Voronezh Dramatic Theater

(full name, Aleksei Kol’tsov Voronezh Dramatic Theater). Prior to the October Revolution, various troupes toured in Voronezh. A permanent creative company took shape at the theater during the Soviet period (1929). In 1937 it was named the Voronezh State Dramatic Theater, and since 1959 it has borne the name of the Russian poet A. Kol’tsov. The best works of Soviet drama have been performed on its stage—among them Trenev’s Liubov’ larovaia, Vs. Ivanov’s Armoured Train 14-69, and Pogodin’s My Friend. Pogodin’s Man With a Gun was staged in 1937 with V. I. Florinskii appearing as V. I. Lenin. Shakespeare’s Hamlet was staged in 1941 with A. V. Poliakov in the title role. The plays of M. Gorky hold an important place in the theater’s repertoire. The theater’s company actively works with local playwrights—for example, Korablinov’s Aleksei Kol’tsov (1958) and Scarlet Riders (1969) have been staged. Medvedev and Grebnev’s Those of Strong Spirit (1949) and Sel’vinskii’s From Poltava to Gangut (1956), among other works, have had their premieres here. The directors la. A. Varshavskii, S. N. Voronov, and M. A. Gersht and the actors S. I. Papov, M. A. Zimbovskii, A. V. Poliakov, A. P. Chernov, and P. I. Vishniakov have worked at the theater. From 1930 to 1935 and from 1939 to 1953 V. M. EngeFkron was artistic director and from 1953 to 1960, F. E. Shishigin. The theater’s troupe includes (1971) People’s Artist of the RSFSR N. V. Dubinskii and Honored Artists of the RSFSR N. A. Efimov, A. A. Il’in, B. A. Krachkovskii, B. A. Levitskii, and R. A. Manukovskaia. The principal director is G. B. Drozdov and the principal artist, N. G. Patrikeev.