It is dedicated to the 100th anniversary (!) of friendship and cooperation between Evgeny Sergeyevich Demmeni and Genrikh Ivanovich Turner – talented, bright, the best people in their field. The friendship between the Demmeni Theatre and the Turner Medical Center continues today.
Genrikh Ivanovich Turner (1858-1941) was not a professional writer or storyteller, he was a great doctor, orthopedic surgeon, founder of the famous children’s orthopedic clinic in Leningrad, which bears his name. According to the recollections of his contemporaries, he was an excellent writer, drew beautifully, played music, composed short musical pieces. Genrikh Turner subordinated all his talents to the main work of his life – healing children. So he wrote fairy tales in order to distract children from their illness, to open up to them the simple natural world and true truths.
Evgeny Sergeevich Demmeni (1898 – 1969) – an outstanding Leningrad actor, director, teacher, creator of the first state professional puppet theater in Russia, which now bears his name.
The premiere, which was attended by the “RG” correspondent, is special for the Demmeni Theatre. Therefore, the festive event began on the street, in front of the entrance to the theatre and the shop window, on which those walking along Nevsky Prospect could read: “For the 100th Anniversary of the Great Friendship”.
– A very important and solemn day has arrived for us. A premiere is always an event for the theater, and for us today is especially so. The collaboration that began in the 20s of the last century took an unexpected turn – we staged a play based on Turner’s fairy tale. The fairy tale is amazing, the play turned out to be magnificent, relevant today – it talks about how important it is for people to unite in difficult times, overcome fear and stand up for their home, – said the author of the project, theater director Natalia Luneva.
The floor was taken by the director of the National Medical Research Center for Children’s Traumatology and Orthopedics named after G. I. Turner, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, laureate of the Russian Government Prize, Sergei Vissarionov:
– Indeed, today is an unusual day. And unusual fairy tales were written by Genrikh Ivanovich Turner for his little patients. At that time, the technologies for treating children were not as perfect as they are today, so many patients remained bedridden or in a wheelchair, and in order to introduce them to the world around them, the doctor wrote fairy tales for them. In the archives of our city, we found one of them and published it, and this fairy tale received a new life – thanks to the Demmeni Puppet Theater. This is both a theatrical premiere and a premiere, the first performance of Turner’s fairy tale in our city. A unique event. Our cooperation with the Demmeni Theater, with the actors continues today, it is a friendship that has lasted a whole century. Over the years, we have come a long way, there have been many interesting joint projects, programs. We have a serious scientific rehabilitation program, together with the theater and our patients we stage plays and show them to our patients.
Photo: E.S. Demmeni Puppet Theatre
– Sergey Valentinovich Vissarionov put his hand, heart, creative talent to this production, gave us valuable advice, recommendations when considering the material at the artistic council. Thanks to him, the performance received new colors and new semantic accents, – added Natalia Luneva.
They exchanged souvenirs. For the theater – a painting depicting the Turner Institute. And beautifully framed, like a diploma under glass, an article “The Theater Helps Doctors” from a Leningrad newspaper from 1959, which tells about the 35-year collaboration of two great people, about the theater’s help to patients with injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system. From the theater – the first poster for the play “The Brave Rooster Named Ali Baba” based on Turner’s fairy tale.
Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, deputy of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg Anastasia Melnikova also came to the premiere:
– It’s a miracle that two great people met a hundred years ago! And what a great, kind, wise event is happening today. How wonderful that caring people have gathered together. I am very excited now. On the one hand, I am the great-granddaughter of one of Turner’s students, on the other hand, I am an actress who loves the theater, going on stage, and I am also a mother whose child grew up in this theater. Many thanks to these amazing people who do a bright, warm, kind deed, helping children get back on their feet, bringing them back to life through theater, love, magic… If you need help with something, I am always there.
What is the play about?
– I’ll tell you an amazing story now! – the young actor addressed the children, who were sitting on a carpet with pillows right next to the stage (the action took place in the theater foyer, the parents were sitting further away – on chairs).
The story begins like this. A boy who ends up in a hospital cannot get up from his wheelchair. He is surrounded by sensitive, kind, caring doctors, wizards who believe in him – he will be able to get back on his feet! “I won’t succeed!” – the child despaired. “The main thing is to believe in yourself,” – they tell him. And they show him a fairy tale, the characters of which are the inhabitants of the poultry yard and evil robbers – stray dogs. The main characters – a brave rooster named Ali Baba and a courageous chicken named Tsypa – fearlessly defeated not only the robbers, but also overcame their fear.
In the finale we find out: the boy got back on his feet, and when he grew up, he became a doctor to help other people.
About the creators
The director of the play is Alexey Ustavshchikov, together with the main director of the theater Eduard Gaidai he wrote the dramatization. The artist is Tatyana Melnikova. The composer is Tatyana Aleshina. And young actors working with puppets. All the images of the characters in the play are based on the drawings of G.I. Turner, his students and patients.
Direct speech
Among the spectators is also the People’s Artist of Russia, the legend of the Puppet Theatre, a student of Evgeny Demmeni himself, Faina Ivanovna Kostina. An excellent spectator! She watches the performance with delight, laughs infectiously, applauds – supports her colleagues – young actors.
– I got acquainted with the Turner Medical Center in the very first year of my admission to the theater. In December 1960, before the New Year, we had a meeting with children – patients of this center, which was then located on Lakhtinskaya Street, Petrogradskaya Storona. We went there together with Evgeny Sergeyevich Demmeni, who released the fairy tale. I played the Snow Maiden. I remember how amazed I was by this story – the patronage of the theater over the center, which lasted more than 30 years. And it all started like this: Demmeni, then a young director, came to sick children and read books to them, then he began to bring plays to them, the actors told the children about the theater, about the puppets. Sometimes children who could move around showed up at our theater. Can you imagine how long the friendship between two great people who have long been dead lasts – continues? This is a very, very rare thing! – the actress told “RG”.
R.S.
The next performances of the play are on September 25.
Source: rg.ru
