The educational program for compatriots living abroad (cultural and historical university) was organized by the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg from April 10 to 21, 2019 for the 16th time. The theme is devoted to the Year of the Theater in Russia.
62 compatriots from 20 countries arrived in St. Petersburg to participate in the program: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Georgia, Denmark, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Finland, Sweden, Estonia.
During the training, compatriots listened to 16 lectures and took part in 4 “round tables” with leading experts from the theater industry of St. Petersburg, and also visited St. Petersburg theaters and museums related to theatrical art.
Among the program participants are specialists aged 23 to 60, whose professional interests and hobbies are inextricably linked with the study of the history of Russia, including historians, researchers, teachers of social studies, theater studies, public figures and theater staff.
It is symbolic that the opening of the program took place in the multimedia historical park “Russia is my story”. Traditionally, Russian compatriots seek to maintain contact with their homeland and are interested in everything that happens in the country. As the participant of the program from Greece, Valery Ismagilov, said, “We have been living in Greece for a long time and we don’t have enough support - a meeting with our Motherland. And having arrived here, in the midst of beauty, history and culture, we are experiencing a spiritual rebirth!”
During the training, the program participants visited the New Stage of the Alexandrinsky Theater, where they met with the head of the theatrical art department of the RGII, Doctor of Art History, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, laureate of them. KS Stanislavsky Alexander Chepurov. The meeting was an introduction to the history of theatrical art in Russia and, in particular, in St. Petersburg. Participants discussed the prerequisites for the birth of theater in Russia, the first theaters of St. Petersburg and acting art.
There were classes on the history of the theater, including the history of ballet in Russia, Russian opera, Russian musical theater, and even traditional forms of spectacular theater in mass festivities of St. Petersburg.
Using the example of the play “Three Sisters” by A. Chekhov, compatriots, together with the teacher, analyzed the director's interpretation of the work by the leading masters: K.S. Stanislavsky, V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, G.A.Tovstonogov, A.V. Efros, L.A. Dodin and Yu.N. Butusov.
In addition to lectures and round tables, compatriots visited the house-museum of F. Shalyapin and listened to the excursion “The Artist and His Heroes”, the museum-apartment of the Samoilov family of actors with a story about the Legends and Story of the Old Theater, as well as the St. Petersburg State Museum theatrical and musical art, where participants saw unique exhibits: sketches of scenery, portraits of legendary world and Russian celebrities, performed by great artists, costumes from the wardrobe of the imperial theaters, which testify to the luxury, rich tva and refinement of theatrical productions of St. Petersburg.
The compatriots also visited the expositions of the Russian Drama Museum and walked around the interiors of the Alexandrinsky Theater, where, among other things, they visited the acoustic pipe and heard numerous theater legends.
In the St. Petersburg State Academic Theater. Lensovet compatriots watched the play "Guilty without guilt" staged by People's Artist of Russia Oleg Levakov.
Also, program participants made a bus and walking tour of St. Petersburg and visited the St. Petersburg State Theater Library, where they had a chance to see two exhibitions at once: “Sergey Barkovsky. Creative portrait "and" Theater Meyerhold. Imperial scene.
An important part of the program in St. Petersburg, not connected with the theater, but mandatory in the year of the 75th anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the fascist blockade is a visit to the Piskarevsky memorial cemetery. As a compatriot from Norway Irina Nazarova told about her impressions after the ceremony of laying flowers to the Mother-Motherland monument, “Piskarevskoye cemetery was very impressed. Of course, it's just ... with a lump in my throat. Many thanks to our Russian people and to all those who honor and continue our traditions.”
Many thanks and kind words addressed to the organizers were made at the closing ceremony of the program.
Bektemirova Ainagul, a participant from Kyrgyzstan, said: “My heart is so full of emotions! I especially want to thank you for your soul, because all teachers, guides love so much what they say, their eyes are burning! All museums are created with love. And for this love, huge thanks and bend! ”
“My emotional memory is full! For me, as an actress, it was important not only to find out what we were told in lectures and excursions, but the main plus is that so many new connections have been established! This is a mass of new features! Such a number of wonderful, intelligent, beautiful and talented people in one space was collected! This is an incredible impulse for creativity! I am leaving with the feeling that I am obliged to do something with it, just so it can not stay and go nowhere. Thank you all very much, I am happy!” Said Olga Kryuchkova, a participant from the program who came from Kazakhstan.
The participant from Greece Dimitrios Kareliadis also left an emotional comment on the program: “I was damn lucky! I still do not believe how lucky I was to be here. After reading the program, I said: “Wow! How many things will be here! ” But, having gone through everything, it exceeded all my expectations! How much culture, how many theaters! The city is just a fairy tale! How many impressions I will take with me. Thanks for the program!”
Inga Bichinashvili from Georgia noted in her address to the participants and organizers: “Thank you so much! The doors that were closed for us by politicians, culture opened, our history opened! ”, And her colleague Nino Teymurazova added: Russian by blood, but the one to whom is close is dear, Russian culture is valuable and who popularizes it outside of Russia. I can say that we are doing this. Many thanks to the organizers for the program!”
In turn, the head of the department for relations with compatriots abroad of the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg, Alexander Ganin, invited all compatriots to use their knowledge with maximum efficiency, write essays and reviews, share them in social networks or spend in their countries relevant lectures and master classes.
The participants, responding to the idea, offered to place the hashtag #КИУ2019 under each note about the program, which will simplify the search and dissemination of information about the project “History of the Russian State” (cultural-historical university).