Folk origins of folklore theater. Folklore theater concept
Folklore theater is the traditional dramatic art of the people. The types of folk entertainment and play culture are diverse: rituals, round dances, dressing up, clowning, etc.
In the history of folklore theater, it is customary to consider the pretheatrical and theatrical stages of folk drama.
Theatrical forms include theatrical elements in calendar and family rituals.
In calendar rituals - symbolic figures of Maslenitsa, Mermaid, Kupala, Yarila, Kostroma, etc., playing scenes with them, dressing up. Agrarian magic, magical actions and songs designed to promote the well-being of the family played a prominent role. For example, on Christmastide, they pulled a plow in the village, "sowed" grain in the hut, etc. With the loss of magical meaning the rite turned into fun.
The wedding ceremony was also a theatrical game: the distribution of "roles", the sequence of "scenes", the transformation of the singers and lamentations into the protagonist of the ceremony (the bride, her mother). Challenging psychological game there was a change in the inner state of the bride, who in her parents' house had to cry and lament, and in her husband's house she had to portray happiness and contentment. However, the wedding ceremony was not perceived by the people as a theatrical performance.
Specific features of folklore theater are the absence of a stage, the separation of performers and audience, action as a form of displaying reality, the transformation of the performer into another objectified image, the aesthetic orientation of the performance. Plays were often distributed in writing, pre-rehearsed, which did not exclude improvisation.
BALAGAN
Booths were built during fairs. Balagans - temporary structures for theatrical, variety or circus performances... They have been known in Russia since the middle of the 18th century. Booths were usually located in market squares, near places of city festivities. They included magicians, strongmen, dancers, gymnasts, puppeteers, folk choirs; small plays were staged. A balcony (raus) was built in front of the booth, from which the artists (usually two) or the grandfather called the audience to the performance. Grandfathers-barkers have developed their own way of dressing, addressing the audience.
THEATER OF MOVING PICTURES (RAJOK)
Rajok is a type of presentation at fairs, widespread mainly in Russia in the 18th-19th centuries. It got its name from the content of pictures on biblical and gospel themes (Adam and Eve in Paradise, etc.).
During folk festivals, a raeshnik with his box was usually located on the square next to booths, carousels. The "grandfather-raeshnik" himself - "according to the grip of a retired soldier, experienced, dexterous and quick-witted. He wears a gray caftan trimmed with red or yellow braid with bunches of colored rags on his shoulders, a bell-hat, also decorated with bright rags. He has bast shoes on his feet. a linen beard is tied to his chin "
Theater of Petrushka
The Petrushka Theater is a Russian folk puppet comedy. Its main character was Petrushka, after whom the theater is named. This hero was also called Petr Ivanovich Uksusov, Petr Petrovich Samovarov, in the south - Vanya, Vanka, Vanka Retatui, Ratatuy, Rutyuyu (a tradition of the northern regions of Ukraine). The Petrushka Theater was influenced by the Italian puppet theater Pulcinell about, with whom Italians often performed in St. Petersburg and other cities.
The puppeteer, accompanied by a musician, usually an organ grinder, walked from yard to yard and gave traditional performances about Petrushka. He could always be seen during folk festivals, at fairs.
D. A. Rovinsky wrote about the structure of the Petrushka theater: “The doll has no body, but only a simple skirt has been forged, to which an empty cardboard head is sewn on top, and on the sides there are also empty hands. forefinger, and in the hands - the first and third fingers; he usually puts a doll on each hand and acts in this way with two dolls at once. "
Specific traits appearance Parsley - big crochet nose, laughing mouth, protruding chin, hump or two humps (on the back and chest). The clothes consisted of a red shirt, a cap with a tassel, and smart boots; or from a buffoonish two-tone clown outfit, a collar and a cap with bells. The puppeteer spoke for Petrushka with the help of a squeak - a device thanks to which the voice became harsh, shrill, rattling. (The peephole was made of two bone or silver curved plates, inside which a narrow strip of linen ribbon was fixed). For the rest of the characters in the comedy, the puppeteer spoke in his natural voice, pushing the squeak behind his cheek.
The performance of the Petrushka Theater consisted of a set of satirical scenes. M. Gorky spoke of Petrushka as an invincible hero of a puppet comedy who conquers everyone and everything: the police, priests, even the devil and death, while he himself remains immortal.
The image of Parsley is the personification of festive freedom, emancipation, a joyful feeling of life. Petrushka's actions and words were contrasted with accepted norms of behavior and morality. The improvisations of parsley were topical: they contained sharp attacks against local merchants, landowners, and bosses. The performance was accompanied by musical inserts, sometimes parody: for example, the image of the funeral to the "Kamarinskaya" (see in the Anthology "Petrushka, aka Vanka Ratatouille").
Nativity scene
The nativity scene puppet theater got its name from its purpose: to present a drama in which the gospel story about the birth of Jesus Christ in the cave where Mary and Joseph took refuge (old and old Russian "nativity scene" - cave) was reproduced. Initially, the nativity scene was presented only during Christmastide, which was also emphasized in its definitions.
The nativity scene was a portable rectangular box made of thin boards or cardboard. Outwardly, it looked like a house, which could consist of one or two floors. Most often, there were two-story nativity scenes. In the upper part, dramas of religious content were played, in the lower part, ordinary sideshows, comic everyday scenes. This also determined the design of the parts of the den.
The upper part (sky) was usually pasted over from the inside with doves with paper, on the back wall there were painted scenes of Christmas; or on the side, a model of a cave or a stable with a manger and motionless figures of Mary and Joseph, the baby Christ and domestic animals were arranged. The lower part (land or palace) was pasted over with bright colored paper, foil, etc., in the middle, on a small dais, a throne was set up, on which there was a doll depicting King Herod.
In the bottom of the box and in the shelf dividing the box into two parts, there were slots along which the puppeteer moved the rods with the dolls fixed to them - the characters of the dramas. It was possible to move the rods with the dolls along the box, the dolls could turn in all directions. On the right and left of each part, doors were cut: from one doll they appeared, in the other they disappeared.
Dolls were carved from wood (occasionally molded from clay), dyed and dressed up in cloth or paper clothes, and fixed on metal or wooden rods.
The text of the drama was pronounced by one puppeteer, changing the timbre of the voice and intonation of speech, thereby creating the illusion of being presented by several actors.
The performance in the nativity scene consisted of the mystery drama "King Herod" and scenes from everyday life.
Folklore theater is the traditional dramatic art of the people. The types of folk entertainment and play culture are diverse: rituals, round dances, dressing up, clowning, etc.
In the history of folklore theater, it is customary to consider the pre-theater and theatrical stages of folk drama.
