Saint Petersburg

Gorky Bolshoi Drama Theatre

1932-1963

Over the years the theatre has had the following names: 1918–1931 – Bolshoi Drama Theatre 1932–1963 – Gorky Bolshoi Drama Theatre 1964–1991 – Gorky Academic Bolshoi Drama Theatre Since 1992 – Tovstonogov Academic Bolshoi Drama Theatre In 1932, the theatre was named after its principal founder, Maxim Gorky. From the 1930s to the 1950s, the BDT staged both classical works (by Shakespeare, Chekhov, and Ostrovsky) and plays by Soviet dramatists. Among the theatre’s directors in the early 1930s were Konstantin Tverskoy and Alexander Lyutse, both students of Vsevolod Meyerhold. Key productions of this time included Maxim Gorky’s “Yegor Bulychov and Others” (1932) and “Dostigayev and Others” (1933), as well as William Shakespeare’s “Richard III” with set design by Alexander Tyshler (1935). The theatre’s productions also featured the work of artists Nikolay Akimov and Vadim Ryndin, with Moisei Levin working as chief stage designer. By the mid-1930s, the BDT had temporarily lost its popularity with the public. This was largely due to frequent changes in artistic leadership, which led to internal disagreements within the company. A turning point came in 1956 with the arrival of Georgy Tovstonogov as the theatre’s chief director. Following a major reorganization, the BDT regained its audience and earned international acclaim. Landmark productions of this time included “Aesop” by Guilherme Figueiredo (1957), “The Idiot” by Fyodor Dostoevsky (starring Innokenty Smoktunovsky, 1957), “Barbarians” by Maxim Gorky (1959), “Five Evenings” by Alexander Volodin (1959), “Woe from Wit” by Alexander Griboyedov (1962). The online collection of the Bakhrushin Theatre Museum includes design sketches by Alexander Tyshler, Aristarkh Lentulov, Nikolaу Akimov, along with archival documents and other materials related to the BDT’s productions from 1932 to 1963.