Nikolai Nikolaevich Sinelnikov

Born Jan. 31 (Feb. 12), 1855, in Karkov; died there Apr. 19, 1939. Soviet stage director, actor, and teacher. People’s Artist of the RSFSR (1934).

Beginning in 1873, Sinel’nikov worked in theaters in Kharkov, Nikolaev, Vladikavkaz, Kazan, and other cities, performing in dramas and operettas with equal success. In 1882 he began directing plays. From 1900 to 1909 he was principal director of the Korsh Theater in Moscow and from 1910 to 1913 he led a private troupe that performed in Kharkov and Kiev. The troupe was in residence at the Solovtsov Theater in Kiev until 1917. A true reformer of the provincial theater, Sinel’nikov tried to develop strong companies in the theaters where he worked. He stressed the importance of rehearsal work and advocated a progressive contemporary and classical repertoire. His other innovations included the introduction of season tickets and the arrangement of performances for young people at reduced prices. After the October Revolution of 1917. Sinel’nikov worked in Saratov and Rostov-on-Don. In 1933 he began working at the Kharkov Russian Drama Theater.

Sinel’nikov’s best stagings included L. N. Tolstoy’s The Fruits of Enlightenment (1893, Novocherkassk), Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya (1897, Rostov-on-Don), Naidenov’s Vaniushin’s Children (1901, Korsh Theater), Griboedov’s Woe From Wit (1934), Ostrovskii’s Talents and Admirers (1935), and Gorky’s The Lower Depths (1937). As a director and teacher, Sinel’nikov furthered the development and growth of several generations of actors, including V. F. Komissarzhevskaia, M. M. Bliumental’-Tamarina, E. M. Shatrova, and S. L. Kuznetsov. He taught at the Kharkov Theatrical School.