Theatrical forms include theatrical elements in calendar and family rites.
In calendar rituals - symbolic figures of Maslenitsa, Mermaid, Kupala, Yarila, Kostroma, etc., playing scenes with them, dressing up. Agrarian magic, magical actions and songs designed to promote the well-being of the family played a prominent role. For example, on the winter Christmastide they pulled a plow around the village, "sowed" grain in the hut, etc. With the loss of magical meaning, the ceremony turned into fun.
The wedding ceremony was also a theatrical game: the distribution of "roles", the sequence of "scenes", the transformation of the singers and lamentations into the protagonist of the ceremony (the bride, her mother). A difficult psychological game was a change in the inner state of the bride, who in her parents' house had to cry and lament, and in her husband's house she had to portray happiness and contentment. However, the wedding ceremony was not perceived by the people as a theatrical performance.
In calendar and family rituals, participants in many scenes were mummers. They dressed up as an old man, an old woman, a man dressed in women's clothing, and the woman - in the man's, dressed up in animals, especially often in a bear and a goat. The costumes of the mummers, their masks, make-up, as well as the scenes performed by them were passed on from generation to generation. On Christmastide, Shrovetide, Easter, mummers performed humorous and satirical scenes. Some of them later joined folk dramas.
In addition to ceremonies, theatrical elements accompanied the performance of many folklore genres: fairy tales, round dance and comic songs and others. Facial expressions, gesture, movement - close to theatrical gesture and movement - played an important role here. For example, the storyteller did not just tell a fairy tale, but to one degree or another played it out: he changed his voice, gestured, changed his face, showed how the hero of the fairy tale walked, carried a bucket or sack, etc. In fact, it was the play of one actor.
The theatrical forms of folk drama proper are a later stage in stages, the beginning of which the researchers attribute to the 17th century.
However, long before this time in Russia there were comedians, musicians, singers, dancers, trainers. These are buffoons. They united in roving groups and until the middle of the 17th century. took part in folk rituals and holidays. There are proverbs about the art of buffoons (Everyone will dance, but not like a buffoon), songs and epics ("Vavilo and the buffoons", "Guest Terentishche"). Their work was reflected in fairy tales, epics, in various forms of folk theater. In the XVII century. buffoonery was prohibited by special decrees. For some time the buffoons took refuge on the outskirts of Russia.
Specific features of folklore theater are the absence of a stage, the separation of performers and audience, action as a form of displaying reality, the transformation of the performer into another objectified image, the aesthetic orientation of the performance. Plays were often distributed in writing, pre-rehearsed, which did not exclude improvisation.
Cities played an important role in the origin, functioning and spread of all forms and types of folklore theater. In cities, fairs were a favorite time and place of folk spectacular performances, which attracted many people, including villagers. They not only traded, but also had fun.
Zueva T.V., Kirdan B.P. Russian folklore - M., 2002
Folklore theater is an aggregate of theatrical phenomena in folklore, folklore performances by folk performers, puppet and paradise performances, judgments of far-fetched grandfathers.
Types and genres:
It includes performances of buffoons, the Petrushka puppet theater, booths, raykas, a nativity scene, and, finally, a folk drama.
Buffoons are considered the first actors in Russia. They were often called amusers, since they entertained the people with their jokes and funny satirical scenes. The first mentions of buffoons are found in the Tale of Bygone Years.
The buffoons expressed the thoughts and feelings of the people, ridiculed the boyars and priests, glorified the strength and daring of the heroes, the defenders of the Russian land.
The authorities treated them as rioters, in 1648 a royal decree was issued prohibiting buffoons.
Puppet theaters. The first k. Performances were staged by buffoons-puppeteers. The main character is mischievous and cheerful parsley... In comedies about P., 2 heroes acted according to the number of puppeteer hands; eg P. and a doctor, a policeman, etc. P. always mends the trial and reprisals against hostile forces.
Nativity scene was widespread especially in the southern regions of Russia. V. is a special portable wooden box in which dolls made of wood or other materials could move.
2 floors. The top floor usually played out biblical stories, on the bottom - everyday, most often comedic. With the help of dolls depicting various biblical characters, scenes of the Nativity of Jesus Christ were played out, which, according to the Gospel, took place in a cave in the lane. nativity scene. Popular performance King Herod.
Rajok is a small box with two magnifying glasses in front, inside of which a strip with images of different cities, great people and events is rewound from one skating rink to another.
Associated with the development of trade in Russia, the growth of cities and the popularity of Russian fairs. Raeshnik not only showed pictures, but also commented on them, talking about the events depicted there, sometimes criticizing the authorities and the established order, in a word, touched upon burning problems.
Balagan. They were built right on the square from boards and linen. Inside there was a stage, curtain and benches for the audience.
The booth troupe, as a rule, consisted of itinerant actors. They gave several performances a day. These were mainly tricks, clownery. Singers, dancers and just outlandish people performed here.
Folk dramas were staged on holidays in villages and towns. These were original performances on historical, everyday, religious themes and plots. They were usually played in a hut, in spacious sheds or in the open air. Boat, Tsar Maximilian.
Along with the Russian folklore theater, there were performances that were close to it in form, which were staged on church holidays in Orthodox churches. They are called liturgical events. The Donkey Walking or Flower Bearing Action was performed on Palm Sunday in the spring.
The originality of the Petrushka folk theater as a form of urban entertainment folklore in Russia. Artistic originality and expressive elements of the performances of the "Petrushki" folklore theater. The main artistic and expressive elements of the image of "Petrushka".
St. Petersburg University of Culture and Arts
Test
Subject: "Folk Art"
Topic: "Folklore Theater"
Rostov-on-Don
2010 year
Vconducting
Folk art that originated in ancient times - historical background the whole world artistic culture, a source of national artistic traditions, an exponent of national self-awareness. Some researchers also refer to folk art as all types of non-professional art (amateur art, including folk theaters).
Folk art - folklore, most often oral; artistic collective creative activity people, reflecting their life, views, ideals; poetry created by the people and prevalent among the masses (legends, songs, ditties, anecdotes, fairy tales, epics), folk music(songs, instrumental tunes and plays), theater (dramas, satirical plays, puppet theater), dance, architecture, fine and decorative arts.
Folklore is divided into two groups - ritual and non-ritual. TO ritual folklore include: calendar folklore (carols, Maslenitsa songs, vesnianki), family folklore(family stories, lullabies, wedding songs, lamentations), occasional (conspiracies, chants, counting rhymes). Non-ritual folklore is divided into four groups: folklore drama, poetry, prose and folklore of speech situations. TO folk drama include: the Petrushka theater, religious drama, nativity scene.
