The theater acquired stone “clothes” 20 years later, in 1883, it was built by the owner of a tobacco factory, V. Asmolov. Almost all Russian dramatic classics were staged on the stage of the Asmolovsky Theater. After the revolution, the theater was named after A. Lunacharsky. And in 1920 the building burned down. Only 15 years later, a modern drama theater named after Maxim Gorky was built.
An unusual building project by Soviet architects VA Shchuko and VG Gelfreich is now on display at the Museum of Architectural History in London. On the facade there are unique high reliefs by the outstanding sculptor Don S. Korolkov: “The Death of Vendée” and “The Iron Stream”. The new theater became the largest not only in the Soviet Union, but also in Europe. The arch of the stage portal is even more spacious than that of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow.
The first performance on the stage of the new theater took place on November 29, 1935: it was “Mutiny” by D. Furmanov. In 1936, the eminent Moscow director Yuri Zavadsky was sent to Rostov, he brought the best artists to him: Nikolai Mordvinov, Vera Maretskaya, Rostislav Plyatt. During this period, Sergei Bondarchuk, Veronica Polonskaya, Pavla Wulf and Zinaida Zorich also performed at the Rostov theater.
During the Great Patriotic War, the theatrical production of “Field Marshal Kutuzov” raised the morale of soldiers before they were sent to the front, first to their native walls and then, when the city was occupied, to evacuation: in Dagestan , Central Asia, Kovrov and Ivanovo, offering more than 3,000 free performances and concerts on the fronts.
The Nazis did not skimp on the splendor of the newly built theater and, before leaving Rostov-on-Don in 1943, blew it up from the inside, destroying its unique interiors. In 1963, the theater building was completely restored.
In 1976 he received the State Prize of the RSFSR named after him. KANSAS. Stanislavsky for the work “Quiet Don” based on the novel by M. Sholokhov. In 1980, the theater was awarded the honorary title “Academic”. And then many awards at theater festivals and competitions throughout Russia.
And today the names of the Don actors are known far beyond Rostov. It features two People’s Artists and five Honored Artists of Russia: Tatyana Shkrabak, Natalya Gordinskaya, Sergei Vlasov, Oleg Shirshin, Ivan Telnov, Yulia Arzumanova, Kristina Gavryukova. A bright and talented generation of artists was also shown: Roman Gaydamak, Elena and Evgeny Klimanov, Ekaterina Berezina, Artem Shkrabak, Vyacheslav Ogir, Alexey Timchenko, Elena Zolotavina, Sergey Golotvin and others.
The performances of chief director Gennady Shaposhnikov invariably receive high praise from theater critics and audiences. Thus, “Quiet Don” is screened 120 times before an audience of more than 100 thousand people.
Each year, the theater creates at least five new productions and retains more than 45 performances in its repertoire. In the last five years, the theater has welcomed more than 800,000 spectators. So, for their anniversary, the “Gorkyites” prepared a premiere – the historical epic “Platov”.
– The Maxim Gorky Drama Theater, one of the oldest in Russia, is a leading drama theater and a recognized cultural center of the region. The best traditions, established more than a century and a half ago, are carefully preserved and multiplied. The modern theater company does not change its purpose: to educate, to educate aesthetically, to bring enlightenment, joy and beauty to the public. I hope that the anniversary of the theater will serve to further strengthen the rich creative potential of the region and increase the role of culture in the lives of Donetsk residents,” said the first deputy governor of the Rostov region at the anniversary ceremony, Igor Guskov.
It should be noted that the regional authorities firmly support and protect the pearl of the region. The government of the Rostov region and the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation have allocated more than 673 million rubles from the regional and federal budgets in the last three years alone for works such as the reconstruction of public utility networks, the restoration of facades and repair of the backstage of the theater building, installation of architectural lighting of the facades. Extensive work is underway to renovate the theater and will be completed in 2024.
