"If the audience wants to support the theater not only by buying a ticket, why not?"
The sensational story of tips for actors in "Pokrovka.The Theater", which split the professional community after the publication of Izvestia in May 2026 and was soon stopped, will continue and become larger. In the new season, viewers will be able to thank not only the troupe, but also other employees, such as administrators, artists, and ushers, with a coin using a QR code transfer. About this, as well as about plans to increase the theater's income, doubts about the legality of transferring the neighboring premises to Cheburechnaya, and why, many years later, he reunited with Vlad Sokolovsky in the ENCORE group, — the artistic director of Pokrovka.The theater" told in an exclusive interview with Izvestia.
"I didn't have a task to reboot the troupe"
— The premiere of your "Anna Karenina" will take place very soon. In recent years, there has been renewed interest in Tolstoy's novel. Why did you decide to address this story right now?
— I cannot answer for my colleagues. The big academic theaters planned these premieres much in advance. My decision to direct Anna Karenina was dictated by a meeting with the actress Maria Volkova. I didn't think to direct this piece, but when I saw Masha at the rehearsal of her first performance in Pokrovka.Theater" — "Moscow.Twilight, got it: This is Anna Karenina. I'm putting on a play for her. I am glad that this season she became the winner of the Golden Mask. And this is another confirmation that I made the right decision by entrusting her with the title role.
— How are the rehearsals going?
— We set ourselves a very serious task: we decided not to run away from technology, but to try to create a multimedia performance for the first time. Combine drama theater and modern instruments. In fact, no one has done this in Russia yet. These include holograms, two-dimensional dispersion projections, and the use of screens. This is now widespread on the stage. There were precedents in Asian countries, but such technologies were not used in the domestic drama theater.
All of us together — me, the artists, and the artist Maria Gutkova — are still a little afraid. I hope we can do it. Moreover, Sergey Nikolaevich Artsibashev, the founder of the Pokrovka Theater, initially conceived it as an experimental one. He also loved to rebuild the space, to create a special atmosphere inside the stage box. Now we are continuing his tradition already at the beginning of the 21st century.
— You've been running the theater for almost a year. What have you been able to change during this time?
— I am very pleased that everything that we announced together with Director Alexey Rodin has been implemented. We have fulfilled everything we promised. Key performance indicators, primarily financial ones, increased by more than 100 percent. The numbers don't lie. We started earning more than twice as much, while slightly increasing ticket prices.
We got a theater where it was not even possible to buy a ticket through the website. And now the main part is being sold there. We have formed our own audience, which we constantly work with, and it has grown significantly. Of course, this is the first big victory. We have certainly changed the quality of the audience. Students used to come here very often. This is an interesting but specific audience, and not everyone in the theater was ready to work for the "cold room". Because of this, there was a serious turnover among the artists. Now an informed viewer is coming to us. There are performances for which it is already impossible to get tickets.
— And what about the ticket policy?
— Previously, even with full houses, we worked in the negative. The Theater Development Fund did not actually exist. There was no money for anything. I had to constantly contact the department.
— Have you managed to make a profit now?
— It depends on what is considered a plus. The city gives 80 million, we earn 60 million, and I've raised another 30 million for musical instruments, repairs, technical equipment, and more. The most important performance indicator is that all our June performances were sold out in full. And June is traditionally a difficult month for the theater.
The ideal design is what happens in the Vakhtangov Theater. The Ministry of Culture allocates about 400 million, and Kirill Igorevich (Kirill Krok, director of the Vakhtangov Theater. — Approx. author) earns 1 billion 200 thousand. But this is the result of 15 years of his work. He achieved this by developing an infrastructure that allows tickets to be sold 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He has six scenes. That's why we're building two more small chamber stages on the third floor — for readings, performative art, concerts, and solo performances.
Then it turned out that the premises of the neighboring Cheburechnaya used to be part of the theater. We even have a common staircase, which was concreted for some reason. But according to the plan, it exists. It turns out that when Sergei Nikolaevich left for the Mayakovsky Theater, Cheburechnaya suddenly appeared. It is unclear why they owned this room, although it was originally state property. There is no statute of limitations for such precedents, so if necessary, this situation can always be dealt with.
