Leningrad Young People's Theater

(LenTIuZ), one of the first Soviet theaters for children, opened in 1922. The founder and director (until 1961) was A. A. Briantsev.

LenTIuZ staged landmark productions of the Soviet plays Timoshka’s Mine by Makar’ev (1925), Rifle No. 492116 by Kron (1930), Continuation to Follow by Brushtein (1934), The Team of Musicians by Del’ (1935, 1956), Son of the Regiment by Kataev (1946), The Red Necktie by Mikhalkov (1947), In the Name of the Revolution by Shatrov (1957), Colleagues by Aksenov (1962), Dedicated to You by Bremener (1964), After the Execution, I Ask... by Dolgii (1967), and The Dawns Are Quiet Here by Vasil’ev (1970).

Classic works are regularly performed on the theater’s stage —for example, The Hunchbacked Horse (based on the Ershov tale; 1922), The Robbers by Schiller (1927), Tales of Pushkin (1962), The Master (based on the Gorky work; 1968), The Magic Glass by čapek (1963), Hamlet by Shakespeare (1971), and Blow, Breeze! by Rainis (1972).

LenTIuZ takes schoolchildren’s age into account in staging its plays. A delegate assembly held by the theater (since 1924) attracts young representatives from the entire city. There is also a parents’ council and a teachers’ organization. L. F. Makar’ev, A. A. Okhitina, N. N. Kazarinova, and others have worked at LenTIuZ. Novyi TIuZ, directed by B. V. Zon, separated from the theater in 1935 (it operated up to 1945).

There is a studio associated with LenTIuZ (since 1927); in 1970 it became a division of the Leningrad Institute of Theater, Music, and Cinematography. In 1973 the theater troupe included People’s Artist of the RSFSR R. F. Lebedev, Honored Artist of the RSFSR N. L. Karamyshev, N. N. Ivanov, I. L. Sokol’va, G. G. Taratorkin, V. S. Fedorov, A. Iu. Khochinskii, I. G. Shibanov, and A. N. Shuranova. Honored Art Worker of the RSFSR Z. Ia. Korogodskii became chief director in 1962. The theater was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1969.