The nativity scene got its name from the nativity scene, a portable puppet theater in the form of a two-story wooden box, which in architecture resembles a stage for the performance of medieval mysteries. The beginning of the nativity scene must be considered the Christmas drama of puppets, which passed in the 17th century from Western Europe to Poland; at the same time, the nativity scene appears in Ukraine. The environment in which the nativity scene was born, grew up and became widespread, it is necessary to consider the Ukrainian students, mainly the Kiev "spuds", who contributed to its introduction to the north, for example, to Siberia. The existence of the nativity scene in Poland and Russia is estimated at approximately 200 years. In the first half of the 19th century, the nativity scene disappears as an everyday phenomenon, appearing at times in remote places of Belarus and Ukraine and more firmly lingering in the life of the Ukrainian peasantry in Eastern Galicia. Published in the book of E. Markovsky, the text of the Khorolsky den, recorded in 1928, testifies that the drama in the Ukraine has survived to this day.
The theater "Belarusian Batleyka" was also famous. It was a portable wooden cabinet with a two-tiered stage for drama performance. The front side of the box is closed with shutters. The dolls, fixed on rods, move along the slits in the floor. In the upper tier, scenes with the birth of Christ were traditionally played out. A fortified manger, figures of Mary and Joseph were housed here.
Active development folk art expressed in poetry. Folk poetry includes: epic, historical song, spiritual verse, lyric song, ballad, cruel romance, ditty, children's poetic songs (poetic parodies), sadistic rhymes. Folklore prose is again divided into two groups: fabulous and non-fabulous. Fairy-tale prose includes: a fairy tale (which, in turn, can be of four types: a fairy tale, a fairy tale about animals, a household tale, cumulative tale) and anecdote. Non-fabulous prose includes: legend, legend, bylichka, mythological story, story about a dream. The folklore of speech situations includes: proverbs, sayings, good wishes, curses, nicknames, teasers, conversational graffiti, riddles, tongue twisters and some others. There are also written forms of folklore, such as letters of happiness, graffiti, albums (for example, songbooks).
The exact definition of the term "folklore" is difficult, since this form of folk art is not unchanging and ossified. Folklore is constantly in the process of development and evolution: Chastooshkas can be performed to the accompaniment of modern musical instruments on the contemporary themes, new fairy tales can be devoted to contemporary phenomena, folk music can be influenced by rock music, and itself contemporary music may include elements of folklore, folk art and applied arts may be influenced by computer graphics, etc.
About the forms of urban entertainment folklore, first of all, it is necessary to say about the era of Peter I. In the era of Peter I, the number of fairs (fairs) in the cities of Russia increased sharply. Fairs were held before big holidays. Holidays include elements and forms of various traditions, spheres of life, culture and art. Initially, the folk-fair culture incorporated strict regulations and rituals, magical and pagan functions. The main element of the city's spectacular folklore is areal art.
The middle strata of the townspeople participate in the formation of their areal art. Folk entertainers flocked to the fairs. They erected inns, merry-go-rounds, swings, circus and theatrical booths, and later, stage performances. The fair square has become a place for various mass entertainment and fun.
Scientists (M.M.Bakhtin, D.S.Likhachev, A.F. Nekrylova, N.I.Savushkina) find the similarity of artistic means and stylistic techniques, the fusion of two cultures - agrarian and industrial. The fairground theater incorporates many staging techniques, various pyrotechnic and lighting effects, bright costumes and the repertoire of European art. He was no stranger to traditional folk shows, performances of actors and jokes. In the life of Russian cities, folklore theater occupied a very prominent place. By adapting all types of art to the needs of his visitor, he has a great impact on his tastes and needs.
Parsley performances were especially popular at fairs and festivals and were a form of urban entertainment folklore.
1. The originality of the Petrushka folk theater as a formurban spectacular folklore of Russia
Petrushka is one of the characters in Russian folk puppet shows. Depicted in a red shirt, canvas pants and a pointed cap with a tassel; Traditionally, Parsley is a glove doll. PETRUSHKA, "the nickname of a booth doll, a Russian jester, a funny man, a wit in a red caftan and a red cap; Petrushka is also called the whole clown, a puppet nativity scene" (V. Dal).
The origin of this doll, which appeared in Russia in the second half of the 19th century, is not reliably clear. Although in Russia (Encyclopedia Around the World) Petrushkas have been known since the 17th century. Russian puppeteers used marionettes (string puppet theater) and parsley (glove puppets). Until the 19th century, preference was given to Petrushka, by the end of the century - to puppets, as the parsley producers united with organ-grinders. The parsley screen consisted of three frames, fastened with staples and tightened with chintz. It was placed directly on the ground and hid the puppeteer. The barrel organ gathered the audience, and behind the screen the actor began to communicate with the audience through a peep (whistle). Later, with laughter and a reprise, he ran out himself, in a red cap and with a long nose. The organ-grinder sometimes became Petrushka's partner: because of the squeak, the speech was not always intelligible, and he repeated Petrushka's phrases, conducted a dialogue. The comedy with Petrushka was played out at fairs and booths. From some memoirs and diaries of the 1840s, it follows that Petrushka had full name- he was called Peter Ivanovich Uksusov. The famous Russian puppeteer Sergei Obraztsov called Petrushka Pyotr Petrovich Uksusov (the story "Four Brothers") or Vanka Ratatuei. There were main plots: Petrushka's treatment, training in soldier's service, a scene with a bride, buying a horse and testing it. The plots were passed from actor to actor, word of mouth. Not a single character in the Russian theater has had a popularity equal to Petrushka.
The first puppet shows with the main character - Petrushka appeared in the first half 19th century... On the pages of everyday essays and popular books, his name has been mentioned since the 1840s.
In Russia of the last century, the comedy about Petrushka was unmatched among other types of puppet theater in terms of popularity among the common population in terms of breadth of distribution (from St. Petersburg to Sakhalin and from Arkhangelsk to the North Caucasus), in topicality, acuteness and deadly power of laughter. Petrushka was perceived as the main and almost the only hero of the Russian puppet theater.
The comedy of Petrushka was constantly in the process of development, was replenished with new characters, became more and more relevant and socially saturated.
The Petrushka Theater was created not only under the influence of Russian, Slavic, Western European puppet traditions. He was a kind of folk theater culture, part of the highly developed in Russia (spectacular folklore). Therefore, a lot unites him with folk drama, with performances of far-fetched grandfathers, he barked, with friends' sentences at a wedding, with amusing popular prints, with jokes from raeshniks, etc.
