On the eve of the anniversary, the 50th season, we looked behind the scenes of the Mogilev Regional Puppet Theater

Mogilev Regional Puppet Theater is preparing for its 50th anniversary. While the actors rehearse the usual productions and premiere Shakespearean passions, the decorators manually craft new characters. The correspondent of “NG” talked with those who create magic, interviewed the dog, glued the artist, learned why dolls are so similar to people and what will please the audience here in the new season.

The fairy tale begins with the threshold that the theater is preparing for the opening of the new season, became noticeable even on the approach to the building - an architectural monument of the XIX century: a huge plush dog, dancing, collected the smiles of passers-by. The perfect tandem was responsible for the shaggy performance: actor Maxim Koshelev played back emotions, stage mounter Nikolai Kanygin took on a silent, but strategically important part - he became the "back paws" and kept the "design" from falling. Being in the heat in a dog’s skin is not easy. And Maxim Koshelev for 20 years of work who did not play: tried on different roles - Pope Carlo, the cat Basilio, Duremara in "The Adventures of Buratino, or the Secret of the Golden Key", Carlson, Mr. Kublitsky in "Dzivo adventures of pano Ку Kublitskag da Zablotskag"..

- This is the biggest dog in the world - a character in the production of "The smallest plane in the world." We decided to invite her to the opening of the new season, which starts with the performances “Teremok”, “Snow White and the Dwarfs” and a colorful street performance. We will surprise the audience with the scale, size, clown and, of course, the story about the theater, assistant director Victoria Yekhamov shares his plans.

The young specialist arrived in Mogilev from Minsk and for the second year has been enjoying the creative process.

The Mogilev Puppet Theatre is unique in that it does not have a permanent chief director after the departure of Igor Kazakov in 2019. On the one hand, there is a minus: as a leader, the leader builds a long-term strategy and maintains a single artistic line. The plus is that this feature gives the troupe the opportunity to work with invited directors, each of whom has his own vision, his own handwriting. This prevents the actors from becoming ossified in one role, forcing them to constantly experiment and develop.

To the anniversary in the theater prepare the premiere – “Romeo and Juliet”. Characters will be puppet, growth, but make them for the first time in the image and likeness of the actors themselves. Romeo is sculpted with Maxim Koshelev, Juliet with Anastasia Krundikova.

- There will be six puppets in total. To collect them, measured the proportions of actors, height, photographed faces: in profile, face, three quarters. To achieve the perfect similarity, — says the head of the production workshop Julia Belousova.

In this workshop, magic is born: sketches, future characters are created. Artists magic over them: props, decorators, designers, sculptor, as well as a fashion designer and seamstress.

Vladimir Gapeev - an experienced artist-sculptor - squeaking with a knife, scrupulously pulls out blanks from polystyrene:

- Cutting it is easy, but it crumbles. Sculpting from wood is more pleasant - the material is natural, warm. But we do not make growth dolls out of it: it is too heavy, it is difficult to manage. Only miniature - 30-40-centimeter.

The sculptor transfers the blanks to fake artists, who, with the help of a special glue in several layers, wrap them in paper. To glue the artist together, as it turned out, you need patience and skill. After the figure is ground, covered with paint, revive the face. The designer assembles parts into a single system, where instead of joints - belt slings. The huge dolls will be driven by several people.

- It takes a week to create one. Then they sew a costume for her, says Natalia Semenova, a 12-year-old bounty artist who paints dolls, making their faces expressive. I liked to draw since childhood, so I studied as a designer, then as an architect, for 10 years I was a master of industrial training in one of Mogilev colleges. And once decided that the soul requires art: since then she has created characters for 37 performances, of which the most beloved is “Tsokotuha Fly”.

Favorite production of the artist-decorator Olga Makhanko – “About Emel and the Pike-magician”. The daughter of Olga and her late husband, Hero of the Soviet Union Andrei Melnikov, a machine gunner of the 9th Parachute Company who died in Afghanistan, grew up behind the scenes of the theater. Today, grandchildren come to work for their grandmother, to the performances.

Artist-decorator Olga Makhanko. Life behind the scenes requires not only creative flight, but also physical endurance. The heaviest sets for the productions (the performances here are not only children's) weighed five tons! Against the background of such brutal designs, the dolls themselves seem ephemeral creatures. Gentle and fragile. Once on tour in Grodno, the “pan Kublitskag” broke off his hand. The actors ran into the workshop, found a piece of wire – it was fastened and played the play.

Panglos from the play “Candide, or Optimism” has such a fate: in the finale, he turns into fragments. If you consider that the play was shown once or even twice a month, the character had to sculpt all over again. As a result, Vladimir Gapeev stamped several Pangloses at once.