Actress Dina Korzun
— Many artistic directors, coming to the theater, rely on guest stars. How do you feel about this policy?
— There is a very special troupe in this theater. I don't know how it happened. I've been to many theaters. Unfortunately, I have also seen some of the best examples of the atmosphere within the team. If they start doing meanness and injustice in a theater, it rots from the inside. The stage and the hall are a special space. Here, people open their souls so that others, also opening up, come into emotional contact with them in the name of creation. I didn't have the task to reboot the troupe, as they say now.
I am very happy, out of 12 applications for dismissal after my arrival, all of them eventually decided to stay. The only person we invited was the wonderful actress Dina Korzun, whom we had worked with before. There was no such texture in the theater. She is a talented, kind person, and a unique actress. Dina joined the team very delicately, and he accepted her. During this season, I brought many creative people to the theater, and not everyone was accepted by the troupe. I take her opinion into account. I came to them, not them to me. My task is to make them happy and able to realize themselves.
If there are any personnel decisions, they will be dictated by economic expediency. Perhaps we will talk about the return of famous artists who once served here and now want to return. But it's very important for me not to ruin anything. It's really a very good theater, where you really relax your soul. It's great that now it's possible to produce expensive premieres: with screens, costumes, and decorations. But the theater lived and continues to live, above all, with the amazing atmosphere that the artists create in this chamber hall. They're worth their weight in gold to me.
— You are the youngest artistic director in Moscow. Did you feel skepticism from the troupe?
— There was certainly skepticism. And any young director or director faces this. I recently talked with Anatoly Shulyev, the chief director of the Vakhtangov Theater, and he also told me how difficult it was to overcome prejudice due to age. Anatoly, by the way, is even younger than me.
He said a very precise thing: "The successful production turned the situation around." I was especially happy when our first performance was "Moscow.Twilight" turned out to be a success. I threw myself into the embrasure, as they say. All the technical services of the theater were completely updated then. The previous specialists in light and sound refused to produce the performance — it turned out to be too laborious for them. Of course, this has become another serious challenge for me. I am very glad that the tickets for "Moscow.Twilight" sold out as quickly as it is now for "Anna Karenina". After that, it became much easier to conduct a dialogue. People see that I am in the theater from morning to night, which I do a lot for him.
"People will buy tickets less often"
— One of the most discussed projects was an experiment with gratitude for artists. How do you rate this experience?
— It was a pen test. But we saw a lot of interest from the audience. They thanked us for this opportunity. People literally came out after the performance saying, "How I liked this actress! I'm happy to be able to support her." By clicking on the QR code, they got to personal pages and saw for what purposes the collected funds would be used. One of our actresses teaches at the Shchukin Institute. She wanted to spend the money on decorations for student productions. The other one is going to a new exhibition because she's painting. And people were happy to support such initiatives.
Then we realized that it wasn't entirely fair when only artists could take advantage of such an opportunity. Therefore, in the next version of the project, we want to extend it to all employees of the theater. If you liked the way the administrator greeted you, you can thank him. If you are impressed by the work of makeup artists, lighting designers, sound engineers or other specialists, you can support them.
Moreover, next season, the entire team that worked on the play will bow down with the artists. We want the audience to see that the theater is not only the actors on stage, but also a huge team, thanks to which the performance is born. Most importantly, we saw the sincere interest of the audience and the great gratitude of the artists. They were very upset when the project had to be closed. But we appreciate any feedback, both positive and critical.
— Yes, the expert community is divided.
— We know that there is no violation in this, but then everything comes down to subjective opinions. I hope that after serious improvements and consultations, we will continue the project. We need to look for new tools to support the financial sustainability of cultural institutions, especially given what awaits us in 2027. People will buy tickets less often, and corporate purchases will decrease, because companies will also have to take more care of their funds. In these circumstances, I do not want to recall the unpleasant pages of the recent history of the theater.
