THE WHITE GUARD [BELAYA GVARDIYA] IS BANNED IN KIEV... THE FATE OF M. BULGAKOV’S PLAYS IN KIEV THEATRES IN 1926

Abstract

Devoted to the production of M. Bulgakov’s plays in the 1926 Kiev, the article examines a comprehensive selection of archived manuscripts and printed material related to the staging of Bulgakov’s plays The Days of the Turbins [Dni Turbinykh] and Zoyka’s Apartment [Zoykina kvartira] in Ukrainian theatres: in I. Franko Ukrainian Drama Theatre and the Russian Drama Theatre (RDT). This review is the most comprehensive one to this day that analyses the main circumstances and motifs of the short-lived stage life of Bulgakov’s plays in the 1926 Kiev, a consequence of both the artistic policies of theatrical management, as well as the financial situation. Another reason was the ideological censorship imposed not only by the designated officials, but also by the contemporary nationalistic mood: first, it led to the ban of The Days of the Turbins at the I. Franko Theatre (director G. Yura) and then at RDT (director Y. Sobolev); next, the very popular and therefore lucrative play Zoyka’s Apartment had to be cancelled by RDT, which thus lost their box-office hit.