• The Cultural Code of Modern BDT: The Variability of Stage and Performative Spaces

УДК: 792.2(=161.1)

DOI: 10.35852/2588-0144-2025-1-158-172

EDN: WCCRQM

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Roman R. Batarshin

Lecturer of the Russian Theatre Department
Russian State Institute of Performing Arts
Saint Petersburg, Russia
E-mail: rbatarshin@gmail.com

The Cultural Code of Modern BDT: The Variability of Stage and Performative Spaces

Abstract

The creative journey of the Tovstonogov Bolshoy Drama Theatre over the past decade (2014–2024) has been a significant phenomenon in the cultural life of the city, as well as a concept within the theatre movement in modern Russia. This iconic theatre has a rich history in the 20th century, and its uniqueness cannot be underestimated. The theatre’s various stage and off-stage activities demonstrates a hybrid approach to its artistic strategy, making it a modern repertoire theatre. The transformation of its traditional academic space into a flexible and dynamic one, using for performance and experimentation. It serves as a hub for creative energy, allowing to appreciate the importance of the Bolshoy as an avenue for engaging with contemporary audiences. The image and reputation of the BDT has changed — as an expanded theatrespace, it combines elements and techniques from various related arts within its walls, reflecting the performative attitude of modern theatre. Director A. Moguchiy’s artistic vision is broader and more innovative than traditional organisational models. It deals with the aesthetic quest for a new convergent theatre model. The article analyses the artistic and creative experience of museum-theatre project To Keep Forever created by A. Moguchiy in St. Petersburg (2018). On the one hand, it is highlighted the general theoretical issue of combining two different forms of art: theatre and museum, as a means to create a multi-faceted artistic statement. On the other hand, this project states a modern cultural code of the Bolshoy Drama Theatre, which has a centuries-long history, and seeks to expand its boundaries to establish its own identity and attain the status of cultural event.

Keywords

Russian Theatre, Russian State Academic Bolshoy Drama Theatre named after G.A. Tovstonogov, Andrey Moguchiy, To Keep Forever, aesthetics of performativity.

For citation

Batarshin R. R. The Cultural Code of Modern BDT: The Variability of Stage and Performative Spaces. Theatre. Fine Arts. Cinema. Music. 2025, no. 1, pp. 158–172.

DOI: 10.35852/2588-0144-2025-1-158-172

EDN WCCRQM

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Received: 21.12.2024

Revised: 07.02.2025

Accepted: 13.02.2025