Theatre

VEDOGON-THEATRE is the only one professional drama theatre in Zelenorgad, which is one of administrative districts of Moscow. The founder and the art director if the theatre is  Pavel Kurochkin. Initially the theatre was set up as a Theatrical Arts Studio organized by the M.Schepkin Higher Drama School graduates Pavel Kurochkin and Helena Shkurpelo in 1985.The Studio was the first step towards the main aim – forming a professional theatre. The idea was supported by Anatoly Smirnov, the Chairman of the ‘Technopolis’ Innovation Bank. He helped the theatre to achieve professional level by persuading other businessmen to provide financial support. The premiere of P.Romanov play “About good places, light dreams and cursed life’ directed by P.Kurochkin in autumn 1992 was the opening theatre season for VEDOGON-THEATRE. The theatre got it’s name from an ancient Russian word “Vedogon’ which means creative spirit of a human being. It symbolizes life-asserting forces of fire and the sun. Ancient people believed that spirits live inside every single human body, they direct people lives. The main target of the theatre is to awake, bring up and maintain creative basis of a personality. Since that time many outstanding people cooperate with the company. They are M.Velikhova (a Director, Professor of the M.Schepkin Higher Drama School), K.Volkov (a Composer, Honored Cultural Worker of the Russian Federation, State Award Winner), artists E.Ceglov, E. and O.Gurinovich.

In 1994 the special purpose educational course for “Vedogon” was started thanks to the financial support of the ‘Technopolis’ Innovation Bank and Anatoly Smirnov, the prefect of Zelenograd Alexey Ischuk, vice-prefect Tatyana Zabelina and Professor N.Afonin (Head of the M.Schepkin Higher Drama School, Honored Cultural Worker of the Russian Federation).

The M.Schepkin Higher Drama School graduates of several subsequent years formed the basis of the theatre.

The 23rd of March 1999 was the date when the professional theatre was established by an official Act of the Moscow Government.

In 1999 VEDOGON-THEATRE took part in the Fourth International Theatrical Festival in Turkey (Bursa) with the play “Kind Pakhom”. In 2001 there was a successful tour around the capital of Uzbekistan (Tashkent). In 2002 the theatre took part in the Third Moscow Theatrical Festival “ Rainbow” in Saint-Petersburg with the performance ‘Squaring the Circle’ by V.Kataev. In 2003 it participated in the International Festival of theatre, music and dance ‘HUMO’ with the performance ‘Angelo’ by A.Pushkin. In 2004 took part in the Eleventh Theatrical Festival after A.Pushkin (with ‘Angelo’). In 2005 the performance ‘In the Boots’ toured Danmark as a part of the International Theatrical Festival «Caravan» dedicated to the 200th jubilee of H.C.Anderson . In 2006 the performance ‘In the Boots’ won three diplomas of the Moscow Festival “Slav wreath for children”, the performance “Profitable Position” by A.Ostrovsky received a special diploma for successful interpretation of classics at the Fourth All-Russian Theatrical Festival for teenages named “On the Threshold of Youth” in the city of Ryasan.

The performance “Tsar Fedor Ioannovich” (tragedy by A.Tolstoy, directed by the Honored Cultural Worker of the Russian Federation A.Kuzmin) won the first prize at the Ninth International Theatrical Festival   ‘Voices of History’ in Vologda in July 2007. The performance is praised for the author’s deepest comprehension and mastering the historical-architectural space by means of psychological theatre. Honored prizes were received by our actors: Honored Actor of the Russian Federation P.Kurochkin for the part of Tsar Fedor, Honored Actor of the Russian Federation V.Stuzhev ( State Young Children theatre in the city of Yaroslav) for the part of Lup-Kleshnin and P.Vasilev for the part of Boris Godunov