The Reni-Sharvin mansion, which houses the youth theater of
Viktor Panov, is an architectural monument of regional significance,
an object of cultural heritage of the 2nd half of the 19th century
and is a building made in the Art Nouveau style, which has almost
disappeared from the Arkhangelsk streets. The mansion is a 1-storey
wooden building, small at first glance, but spacious enough. It has
organized the work of 3 venues where you can receive spectators,
there is a cozy fireplace room where meetings of creative
intelligentsia and literary evenings are held, an auditorium for 100
seats and an attic for, for example, jazz gatherings. In May 2007,
after reconstruction, the theater building was opened.
Viktor
Panov's Youth Theater was founded in 1975 as the Arkhangelsk City
Experimental Theater Studio on the basis of the House of Culture of
Educators, in which schoolchildren, students and workers
participated. Amateur actors were engaged in the evening and in
their free time from study and work. For the first time, a lot of
people of various ages and professions passed through the studio. As
a result, the troupe consisted of 30 people, which gradually turned
into a professional team. Teachers of theater schools and
universities conducted classes with them, teaching students acting,
stage movement and speech. The studio's first performances were the
staging of the story by V. Tendryakov, "Girl Nadia" based on the
play by A. Rodionova, "Not on the lists" based on the story by B.
Vasiliev. In 1978, the theater and studio team was awarded the title
of the People's Theater of the Young Spectator.
In 1986 in Leningrad the youth theater-studio gave the play "In
Memory of Vysotsky". In 1988 in Arkhangelsk the theater organized
the Days of Memory of V. Vysotsky. In the same year he took part in
the Polish festival "Totus Mundus" ("Whole World") with the
performances "Suicide" and "If you don't like it, don't listen."
In 1991, the theater was given the status of a professional, and it
turned into the State Regional Youth Theater. At the same time, the
theater was given a building on Troitsky Avenue (once Sharvin's
mansion).
In 1992, the actors of the youth theater graduated
by correspondence from the Leningrad State Institute of Theater,
Music and Cinematography. Among theatrical actors who have gone from
an amateur to a professional group together with the theater, one
can single out Viktor Begunov, Sergei Pavlov, Igor Patokin, Irina
Shaitanova, Anastasia Malevinskaya and other artists.
The
Youth Theater is one of the pioneers of the festival movement in the
Arkhangelsk region. In 1989, in Arkhangelsk, the artistic director
of the theater, Viktor Panov, organized the 1st festival of street
theaters. It is from this time that the festival has traditionally
been organized in June during the white nights, offering to the
delight of local audiences performances from theaters of the world:
England, Australia, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, France, Poland
and other countries. The festival was included in the list of events
of 1988-1997, which were held under the auspices of UNESCO. In 2004,
the theater created a new theatrical and musical festival "European
Spring".
The Youth Theater organizes various social events
and actively participates in them. Each new performance for children
(including performances for the New Year) begins with its free
screening for children from boarding schools, orphanages and
rehabilitation centers. During the organization of the international
festival of street theaters, a social action "Clowns Without
Borders" is organized every year. Festival artists stage
performances for people who are unable to attend the festival's
performances at the central city venues.