УДК: 792.075+792.09

DOI: 10.35852/2588-0144-2026-1-10-35

EDN: BYFDBK

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AlexanderA. Chepurov

D. Sc. in Art Studies, Professor, Head of the Russian Theatre Department
Russian State Institute of Performing Arts
Saint-Petersburg, Russia
E-mail: chepurov57@mail.ru

Variability of Performance Space in the Productions of Valery Fokin

Abstract

The article is devoted to the problem of organizing performative space in the theatre productions of the Russian director Valery Fokin (born in 1946) and focuses the reader’s attention on the process of composing spatial drama. The article examines Fokin’s creative works performed at the Sovremennik Theatre in Moscow, the Yermolova Theatre, at the Oleg Tabakov Theatre, the Meyerhold Centre, and the Alexandrinsky Theatre. The functions of artistic space in his performances are considered in the context of the development of the director’s creative ideas, as well as in the context of the theatre process on the whole that forms the scenographic archetypes characteristic of each historical period. Four periods are identified, characterized by Fokin’s different approaches to the issue of performative space. The first period is characterized by the formation of a metaphorical image of space that includes the realities and textures of everyday life. The second period is characterized by the juxtaposition of the microcosm with the macrocosm, the world of the hero’s soul with the cosmos of existence, which leads to the formation of a non-standard theatre space. The third period is associated with the exploration of the classical theatre stage, with an attempt to dynamize the relationship between the stage and the auditorium. Finally, the fourth period opens up the possibility of varying the performance space (including site-specific spaces), which expresses the essence of the director’s concept of the world. The article uses production materials from theatres, interviews with the director, and materials from theatre periodicals.

Keywords

Valery Fokin, directing, Russian theatre, performative space, scenography, site-specific space

For citation

Chepurov A. A. Variability of Performance Space in the Productions of Valery Fokin. Theatre. Fine Arts. Cinema. Music. 2026, no. 1, pp. 10–35.

DOI: 10.35852/2588-0144-2026-1-10-35

EDN BYFDBK

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Received: 30.11.2025

Revised: 23.12.2025

Accepted: 15.01.2026