A Theatre of Their Own: the Cultural Spaces of Moscow and Leningrad Amateur Studios 1957–1986

Abstract

In a society where is at a premium and families wait years for their own apartment, the allocation of physical serves as a powerful means for social and control. In the Soviet Union, this phenomenon affected not only kolkhozniki and other individuals who hoped to attain residency permits in major cities. These policies also hobbled the development of organizations which offered alternative viewpoints to official ideology. In the post-Stalin period, urban complexity made strict control increasingly difficult, and professionals and amateurs together began to carve out new in officially sanctioned amateur (samodeiateVnye) theatres. Known as studios for their commitment to training and experimentation, the best of these troupes created innovative productions that made a noteworthy impact on the landscape because of their marginal amateur status. Their contribution goes beyond their revival of the small stage as a provocative medium for performance. Their survival in spite of bureaucratic obstacles ensured an enclave for other nonconformist performers and spectators dissatisfied with orthodox theatre in particular and Soviet society in general. As a result, these ensembles provided for behavior and values that participants perceived to be discouraged elsewhere. Using various metaphors of space, an examination of these amateur troupes in Moscow and Leningrad highlights their significance for both theatrical trends and broad changes in Soviet society during this period. Notions of cultural space encompass the impact of physical locations as well as abstract spaces that define relationships among various groups in a society. The ability of supposedly powerless individuals to redefine these offers insight into their ability to control change in modern societies, including those dominated by authoritarian regimes. The study of amateur theatre within the paradigm of presents an opportunity to situate theatrical developments within the Soviet Union's broader socio-cultural context. As such, it bridges the disciplines of theatre and history. In most cases, scholars of Soviet theatre focus their analyses on innovations in dramatic texts and production techniques; if included, contextual