"Tabakerka" on wheels: Vladimir Mashkov opened the season of the Oleg Tabakov Theater in a tram

On the birthday of Oleg Pavlovich Tabakov, People's Artist of the USSR, on August 17, his students, led by Vladimir Mashkov, opened a themed tram dedicated to the master in the capital. And then we hurried straight from the wheels to the historical basement on Chaplygin Street. There, in the scenery of the upcoming premiere of the play "Local Starry Hour", they announced plans for the 41st season of the Oleg Tabakov Theater. The audience is waiting for three premieres staged by the troupe's artists, the opening after the renovation of the Stage on Sukharevskaya and the foundation of the museum.

The tram as a stage

The start of the 41st season of the Oleg Tabakov Theater coincided with the birthday of its founder. He would have turned 91 on August 17. But for nine years now, on this date, fans and colleagues of the master have been gathering at his monument at the Novodevichy cemetery. It was the same this time. And then the relatives — Marina Zudina's widow and Pavel Tabakov's son, and Oleg Pavlovich's students with them — went to Chistye Prudy.

There was a surprise waiting for them at the subway: tram "A" with photos of Oleg Tabakov went on the route. The concept of transport design was based on the image of a monarch butterfly - black and orange, expressive, as if frozen in flight. He became a metaphor for becoming an actor. As Vladimir Mashkov says, Oleg Pavlovich was very fond of wearing bow ties. This element can be seen in the theater's logo and in the design of the new Stage on Sukharevskaya.

Passengers of this tram will be able to study the path of Oleg Tabakov and his theater from photographs: from the chamber studio, where everything was based on the energy of the young, to the famous theater with recognizable handwriting and stars.

The salon features the voices of artists: Vladimir Mashkov, Dmitry Brodetsky, Vitaly Egorov, Sergey Ugryumov, Marina Salakova, Ksenia Utekhina, Arina Avtushenko. They don't just announce the stops, but talk about the performances, about Tabakov and how the roles are born. It turned out to be a kind of audio performance, where Moscow itself serves as the scenery, and ordinary passengers can become the audience.

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The bench

After a tram ride, the artists, led by artistic director Vladimir Mashkov, went to the theater. At the entrance, I was greeted by a tear-off calendar, in which the "August 17th" sheet was marked as Oleg Tabakov Day. In the renovated foyer, the founder's handprint, cast in bronze, is kept behind glass, and his iconic black-and-white photo hangs on the wall. Tables were set on the stage itself: tea with Oleg Pavlovich's favorite pies, a traditional treat at any Tabakerka feasts. In an atmosphere of warm home gatherings, Vladimir Mashkov announced his plans for the season.

In the new year, the historical stage of the theater is completely at the mercy of creative youth. Aspiring directors, whom the artistic director saw in his own troupe, will present their debut works. One of them is 27—year-old actor and director Vladislav Miller. Over the eight years of his work, he has established himself as one of the brightest talents among graduates of the Oleg Tabakov Moscow Theater School. The retro comedy "Local Time's Finest Hour" will be his first official directorial work on the big stage.

Miller will bring back to the repertoire the play that once reverberated throughout Moscow, which in 1992 became the directorial debut of Vladimir Mashkov himself. Back then, Tabakov's assertive and ambitious student created the production literally from improvised means.

— I also staged this play when I first joined Oleg Tabakov's Theater. We made it ourselves: They stole a fence and a bench somewhere on the street, got ready and showed Tabakov. And he eventually took the production into his repertoire," Vladimir Mashkov recalled.

The design for the new version of Local Time's Finest Hour was already professionally created in Tabakerka's own decorative workshops. A battered fence with an inscription appeared on the stage: "The beginning. The end", and even a high-voltage pole with a warning sign "Do not get in! At one time, the young Evgeny Mironov played a key role in Mashkov's play, and Alexander Mokhov, Marianna Schultz and Olga Blok-Mirimskaya shone with him. Vladislav Miller also entrusted the main role to Yegor Manakov, a debutant graduate of the Tabakov School. Among the recognized stars of the theater, Yana Sexte, Igor Petrov and Alexey Usoltsev are involved in the production.

Actor Mikhail Shugarev is also expecting a double debut. He is preparing to stage a play based on his own play "Mayday". The actor, who has been in the troupe for only two years, is already trying himself as a playwright and director with the light hand of the artistic director. As Mikhail explained, this foreign word is an international distress signal, an analogue of SOS.

But in the Oleg Tabakov Theater itself, there is no mention of any disasters. The fact that young people are boldly experimenting and finding their own creative reserves is only encouraged by Vladimir Lvovich.

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The Long-suffering Theater

Actor and director Sebastian Smyshnikov is preparing his version of an Ordinary Story for Tabakerka. This name used to adorn the playbill of the theater, but initially it appeared thanks to the legendary stage production of Sovremennik, which Oleg Tabakov was also involved in creating.

Vladimir Mashkov accompanied this announcement with a deep historical digression, recalling a dramatic episode from the master's life. Exactly 60 years ago, right before the premiere of The Ordinary Story, Oleg Pavlovich suffered a severe heart attack. Galina Volchek, the director of the play, categorically refused to look for a replacement for him, firmly telling the troupe: "We will wait for Lelik." The decision turned out to be prophetic: a month later, the great artist triumphantly returned to the stage.

The artistic director himself is not involved as an actor in the new youth projects of the season. When asked by Izvestia whether his students invite him to their performances, Vladimir Lvovich replied with irony: "So far, they're coping without me. But I don't dismiss the moment when I get something."

According to Mashkov, his main task now is to launch the youth. He sincerely rejoices at the success of the wards and the riot of their ideas, but the master does not have his own directing itch for this season yet.

Moreover, the team has a significant milestone ahead: on March 1, 2027, Tabakerka will mark 40 years since its official opening. The creation of an interactive museum, which will unfold right inside the theater space on Sukharevskaya Street, is timed to coincide with the anniversary.

Vladimir Mashkov once again emphasized that the theater continues to live and develop in the same frenzied rhythm set by Oleg Tabakov, preserving the traditions of lively, sensitive and inspiring art. The artistic director also expressed the hope that the renovated Stage building on Sukharevskaya Street, which gave the theater several thousand meters of usable space with spacious rehearsal rooms and comfortable dressing rooms, would open its doors after extensive repairs this season.