Personally, the great Valery Zolotukhin told me that, already being a People's Artist of Russia and a favorite of the public, after performances in the noughties he worked as a taxi driver. Simply because there was nothing to live on, and the halls of the Taganka Theater were not filled. If there is a tool that gives the audience the opportunity to voluntarily support an artist, a theater person, or the theater as a whole, I don't see anything wrong with that.
When I came up with this project, I relied on the British experience. There is a fund there that receives funds from the national lottery. People buy lottery tickets, realizing that part of this money goes to support theaters, and then the foundation distributes the funds among 60 institutions. In other words, the audience itself invests in theaters. Therefore, when they say that the state owes us everything, I answer: the state has something to spend money on. If the audience wants to support the theater not only by buying a ticket, why not?
— Have you considered how much money you managed to raise during the project?
— As a theater, we cannot calculate this, because we are not a party to the financial transaction. We only inform the viewer about the existence of such a possibility. Further, a relationship arises between the platform and the recipient of funds. This is a voluntary donation that is not even taxed. To be honest, it doesn't really matter to me what certain figures think about this. Let everyone do their own thing. It's much more important to me that my artists are happy.
"I never dreamed of becoming a great singer"
— You have a fairly consistent and successful career in the theater. Why was it necessary to revive the ENCORE group?
— It wasn't my decision. I met Vlad Sokolovsky, he showed me his new song, and I thought, "Great idea, let's sing it." This is not part of my main professional activity. But I am absolutely sure that people need the ENCORE group today. Vlad writes amazing songs. He proved himself to be a very strong composer and sound producer. My goal in this project is to make sure that the whole country hears again how talented an author he is. I hope that the songs he is currently writing for ENCORE and which I am happy to perform will become as popular as our previous hits.
— Such help to a friend?
"Not exactly a help. As before, I also get some benefits from this. I never dreamed of becoming a great singer or composer. And once he chose the stage as a tool to achieve certain career goals. And Vlad helped me a lot here. Back then, he was the audience's favorite, unlike me. His popularity helped to increase my awareness, and then convert it into theatrical activities. So now I don't see anything wrong with taking part in his creative projects. I think it's fair and just.
— Is Vlad Sokolovsky's appearance as Horatio in the play "Hamlet" your merit?
— I am a proponent of fairness and balance. If I went to his concert, it seemed right to invite him to a role that suits him very well. He did a great job. Our Hamlet is a very difficult play. This is a great creative statement, which has been successfully running for the third season and has survived more than one cast. Moreover, his human presence on stage allowed me to rethink the image of Hamlet myself. It was, perhaps, the best performance in all three seasons. It was the first time I physically felt such absolute loneliness on stage. After all, except Horatio, a friend, Hamlet has no one. And Vlad is emotionally closer to me than any actor in this performance.
— A significant part of your creative life is connected with Sergei Prokhanov and the Theater of the Moon. Today, he has changed two artistic directors. How do you feel about Eduard Boyakov?
— We have known each other for a long time, and I am sincerely grateful to him. Once upon a time, it was Edward who gave me the opportunity to stage a play at the Gorky Moscow Art Theater. It was a very serious career step for me. The play ran for two seasons with great success. I was a young director at the time, and it was he who helped me achieve the desired result. This speaks to his great wisdom and inner self-sufficiency. Therefore, I associate him with a very bright and important stage of my professional life.
And where he will lead the staff of this theater now, I do not know. We haven't discussed it with him. As for Sergei Prokhanov's legacy, unfortunately, today we can no longer see the performances that he created in his author's Theater of the Moon. I do not know why this happened.
Despite all my innovative outbursts, whether it's a story of gratitude for artists or the first multimedia performance in Russia, for which we will obviously also receive a hat, I try to preserve the memory of Sergei Nikolaevich Artsibashev. There would be no theater without him. It seems to me that you cannot come and build from scratch. I came to a place that existed before me. And my job is to glorify him further. It just so happens that other managers are offering to erase the memory. I don't like it.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