The special atmosphere of the city's festive square explains, for example, Petrushka's familiarity, his unbridled gaiety and illegibility in the object of ridicule and shame. After all, Petrushka pounds not only class enemies, but everyone in a row - from his own bride to the quarterly, often pounds for nothing (arap, a beggar old woman, a German clown, etc.), in the end it hits him too: the dog is merciless pats his nose. The puppeteer, like other participants in the fairground, marketplace fun, is attracted by the very opportunity to ridicule, parody, smother, and the more, louder, more unexpected, sharper, the better. Elements of social protest, satire were very successfully and naturally superimposed on this ancient laughter basis.
Like all folklore amusements, "Petrushka" is stuffed with obscenities and curses. The primordial meaning of these elements has been studied quite fully, and how deeply they penetrated into the folk culture of laughter and what place was occupied in it by abuse, verbal obscenity and derogatory, cynical gestures, is fully shown by M.M. Bakhtin.
The performances were shown several times a day in different conditions (at fairs, in front of the booth entrance, on city streets, in the suburbs). The "walking" Parsley was the most common use of the doll.
A light screen, dolls, miniature wings and a curtain were specially made for the traveling folklore theater. Petrushka ran across the stage, his gestures and movements created the appearance of a living person.
The comic effect of the episodes was achieved with techniques characteristic of folk laughter culture: fights, beatings, obscenities, imaginary deafness of a partner, funny movements and gestures, mimics, funny funerals, etc.
There are conflicting judgments about the reasons for the extraordinary popularity of the theater: topicality, satirical and social orientation, comic character, a simple and understandable game for all segments of the population, the charm of the main character, acting improvisation, freedom of choice of material, sharp language of the doll.
Parsley is a folk festive fun.
Parsley is a manifestation of popular optimism, the mockery of the poor over the powerful and the rich.
The Petrushka Theater remained a part of festive entertainment for a long time. As a mass phenomenon of folk fair culture, it ceased to exist at the beginning of the 20th century.
2 ... Artistic originality and expressive elements of the performances of the Petrushka folklore theater
2. 1 Contents and plot basis parsley folk theater performances
To our courtyard organ grinder today in the spring
He brought the actors to the troupe on the back ...
He opened the screen in the middle of the courtyard;
Janitors, footmen, laundresses, coachmen
They crowded around the screens to stare,
How Parsley will present the comedy.
The peculiarity of the "Petrushka" theater was that the viewer did not get pleasure from acquaintance with a new hero and plot: the content of the comedy and characters it was well known to all. The main attention was paid not so much to what they play as to how they play. This was also facilitated by the "antipsychologism" of the heroes of the comedy. The viewers of "Petrushka", whose aesthetic ideals and artistic taste were brought up mainly on folklore works, did not require psychological development of characters in the comedy, they liked to watch what this or that already well-known character would do when in this situation. In this theater, all the characters “well known to the public viewer from life, from everyday life ... entered the play already fully developed, and not their“ development ”was interesting to the viewer, but their“ overcoming ”, their shame”.
Petrushka, and the comedy itself, went an interesting, difficult path, absorbing foreign and Russian features, reworking and mastering in a special way the rich spectacular folklore, comic and satirical genres of Russian folk art, the achievements of the democratic theater of the 17th - 18th centuries in folk drama.
The cast of characters in the comedy is quite wide and variegated - a soldier, a gentleman, a gypsy, a bride, a doctor, a quartermaster, etc. The surviving materials allow us to speak of about 50 characters, although in reality each puppeteer had no more than 20 - 25 dolls, and they participated in the performance not all of them.
The performance consisted of a chain of meetings - Petrushka's clashes with different characters. The scenes in the comedy are weakly or not at all connected with each other, so the order of their placement was not strictly fixed and allowed a variety of rearrangements, the loss of individual scenes and the addition of new ones.
Judging by the material at our disposal. The comedy could include the following scenes:
A)Parsley's exit.
The performance began with laughter, singing, noise coming from behind the screen, and then parsley jumped out rapidly. He greeted the people gathered around his screen, congratulated everyone on the holiday, started a conversation on some topical topic, asked questions, joked, “bullied” the audience. Characteristic feature of this scene is Petrushka's exit monologue, which included typical folk comic self-characterization and mockery of the audience.
B)Marry.
After talking with the audience, Petrushka turned to the musician and informed him of his intention to marry. The musician asked to bring the bride, asked about the dowry. A bride appeared, Petrushka praised her, and the musician always found a flaw in her: from his point of view, she was snub-nosed, "lame in one eye", "brick-colored", etc. Petrushka got angry, asked the musician to play something funny, danced with his chosen one and then escorted her "home" behind the screen. In most cases, the bride was portrayed as chubby, red-cheeked, plump, dressed in fashion, with all this fashionable details were exaggerated, caricatured.
Often the scene with the bride was filled with comic cynicism and stood out in a special interlude, which, under the title "Petrushka's Wedding", was shown for an additional fee and not for a wide range of spectators.
V)Buying a horse.
Parsley was planning to buy a horse. As soon as he had time to tell the musician about this, a gypsy appeared and offered an excellent horse: “Not a horse, but a miracle: he runs - trembles, but falls, and does not get up. In the wind, without a collar, drive in two whips, flies like an arrow, and does not look back ... He runs up the mountain - he will cry, and from the mountain he runs and jumps, and gets stuck in the mud, so take yourself from there - an excellent horse ”.
A gypsy - a doll in a red shirt, black vest, with a whip behind a belt with black disheveled hair and a face smeared with soot - breaks a huge price.After a long bargain, Parsley goes for a deposit, but returns with a stick and pounds a gypsy who runs away or falls dead from being too big portions of "birch money".
Test of the horse. Petrushka examines the horse, tries to mount it, climbs backwards and falls, thrown off by an aggressive purchase.
G)Treatment.
Parsley, lying on the ground, moans loudly, shouts, calls for a doctor. A doctor appears, dressed all in black, with huge glasses. He delivers a comic monologue - self-characterization:
I am a staff doctor, a doctor,
from under the Stone Bridge, the pharmacist.
I take out my teeth,
leeches and banks I put.
I take it on my feet
I send on crutches.
This is followed by an episode of searching for a bruised spot, during which the doctor and the patient are mutually angry at each other: the Doctor for the fact that Petrushka cannot indicate what and where he hurts, and Parsley for the fact that the doctor himself is not able to determine the sore spot ... In the end, Petrushka pummels the doctor, thus paying him for the visit and showing the “doctor-re-pharmacist” where the horse hit.
D)Meeting with a foreigner.
Most often, a German acts as a foreigner. Petrushka teaches him to speak Russian or tries to explain himself. in German, translating foreign words and expression according to the principle of folk etymology (translation not by meaning, but by similar sound). In the scene with the German, the most common and best known to the Russian population of the urban lower classes German phrases are played up:
Was? Was ist das? - time, sour kvass.
