During the excursion we will visit two museums dedicated to the artists of the Maly Theatre: M.N. Ermolova's House-Museum and A.I.Sumbatov-Yuzhin's Memorial Apartment.

The excursion begins in the Memorial apartment of A.I. Sumbatov-Yuzhin.

May 16 and June 6.

Duration - 2 hours 30 minutes.

Tickets are sold on the official website of the Maly Theatre and at the box office of the theatre

A monument to Alexander Ostrovsky stands in front of the Maly Theatre, sometimes called The House of Ostrovsky, in recognition of the playwright, who did so much to create the theater's fame. It was unveiled in 1923 to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of the playwright and is located at the main entrance to the theatre. The monument is made out of bronze and shows Ostrovsky sitting pensively on a chair.

Dear friends,

On May 19 an evening dedicated to the 145th anniversary of the birth of the People's Artist of the USSR Alexander Alekseevich Ostuzhev (1874-1953) was held in the Memorial Apartment. At the evening, excerpts from Alexander Ostrovsky’s play Guilty Without Guilt were played, in which Alexander Alekseevich played the role of Neznamov, with audio recordings of Ostuzhev’s voice.

The following artists took part in the evening:
People's Artist of Russia Svetlana Amanova
People's Artists of Russia Vladimir Beylis and Vladimir Dubrovskiy
artist Maksim Filatov

The host of the evening was Nadezhda Telegina.

The evening was attended by a very special guest - Mariya Nikolaevna Varlamova, great-granddaughter of Mariya Ermolova.

The photos by Nikolay Antipov

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On May 20, People's Artist of Russia Lyudmila Petrovna Polyakova presented her book My Way to the“ Old Women ”of the Maly Theatre to the audience in the Moscow House of Books on Novy Arbat. The book is based on the diaries of the actress, which she kept for many years. The idea to publish them belongs to theatre expert Vera Maksimova, who passed away a few years ago. The book has passed an uneasy way before it was published. Lyudmila Petrovna told her guests about this and many other things. Today we are sharing with you a video report of the Russia Culture channel and a photos taken by Nikolay Antipov.

Thanks to everyone who came to congratulate the actress on the publication of her book.

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Dear soccer fans and theatre lovers,

On May 27 at the Luzhniki Stadium the team of the Maly Theatre will take part in the football tournament «ERMOLOVA CUP» 2019!

Group A:
1. Moscow Drama Theatre of M.N. Ermolova
2. The Maly Theatre
3. Mayakovsky Theatre
4. Et Cetera

Group B:
1. Commonwealth of Taganka Actors Theatre
2. Pyotr Fomenko Workshop Theatre
3. Satirikon
4. The Stanislavsky Electrotheatre

The tournament will be a one-day event. The guests shall arrive at 10.30, the match shall start at 11.00. Field # 6.

ADMISSION IS FREE!

Please come and support us!

Our team is made up of goalkeeper and team captain - Viktor Nizovoy, Vasiliy Zotov, Vasiliy Dakhnenko,Aleksey Dubrovskiy, Evgeniy Sorokin, Sergey Efremov, Mikhail Martyanov, and Ivan Mishin and Aleksey Krasovskym who are young talents of the Mikhail Shchepkin Higher Theatre School. Team coach and motivator Igor Grigoriev.

The tournament is held within the framework of the Year of Theatre in Russia and with the support of the Department of Culture of Moscow.

Dear friends,

On May 18, the Memorial Apartment of A.I. Sumbatov-Yuzhin took part in the annual “Night of Museums”. This time the artists of the Maly Theatre, Lyubov Eshchenko, Stanislav Soshnikov, and Alexander Naumov, together with the head of the memorial apartment, Vera Tarasova, and our dear guests, read Alexander Ivanovich Sumbatov’s play The Gentleman.

Thank you all for being part of this special event and for the pleasure of communication!

And a special thanks goes out to Evgeniy Lyulyukin for his excellent photos

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The production was staged by Vladimir Beylis. Revizor.ru spoke with the actors, who play in the show: Boris Kluyev and Elena Kharitonova.

Dear friends,

We invite you to watch a recording of a TV show Today. The Day Begins that aired on Channel One on May 15, 2019. The guests of the show are actors from Before Sunset - People's Artist of Russia Boris Kluyev, Igor Petrenko and Polina Dolinskaya.

On May 14 one of the oldest actresses of the Maly Theatre, People's Artist of Russia Liliya Yudina is celebrating her anniversary. Congratulations on this special day and many wishes for many more years of success filled with health, joy and love!

On this special day we have updated a selection of photos on her personal page, and we also invite you to watch the video of Vanity Fair by William Thackeray, in which Liliya Vitalyevna played one of her best roles - Becky Sharp.

Dear friends,

On May 20 (Monday), a presentation of the book by written by Lyudmila Polyakova, People's Artist of Russia, entitled My Way to the "Old Women" of the Maly Theatre will take place in the House of Books on Novy Arbat.

The book is based on the diaries of Lyudmila Petrovna, which she led from 1956 to 1963 and from 1975 to 2012. This copyright certificate of the epoch from the actress, who was lucky to work in the famous Moscow theatres with outstanding directors and actors.

Beginning at 19:00.

Address: Novy Arbat Street, 8, 2nd floor, Literary Cafe.

Admission is free.

The year continues its horrible score of losses...

Nelly Kornienko, an incredibly beautiful actress of the Maly Theatre, passed away. She played in few films. Yuri Solomin, her stage partner, made up for this injustice - he gave her the main female role in the film The Scandalous Affair in Brickmill, which he himself directed.

In the theatre, Nelli Ivanovna played a lot, her classical beauty was ideally suited to the strict classical repertoire of the Maly. She was perfectly suited for the roles of the queens, duchesses, countesses. And she was incredibly lucky and happy in her personal life - she met, according to her own words, the best man in the world - actor Yuri Vasilyev (Rudik from Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears). Vasiliev died early, at the age of 60 in 1999. And the beautiful Nelly immediately lost the meaning of life - wilted, dimmed, grew old and became seriously ill. For twenty years she lived without him - and this was no longer what they call life, just pure existence. All the worries about her lay on the shoulders of daughter, Katya, and the theatre helped too, I also turned to readers for help and many responded. Now they will be there together on the cloud. It is evident that the sky also lacked beauty ...

Olga Belan, blogger

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On May 9 People's Artist of Russia Nelly Ivanovna Kornienko has died after a long illness. Our deepest sympathies go out to to her family, friends, and loved ones.

Farewell with Nelly Ivanovna will be held ion May 13 in the Shchepkinskoe foyer of the main stage of the Maly Theatre beginning at 11:00.

Dear friends,

Today our country celebrates the 74th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945). We heartily congratulate our viewers and wish you all a peaceful sky over your heads. The preservation of the memory of those bitter, but great days has always been among the priorities of the Maly Theatre. We honor and remember those of our employees who did not return from the front and who helped the soldiers to defend their homeland. There were a number of productions dedicated to the Great Patriotic War in the Maly's repertoire. Many of them were recorded on television and on the radio. Today we invite you to listen to the two recordings available in the “Sound Archive” on our website: Russian People by Konstantin Simonov and Private Soldiers by Aleksey Dudarev.