THEATRE LESSONS - Yury Smekalove

“The Theatre Lesson on the Mariinsky Stage” is a series of interactive concerts presenting the best examples of traditional musical theatre arts: various types of ballet variations and opera arias, duets, group dances and crowd scenes, symphonic and chamber instrumental works. Host Yury Smekalov will help to understand what they are seeing – he will answer questions from teenagers who are in a musical theatre for the first time: “Why do singers repeat the same phrases several times?” or “Why is the development of the plot in ballet suddenly interrupted by “just” dancing?” Schoolchildren will be able to ask questions through a special chat bot right during the event. The project's creators are convinced that such a meeting of young audiences with the theatre will give them the opportunity to gain new artistic impressions and open the way to mastering theatrical heritage.

"It is difficult to attract new viewers to the theatre with classical old productions today, because they have a completely different tempo, different aesthetics, and a different form. And our main task is to create projects that will interest the younger generation: we cannot count on the fact that only people who grew up on the classics will go to the theatre. In fact, elite art becomes elite because not everyone wants to understand it and not everyone has the strength and time for it. And if we start giving children the opportunity to understand art from a very early age, they will visit the theatre with greater enthusiasm in the future," notes the head and host of the "Theater Lesson on the Mariinsky Stage", ballet soloist, choreographer, and master of the course at GITIS Yury Smekalov.

In total, forty-seven thousand ninth-graders from all St. Petersburg schools of city subordination will visit the Mariinsky during the theatre season. However, every Petersburger has a unique chance to join the “Theater Lesson” – you can buy a ticket on the theater’s website.

Age category 6+