Donner Wetter? - the wind blows (tears).
Guten Morgen? - in the face
Schprechen- sie Deutsch? - Ivan Andreevich, Trifon Matveich, etc.
After several unsuccessful attempts to understand each other, the heroes fight, Petrushka gains the upper hand, drives away, and more often kills the German.
Training in soldier techniques. A soldier appears on the stage, announces the order to take Petrushka into service and begins to teach him the science of soldiers. The central moment of the scene is an episode of the comic execution of the soldier's commands by Petrushka, where the game on auditory homonyms is also widely used:
Corporal: Here's your gun. Here you go!
Parsley: I'm holding it.
Corporal: Look!
Parsley: I'm looking.
Corporal: Listen!
Parsley: I'm eating.
Corporal: Listen, not eat. Keep it straight!
Parsley: What is it? Matryona Petrovna?
Corporal: Not Matryona Petrovna, but keep it straight! What kind of Matryona Petrovna are you? How stupid you are.
Petrushka: Come on, I'll take a ruble, come and bring it ... "
When Petrushka gets tired of this occupation, he gets rid of his "teacher" as always with the help of a club.
E) Interrogation.
The interrogation is carried out by a policeman, quarterly, officer after another reprisal of Petrushka over any character. The police representative wants to punish Petrushka, but he does not give himself into offense and in his own way deals with even such a really dangerous enemy. This scene was often perceived as the culmination of a comedy, it was the most poignant and aroused warm approval from the audience of "Petrushka". Let us recall that in A. N. Nekrasov's poem "Who Lives Well in Russia" the folk parsley comedy is characterized by two lines:
"To the poor, quarterly
Not in the eyebrow, but right in the eye! "
This, according to the poet, is her main dignity, strength, and by this she attracts numerous participants in the rural fair. Iskra poet G.N. Zhulev dedicated a whole poem to Petrushka, in which he emphasizes the same features and the same reaction of the audience:
Well done, Petrushka! But everything was quiet in an instant:
A red collar appeared from behind the screens,
He went up to Petrushka and bass him:
“What are you canalie here for? I'll get you down!
Petka is not shy: take a stick, clap!
Wise bosses in a wooden forehead.
“The bosses didn’t get lost! What miracles! ... "
YES. Rovinsky, reaching in his description of the Moscow performance with Petrushka to the scene of interrogation, which was performed here by the “fatal officer,” noted: “D begins a fight, which ends with the destruction and expulsion of the fatal, to the general delight of the audience; this puppet protest against the police usually creates a sensation in the public. "
F)Service with the master.
Petrushka announces to the musician that he is forced to enter the service, since he has finally “squandered”, or the master himself invites him to his place and assigns a salary - “the first month ... a pound of chaff, in the second month - a quarter of rotten mountain ash”. Having agreed on the payment, the master sends a new servant to set up the samovar. After a certain period of time, Petrushka appears and reports that "the samovar has run away." The stupid master understands this in the literal sense and wonders how a samovar can run. Sometimes the master's wife or simply “Mamzel Katerina”, with whom Petrushka dances, takes part in this scene.
H)Competition with the arap.
Very often, the performance included scenes of the competition between Petrushka and the arap (a doll with a black face in a red robe) in singing, playing the violin, etc., which, according to the rules of comedy, end in Petrushka's victory.
AND)Fights, dances.
The parsley show could be interrupted by peculiar interludes - scenes of fights or dances. The puppeteer in this case demonstrated his virtuosity, invention, exhibited dolls in exotic outfits that had nothing to do with the comedy with Petrushka. In the play shown in 1899 in the town of Lyubech, Chernihiv province, after several ordinary adventures of Petrushka, there was a pause: “From behind the screen are dolls - representatives of different nationalities and they all start dancing. Petrushka at this time sings "On the street pavement", sitting on the edge of the screen ".
TO)Meeting with a friend.
In many versions of the comedy, there is a scene where Petrushka meets a character who declares himself to be his buddy. Filimoshka tries to remind about herself, talks about their joint parties, about the old merry pastime and asks to treat him to him on the occasion of the meeting. Petrushka pretends to recognize his friend, leaves for a drink and a snack, and, as always, appears with a stick, treating him with blows from the found comrade.
L)Funeral.
Of the - the most frequent scenes of the comedy, let us call another "funeral", when Petrushka or some other characters bury the victim with a parsley club. As a rule, it was a pantomime scene. A striking example of such a inserted scene contains one of the southern lists of the comedy: “Two blueberries enter. They take a dead German and roll them into a canvas. Then they bow to the public and leave for the coffin. [...] The blueberries bring in the coffin. They take a German and begin to measure. The coffin is short in length and narrow in width. Try it on three times. Then they think. Then they grab the German, fold him, crumple him in three, and push him into the coffin. One of the blueberry nuns bends down low to see if the deceased is comfortably seated. Another, absent-mindedly, does not notice this, closes the lid of the coffin, and pinches the head of her companion. She screams good obscenities, trying with all her might to escape. When she finally succeeds, she starts a fight with an absent-minded companion. Finally, to the sounds of Komarinsky, the coffin is carried away. "
In isolated cases, there are recordings of scenes from a quarrel between Petrushka and his wife, his reprisals against a shopkeeper, the trial of Petrushka and some others.
M)The final.
The final scene of Parsley deserves special attention. In the overwhelming majority of the variants that have come down, the hero falls into the clutches of a watchdog, mongrel, devil, brownie, which carry him down, thereby putting an end to the performance. Apparently, it is precisely this end that should be considered the most appropriate to the nature of comedy, where each scene and the entire performance as a whole have a pronounced beginning and end. For example, Petrushka almost always hides behind a screen as soon as the next scene ends (the puppeteer, by the way, has a rest at this moment), and reappears at the beginning of the next, thereby mechanically emphasizing the frames of individual scenes. In this sense, the “real” end of the comedy should be considered the death of the hero, since while he is alive, his adventures can continue indefinitely. At the same time, this is a fun death, purely formal, compositional technique, and it is perceived that way, without any regret or bewilderment about the unjustified death of the beloved hero, especially since Petrushka "resurrects" at the beginning of the next performance. This is precisely what the last remark in the cited by A.Ya. Alekseev-Yakovlev's description of the Petersburg performance: “But here the musician set an evil, ferocious watchdog against Petrushka, who grabbed Petrushka by the nose and dragged him behind the screen.
Oh, musician, stand up, please, - Petrushka yelled nasally. - Goodbye, guys! Goodbye, good-looking zhist! ... Uy-yu-yu! ... My daring little head disappeared, disappeared together with the cap and the tassel! ... My respect! ... Until the next performance! ... ".
