The Crimean Puppet Theatre in the Time of Borys Azarov

Abstract

The creative activity of the Crimean Puppet Theater at the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century during the artistic leadership of Honoured Art Worker of Ukraine Borys Azarov is analyzed. The article represents the figure of the artistic director of the theater as well as the brightest members of the theater team. The role of outstanding composers (A. Karamanov, L. Etinger, L. Khytryak and E. Pshemetskyi), scenographers (L. Restenko, I. Uvarova, A. Chechyk, etc.), ballet masters (L. Kotlyarenko, V. Dontsov) in the productions of iconic plays of the theater is emphasized. The article contains creative portraits of leading actors and an analysis of their acting roles in the best performances of the Crimean Academic Puppet Theater. The article outlines iconic stagings of the creative team, their innovative significance in the context of theater art on the border of the late Soviet period and the period of independence of Ukraine, the unique repertoire policy of the theater, the involvement of outstanding Ukrainian and foreign directors in cooperation with the theater (S. Yefremov, S. Bryzhan, Yu. Sikalo , T. Zhukov, etc.) the emergence of new forms, the creation of the first performances in the Ukrainian language in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea as well as performances based on Crimean-Tatar national folklore. Emphasis is placed on the creative achievements of the theater team as such which require in-depth further research.