Theatrical Arts, Institute of

Theatrical Arts, Institute of

 

(full name, A. V. Luna-charskii State Institute of Theatrical Arts), one of the most prominent theater schools in the USSR and a major center of educational methods in theatrical arts. The institute, founded in 1878 as the Music and Drama Institute, has been known by its present name since 1935, after a number of reorganizations.

The most highly respected masters of theatrical arts have taught at the institute, including L. V. Baratov, I. N. Bersenev, N. M. Gorchakov, L. M. Lavrovskii, L. M. Leonidov, A. M. Lo-banov, V. A. Orlov, N. P. Okhlopkov, N. V. Petrov, A. D. Popov, O. I. Pyzhova, I. M. Raevskii, V. G. Sakhnovskii, I. Ia. Su-dakov, and N. I. Tarasov. The teaching staff has included such important scholars of the theater as G. N. Boiadzhiev, A. K. Dzhivelegov, S. S. Ignatov, S. S. Mokul’skii, Iu. V. Sobolev, and V. A. Filippov.

In 1975 the institute consisted of four faculties: acting, with national studios consisting of students of the various nationalities of the USSR (42 graduating classes from the national studios since 1930); directing, offering training in the directing of drama, musical theater, estrada (the variety stage), and circus; theater studies, with divisions of finance and administration; and musical theater, with divisions of dance and choreography. The institute also has a graduate program, 18 subdepartments, and a theater library with 170,000 volumes.

In the 1974–75 academic year more than 1,000 students, including students from 22 foreign countries, studied in the institute and in its correspondence divisions. There were more than 150 teachers, including 27 professors and doctors of sciences and 52 docents and candidates of sciences. The institute’s professors have included A. A. Goncharov, B. V. Bibikov, Iu. A. Zavadskii, R. V. Zakharov, M. O. Knebel’, S, V. Obraztsov, B. A. Pokrovskii, I. M. Tumanov, B. N. Aseev, G. G. Goian, P. A. Markov, and B. I. Rostotskii.

The Institute of Theatrical Arts is certified to judge doctoral and candidate dissertations. It has published Uchenye zapiski (Academic Notes) since 1975. During the years of Soviet power more than 5,000 specialists have been trained at the institute.

The Institute of Theatrical Arts was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor in 1971.

A. A. RAPOKHIN and T. A. PROZOROVA