Some variants in which such a scene is absent are, in total, incomplete or defective recordings. At the same time, it can be assumed that in the last century the comedy knew another end - the triumph of Petrushka. This was what M. Gorky had in mind when, in his speech at the First All-Union Congress of Soviet Writers, he named Petrushka among other national heroes, who was defeating "a doctor, priest, policeman, devil and even death." M. Gorky's words are confirmed by the Novgorod comedy list, where Petrushka beats the policeman with the devil, kills both of them and drags them to the dump. In addition, there is a description of Moscow performances in the 70s of the last century, it says that Petrushka, having dealt with his enemies (doctor, gypsy, gendarme, quarterly), "put them all on his shoulders and hid behind a screen, singing."
Not all of these scenes were present in every performance. Comparative analysis texts and descriptions allows us to say that there were basic, obligatory scenes that make up the core of comedy, its core, and secondary, individual ones. The first (walking, note, in a certain sequence) include: Petrushka's exit, a scene with a bride, buying a horse and unsuccessful riding on it, treating Petrushka, teaching him soldier's science, interrogation and reprisals against a police officer, as well as final scene... The presence of two scenes, their order and number were determined by different circumstances, such as, for example, the puppeteer's talent, his wealth (how many dolls and assistants he had at his disposal), local tradition, and the conditions of the performance.
Everything that has been said about the theater "Petrushka" reflects, in fact, the stage when the comedy was formed, developed a stable scheme of performance, the main images, criteria, commonplaces. On this general basis, local, individual versions were created, starting from it, puppeteers improvised, expanded or reduced, were content with simple scoffing or, on the contrary, filled their ideas with topical content.
This state was preceded by quite a long period the formation of a comedy, we will stop at some points of it.
The type of performance, which later became known as the "Petrushka" theater, was formed amid the abundance of puppet shows in Russian cities in the early 19th and late 18th centuries. The everyday puppet theater that existed at that time consisted mainly of separate, unrelated scenes. Gradually, a tendency to cyclization arises in him, to the unification of previously scattered scenes around one hero who fools, deceives, punishes, ridicules those persons who in life did not enjoy the sympathy of a simple spectator of the people. puppet shows... In this regard, there is also a transition from pantomime to spoken scenes. Preference is given to such scenes where the dolls "themselves" carry on a conversation, saturated with bright, sharp, figurative remarks.
As a result, in the second quarter XIX v. on the basis of the traditional everyday puppet theater, the first versions appeared future comedy with Petrushka, whose hero easily absorbed, adapted to himself the scenes of folk puppet shows that had existed before him.
In 1844 the superintendent of the parish school V.F. Zolotarenko writes in his diary a very valuable entry for us about his visit to a puppet comedy during the autumn fair in Yekaterinodar. The recording reflects a transitional moment in the formation of this type of theater: “I was in a puppet comedy. Here my gaze now presented itself to a circle of violinists, bass, tambourine and cymbals. Screens are made of wallpaper, there is a hole in the top. Spooky music began to play, and two unkempt male and female dolls began to dance, only, of course, the legs were not visible. One couple was followed by another, in a completely different costume, and so on. At the end of the dance, they will kiss. Finally, an unkempt, nosed-nosed giant appeared; he first killed the soldier, then the doctor, and finally the devil himself. Deboshiril until, until the white dog grabbed him by the nose, which dragged him downstage. For this they announced: it's over. "
It is easy to see that the second half of the performance is close to the classic “Petrushka” of the 19th century, and the first, as we will see later, is similar to the secular part of the performances in another type of puppet theater - the nativity scene. The combination of the two traditions was reflected in the interpretation of the image of the "big-nosed giant", the Yekaterinodar puppeteer made him the winner of the devil (following the example of Zaporozhets, the hero of the Ukrainian den), but a victim of the dog (as in the Russian comedy with Petrushka).
2.2 Artistic and expressive elements of the image of "Parsley"
The high, rattling voice of this hero was heard at all fairs, at traditional festivals, at temple holidays. In St. Petersburg, for example, on the Admiralty Square during the Maslenitsa and Easter festivities, several parsley-makers performed simultaneously, each of them playing a comedy 8-10 times a day, and a crowd of people always gathered around the screen.
Usually two people went with "Petrushka": a puppeteer and a musician. The property of the theater consisted of a light folding screen, a box with 7 - 20 puppets and a barrel organ. All dolls were glove, with heads made of wood or papier-mâché, except for the horse, which was cut out of cardboard or plywood.
They tried to give the appearance of the characters of the comedy typical features, so that it would be easy to "recognize" the hero - his social status, nationality, profession, etc. Such requirements were not imposed on Petrushka, he did not have a prototype in real life, but was part of the family of folklore jesters who (within European tradition) common mandatory features in appearance: a huge nose, a hump or two humps - in front and behind, a protruding chin, a stupid cap on the head, etc. Dressed Petrushka was in a red shirt or red caftan, trousers tucked into patent leather boots. Sometimes he was dressed up in the manner of a harlequin (clothes made of colored patches) or a clown (a collar with bells, etc.).
Petrushka's voice was distinguished by a special timbre and pitch, for this, in a conversation for him, the puppeteers used a special device - a talk, a squeak. As one of the correspondents P.N. Tikhanov, this is "a small projectile consisting of two bone plates, inside which a narrow strip of thin linen ribbon is fixed." According to a collector from the Volyn province, “Petrushka’s special squeaky voice is produced with the help of a“ talk, ”which the owner of the theater, pronouncing the roles of other puppets, quickly pushes aside, by the cheek; the speed of movement of the "talk" from tongue to cheek and back is remarkable and is achieved through continuous practice. "
Theater "Petrushka" did not know the scenery. Of the fake accessories, the main and often the only one was the stick with which Petrushka beat his enemies. A special ratchet baton was used to create sound effects. The stick also acted as a substitute for any object mentioned in the course of the action: it imitated a gun, violin, gun, etc.
On the parsley scene, only two dolls could be present at the same time, one on each puppeteer's hand). Next to the screen, on the side, was a musician with a barrel organ.
