SALAVAT DRAMA THEATRE
SALAVAT DRAMA THEATRE, state‑owned Bashkir. It was founded in 1933 as the Aurgazinsky Kolkhoz‑Sovkhoz theatre based on the amateur drama club at the New Karamaly district club of Aurgazinsky Raion; in 1936, it was transferred to Selo Tolbazy; in 1956 — to Salavat, where it received its current status and name. The founder, the first Artistic Managing Director (in 1933—38) — E.Syrtlanova‑Shlyakhtina who together with A.S.Sadykov (Stage Director in 1936—38) laid the professional foundation of the team and created a training studio at the theater.
The repertoire mainly included the works of Bashkir and Tatar dramaturgy, as well as propaganda plays. During the Great Patriotic War, women mainly worked in the troupe and they also acted in the men’s roles. The stable creative team was formed at the S.D.T. in early 50s; the graduates of the Bashk. Theatrical Art School were employed. Stage Director F.G.Galyautdinov started his creative career in these years; his performances based on the plays of Bashk. authors were distinguished by poetics and lyricism.
The change of the status and the transfer of the theater to Salavat facilitated the development of new artistic and aesthetic objectives. S.D.T. becomes a kind of a school and a laboratory for professional Stage Directors of the Republic. The S.D.T. flourished most of all under the leadership of V.K.Saifullin (Chief Stage Director between 1963—68, 1973—79, Artistic Managing Director between 1992—99) who enforced the principles of G.A.Tovstonogov at the theatre. Large‑scale works appeared in the repertoire, including the play Irgiz by L.V.Valeyev after the namesake novel by H.L.Davletshina who became the winner of the All‑Russian Festival of the Performances of Drama, Music and Children’s Theatres (Moscow, 1967). The thorough psychological development of characters’ temper was inherent in the performances by L.V.Valeyev (Chief Stage Director between 1969—71), moral and ethical themes sound topical and up‑to‑date in the productions of A.A.Nurmukhametov (Chief Stage Director between 1978—87): The Dark‑complexioned after the namesake novelet by M.Gafuri, Forgotten by All by N.Hikmet (Stage Director and artist M.S.Schneiderman received the Award named after G.Salyam for staging of these performances), etc. The artistic integrity and semantic imagery were inherent in the productions of G.M.Ilyasova (Chief Stage Director in 1988—90).
In early 2000s, S.D.T. proceeds to the renewal of the repertoire; the productions of Bashkir (Nerkes by I.H.Yumagulov, In the Lunar Eclipse Night and Salavat based on the play Salavat. Seven Dreams Through Reality by M.Karim, Zaytungul byN.Asan bayev), Tatar (That’s How It Happened... by T.G.Minnullin), Russian classical (Late Love by A.N.Ostrovsky), modern (Evening by A.Dudarev, War Does Not Have a Woman’s Face by E.Z.Shaikhov after the namesake work by S.A.Aleksiyevich) and foreign (Moliеre’s Stingy, Ah, Sapatera!.. based on the play by F.Garcнa Lorca The Shoemaker’s Wonderful Wife) literature. The bright scenic form (the so‑called slap‑stick comedy) is inherent in the performance Kavardak Forever!!! based on the play Family Portrait With a Stranger by S.Lobozerov (diploma winner of the Festival of the Theatres of Small Towns of Russia, Moscow, 2006) staged by Shaikhov (Chief Stage Director between 2003—06).
The famous actors, Directors and Stage Directors are N.Asanbayev, G.A.Mubarya kova, H.G.Utyashev, G.G.Fakhreyev, O.Z.Khanov.