In Hamlet, artists had to control heavy dolls, lying in uncomfortable poses under a massive platform machine, which required not only endurance, but also jewelry coordination. And the character of the Gorky play “At the bottom”, Anna, and at all in height reached three and a half meters.

“Hamlet” in 2013 won the Grand Prix of the International Theatre Forum “M.@rt.contact”, in 2021 – the “bronze umbrella” of the II Youth Theatre Forum of the Commonwealth, Baltic States and Georgia.

Many performances are no longer in the repertoire. But retired puppets, cane, tablet, hapite dolls are not disposed of here - they regret it. They are involved in master classes conducted by the leading stage master Natalia Bochkareva, giving visitors the opportunity to touch art, try themselves as puppet masters.

By the way, the most rare doll - red tiger cub Petrik - is almost 50 years old. He is the unofficial mascot of the theater.

- During our studies, we staged 12 performances, as a young specialist, I was called to different theaters – to Kamchatka, Altai Territory, Kaluga, Barnaul, Vladimir. But last fall, at the Golden Ring festival, I saw a piercing production of Mogilev puppeteers "Bah-bah-bah" - about animals in war, self-sacrifice, tragedy, friendship. She came out of the show in tears. Then I decided that I would go to work in Belarus, the actress admits. Especially since I like the work of Belarusian directors – Igor Kazakov, Evgeny Kornyag.

In Mogilev, which is 4 thousand kilometers from her home, Masha was allocated a hostel. In the future, as all non-residents, will provide a rental apartment. Today, the actress is involved in “The Tale of the Little Donkey”.

In total, in the current repertoire of Mogilev puppeteers - 52 performances, a year in the theater put three or four premieres. Reviving masterpieces, such as the legendary solo performance by Korotkevich “Blue-blue”.

- This year, at the International Festival of Puppet Theatre in Tambov “The Tradition of Ancient Deep”, he was awarded in the nomination “The Deepest Performance”. We go with him to Yekaterinburg - to the International Puppet Theater Festival "Petrushka the Great". Next year we plan to present it and the play “Peter I – Life and Deeds” at the prestigious International Festival-Biennale of Puppet and Synthetic Theatres “Kukart” in St. Petersburg. Last year, our “Dzivosny Avantures of Pano Ку Kublitskaga da Zablotskag” were awarded here with a diploma for the best performance, Irina Ryabtseva, deputy director of the Mogilev Regional Puppet Theater, lists. We cooperate fruitfully with the Union of Theatre Workers of Russia. As part of the program of the Center for Support of Russian Theatre Abroad in 2025, a directorial laboratory worked in our theater. Directors from Moscow and St. Petersburg have sketched three performances, we have chosen the winner and this year, with the support of the Union of Theatre Workers, we will release the premiere – Romeo and Juliet. To diversify the poster, we organize exchange tours with theaters: Pskov, Ivanovo, Kaluga, Bryansk, Smolensk, Brest, this autumn we will go to Gomel.

Folklore, the work of Belarusian playwrights, world classics are what is interesting to Mogilev puppeteers, who for 50 years have staged more than 130 performances, not counting New Year, Christmas and cabbages.

Stages are born in different ways. Sometimes from the idea to the implementation takes several days, sometimes several years. But every time the work on the performance is a multifaceted, multi-stage and bright process. There are performances that do not disappear with posters for decades, so loved by the viewer. For example, the fairy tale “Morozko” on the stage of the theater has been put for more than 30 years.

"I'm 38 at heart." Honored Artist of Belarus Nikolai Steshits, awarded the Francisk Skaryna Medal, has been serving the theater for 33 years. He smiled and said he felt like he was “38 or more.” The secret is simple: he often and sincerely plays dolls, enjoying every appearance on the stage. During this time he embodied more than 80 roles, many performances were included in the golden fund of the theater.

The Ghost of Father Hamlet, Claudius, Polonius, Priest, Gravedigger in Hamlet, Luke in the production of At the Bottom, Petrok in the solo play Blue-Blue, Beast in the Magic Brush, Wolf in Red Riding Hood ... At the competition "National Theatre Award" Nikolai Arsenyevich has repeatedly won in the nomination "Best Actor", "Magic Brush" was recognized as the best children's play. He manages both complex dramatic roles and fabulous ones.

- Most of all, I like to play for children. They are like litmus test, do not let you fake, lie. Working with them requires maximum honesty, one hundred percent return, the master admits. When we put fairy tales on pillows - interactive, chamber - there is no usual ramp between the actors and the audience. Kids can run up to us in the middle of the show. Such spontaneous sincere emotions are what it is worth to go on stage for.

kislyak@sb.by