One of the most important components of Petrushka performances is the movement of the puppets. “Their beauty is in motion, the meaning of their existence is in the game. There is nothing to see Petrushek in the photograph, ”wrote N.Ya. Simonovich-Efimova famous book"Parsley Notes". This is true, because the doll - the basis of the performance - is perceived only when it "comes to life" on the stage, i.e. moves, gestures. The folk puppeteers knew this. At times it might seem that many of the dolls' gestures are superfluous; senseless, but the parsleymen believed that without this the doll would cease to live and instead of “a creature of flesh and blood, with a heart, soul, mind and character”, as Petrushka saw on the screen of the famous I.A. Zaitsev, the viewer will find in front of him only "a rag with a painted wooden head." This rule was strictly followed by all puppeteers, especially in relation to Petrushka, "whose funny figure" always "fidgetily flashed on the" bar "over the lurid, colorful mobile screen." Even while pronouncing his weekend monologue, Petrushka did not stop moving and gesticulating. About 40 famous words - this is the speech of Petrushka when entering the screen in the Maikop performance, and it is accompanied by a lot of movements: the hero bows to the audience, hits himself on the forehead, sits on the barrier, knocks on it with his hand, with all this he interrupts his words with laughter and singing , which, of course, were also accompanied by different body movements and running along the garden bed.
The comedy was replenished with new characters, became more relevant and socially saturated. And where the protest against various representatives of the authorities, against the oppressors or the existing order reached greater force.
Petrushka in all his actions is an expression of protest. His inexhaustible gaiety, smashing wit made him the favorite of the masses, and the comedy about him - the most popular of all the old folk comedies.
Debos and murders do not cause censure from the audience for a minute. Moreover, all the recordings of this comedy that have come down to us end with Petrushka paying dearly for his crimes. And nevertheless, the "heavenly punishment" comprehending him does not diminish the optimism and power of protest, which the play as a whole is saturated with.
The comedy about Petrushka was created and existed, apparently, in urban, posad, suburban) circles. This is evidenced by the scenes in the tavern, the image of Petrushka's friend - a young, artisan who came to the city to work, the grief of Petrushka's mother over the fact that her son would marry a city girl, while he could choose a bride in the village. Petrushka remained the main character in a number of new plays and underwent significant changes in character and appearance.
At present, performances with parsley are rare, but the system of puppets bearing the general name "parsley" or hand-mounted riding puppets is widely used in puppet theater.
One need only add that "Petrushka" as a mass phenomenon of folk entertainment culture did not cease to exist at the beginning of the 20th century. With all its advantages and disadvantages, the Petrushka Theater occupied a very prominent place in the circle folk entertainment and had a great influence on the first steps professional theater dolls.
Conclusion
If we talk about the topicality of the Petrushka theater, its social acuteness, then it should be noted that their degree could be different even for the same puppeteer, changing from stage to stage, from performance to performance. In most cases, the comic effect was achieved by techniques characteristic of the folk culture of laughter, about which M.M. Bakhtin. These are endless fights, beatings, all kinds of obscenities, witty and illogical combinations of words, playing around with the alleged deafness of a partner, etc. the puppeteer could give each episode the desired this moment shade, place the necessary accents, focus on some scenes and remove, smooth others. For example, if a comedy was staged in an idle company (mainly an officer's), then the center of gravity fell on the movements of the heroes, painted with a kind of comic. Here a special interlude was played under the name "Petrushka's wedding", about which D.A. Rovinsky: “There is no plot in it, but there is a lot of action. Petrushka brings his bride Varyushka: he examines her like a horse. Petrushka liked Varyushka very much, and he cannot bear to wait for the wedding, which is why he begins to beg her: "Sacrifice yourself, Varyushka!" Then the final scene takes place, in which the fair sex cannot be present. " If the performance was in front of “his brother”, ordinary spectators (peasants, urban poor), then the culmination was the interrogation of Petrushka, who surpassed all comedy scenes in terms of the power of social and emotional impact on the public. Petrushka's massacre of a police officer especially attracted a regular spectator and was highly praised by some revolutionary or democratic people. Let's remember: in the poem "Who Lives Well in Russia" the comedy is characterized by two lines:
"To the poor, quarterly
Not in the eyebrow, but right in the eye! "
This, according to Nekrasov, is her main dignity, strength, and by this she attracts a crowd of people at a rural fair.
M. Gorky, characterizing the image of Petrushka, wrote “... a figure was created that is also known to all peoples: in Italy it is Pulcinello, in England it is Ponch, in Turkey it is Karapet, and in our country it is Petrushka.
M. Gorky put him on a par with such, in his words, the most profound and brilliant, artistically perfect types of heroes created by folklore, such as Hercules, Prometheus, Mikula Selyaninovich, Svyatogor, Faust, Vasilisa the Wise, Ivan the Fool. Comedy performances have always felt like a holiday. Near the screen, on which Petrushka raged, it was crowded and very lively.
Parsley is an invincible hero of the folk puppet comedy, he conquers everyone and everything, and he himself remains immortal. In this deep and naive way, the working people embodied themselves and their belief that in the end it is they who will overcome everything and everyone. In the hands of true masters of their craft, rag artists "could" even change their facial expressions due to a barely noticeable tilt or turn of the doll's head, in which eyebrows, mouths appeared in a different way, painted or glass buttons-eyes were illuminated - the doll was laughing, sad, perplexed , got angry, etc. Professional Soviet puppeteers later established that the expression on the doll's face should be neutral, only in this case she can change it depending on the nature of the movement. The head of the People's Parsley was not made according to these rules, contrary to them. At the same time, the comedy hero was sometimes not perceived at the time of the game as created from inanimate material, for the public he had facial expressions. The secret of its vitality lies in its continuous movement throughout the entire performance.
The oldest actor Soviet theater dolls E.V. Speransky in his childhood had to see the folk “Petrushka” more than once, and this is what he writes about it: Pyotr Petrovich Uksusov is a “creature” cut, seemingly in defiance of all the laws of our art: now we are afraid of too definite expression of a puppet mask, but he laughs openly and boldly; we avoid naturalistic details, and carefully drawn eyes stare at you. It is built for quick rises and falls, for instant turns, lightning strikes. His stage pauses were measured in fractions of a second, he, like a photon, a particle of light, was deprived of the "rest mass" - that is why he had the right to carry his impudent toothy smile through the whole performance: it did not have time to freeze, turn into a grimace. " The role of movement is great in performances such as a comedy about Petrushka because the audience was attracted not so much by the plot itself, well known in advance, as by its living embodiment, playing it on stage. This is a typical manifestation of the folklore nature of the theater "Petrushka" and it was designed for the audience, whose aesthetic ideals and artistic taste were formed, brought up mainly on folklore traditions... They demanded from the performance not the psychological development of the heroes, not the disclosure of the motives of their actions, but the actions themselves, actions aimed primarily at overcoming obstacles and shaming enemies. “The whole comedy is full of jabs and kicks,” noted D.A. Rovinsky, - they make up the most essential and most ridiculous part of the audience. Fights always went on with noise and exclamations. They used not only the voice capabilities of the puppeteers, but also the ratchet baton with which Petrushka pounded his victim, as well as the knock of the wooden heads of the dolls on the edge of the screen. The audience especially liked the latter, as it "clearly" showed the force of the blow and the intensity of the struggle.
Pantomime occupied a prominent place in the Petrushka Theater. These are funerals, fights, dances, divertissements of "outside" dolls.
Despite the brightness and extreme comicism of the pantomime episodes of the comedy, they do not form the basis of it. The Petrushka Theater is a kind of folk theater that not only looked, but listened to, so most of the scenes included both movement and conversation in different proportions. In the episodes of bargaining (the scene of buying a horse), treatment, ridicule of the soldier's drill, word and gesture, as a rule, are equivalent, they complement each other, combining visual and auditory perception.
Songs and dances were an integral part of most of the performances of the Petrushka Theater. The heroes of the comedy performed lyric songs, dance songs, couplets of a ditty store, cruel romances, songs of literary origin. They danced Russian, Komarinskaya, trepak, "lady", polka, waltz, etc. Big role in comedy, it was devoted to musical exhibitions. Dances and songs, hurdy-gurdy melodies were not just musical arrangement performance, they are designed to tune the audience in a cheerful, festive mood, create an additional comic effect through a contrasting ratio of melody and action, serve as a characteristic of the characters, diversify them, in other words, together with other poetic and stage techniques, make the performance a lively and vivid spectacle.
The puppeteer was free in the choice of repertoire, in the distribution of it among the characters, in the saturation of the performance with musical inserts. First of all, it depended on the talent of the parsley, taste, ability to sing and knowledge of songs and dances, from his ability to “feel” the audience. At the same time, there were still some restrictions and patterns. First, songs and melodies popular in this environment were selected. This was done not only because the performances were designed for the widest, grassroots circle of spectators. Another thing is no less important. Due to their specificity, folk puppet shows cannot go on for a long time and require frequent change of episodes, accelerated action. Therefore, the heroes of such a performance, as a rule, do not sing the whole song and do not dance for a long time, otherwise it will break the pace and will certainly affect the quality of the performance. The verse is played, the opening lines of the song, the first measures of the melody are played, hummed or whistled, and since the well-known works are used, the viewers themselves instantly restore the whole and tune in the mood they need at the moment. In addition, often a song-musical insert creates a comic effect by parodying some work, and the degree of comicism largely depends on the popularity of the parodied thing. Often the audience's laughter accompanies the performance of the song because its content is sharply opposed to the actions of the heroes. Parsley hardly gets on the horse, sits backwards, grabs the tail or mane so as not to fall off, and sings a dashing coachman song, "I'll harness three greyhound dark brown horses." No less contrasting, from here - no less funny sound the lines of the romance "Do not leave, my dear, Do not leave the fields, relatives ..."
The song can also act as a self-characterization of the character. So, a drunken peasant appears over the screens, singing "Oh, late in the evening, the fellow took a walk in the field"; Filimoshka's friend usually sings songs that in one way or another touch on the theme of the pub, like
"The breeze is blowing
From the tavern to the cellar.
Take a walk and walk ";
the gypsy sings those songs that speak either about gypsies, or about horses, etc.
The structure theatrical performance determines the relationship between spectators and actors. An orientation towards the public has existed and still exists in all types of theatrical art, in different, of course, degrees and in different capacities.
The type of folk or folklore theater includes performances of buffoons, a Petrushka puppet theater, booths, rayok, a nativity scene, and finally a folk drama.
The origins of Russian folklore theater go back to deep antiquity, to ancient Slavic holidays and rituals. Their elements were dressing up, singing, playing musical instruments, dancing. In ceremonies and rituals, they combined in a certain sequence into a single action, a spectacle. The first actors in Russia are considered buffoons. Buffoons were divided into sedentary and stray, puppeteer buffoons, buffoons with a bear. Groups of wandering buffoons carried folk art across the country, sang mischievous songs, and performed buffoons. The buffoons proved to the audience at the fairs "Bear Comedy", with the participation of a real bear. The buffoons expressed the thoughts and feelings of the people, ridiculed the boyars and priests, glorified the strength and daring of the heroes, the defenders of the Russian land. The authorities treated the buffoons as rioters. In 1648, a royal decree was issued prohibiting buffoons. However, neither the authorities nor the church managed to eradicate the buffoons.
The emergence of a puppet theater is associated with buffoonery games. The main character was determined - naughty and perky Parsley. He was a beloved hero of both buffoons and spectators, a mischievous daredevil and a badass with a sense of humor and optimism, he clothed the rich and the authorities. The comedy about Petrushka remains a monument to oral folk drama, although it never had a permanent text and was used in many versions and improvisations.
In addition to the Petrushka theater in Russia, especially in its southern regions, nativity scene - a special portable wooden box in which dolls made of wood or other materials could move. The stage mirror, open to the public, was usually divided into 2 floors. A miniature bell tower was erected on top of the roof, a candle was placed on it behind the glass, which burned during the performance, giving the action a magical, mysterious character. The dolls were attached to a rod, the lower part of which was held by the puppeteer, hidden behind a box. On the upper floor of the den, biblical plots were usually played out, on the lower floor, everyday, most often comedic ones.
With the development of trade in Russia, with the growth of cities and the popularity of Russian fairs, fair shows are gaining momentum. One of the most common was Raek... It existed until the end of the 19th century and was an indispensable part of festive folk amusements. Raek is a small instrument with two magnifying glasses inside. Inside it, a long strip with a home-grown image of different cities, great people and events is rewound from one skating rink to another. The spectators are looking into the glass ... Reemnik not only showed pictures, but also commented on them, touching upon burning problems, told sayings. Raek was very popular among the people. The main thing about the prisoner was that it included 3 types of influence on the public: image, word and play. Raek went down in the history of folklore theater as one of the brightest, distinctive phenomena of folk art culture.
Along with the district committee, booth. In the 18th century, not a single fair was complete without a booth. They were built right on the square from boards and linen. Inside there was a stage, curtain and benches for spectators. Outside, the booth was decorated with garlands, signs, and when electricity appeared - with multi-colored garlands. The booth troupe, as a rule, consisted of itinerant actors. They gave several performances a day. These were mainly sideshows, magic tricks, clownery. Singers, dancers, and simply "outlandish people" performed here.
Folk dramas were put on holidays in villages and cities. These were original performances based on historical, change houses, religious themes and plots. They were played in a spacious hut, sheds or in the open air. The texts were created by unknown authors, were the works of oral folk art. These folk dramas were usually performed by people from the people, peasants, artisans.
Along with the Russian folklore theater, there were performances that were close to it in form and were organized on the days of church holidays in Orthodox churches. They were named liturgical events. The flourishing of liturgical acts dates back to the 16th century. Liturgical events were staged mainly on biblical subjects.