Matvey Dubrovin

Matvey Grigor'evich Dubrovin (Матве́й Григо́рьевич Дубро́вин; born July 12, 1911, in Saratov, Russian Empire – died October 22, 1974, in Leningrad, USSR).

In 1923, twelve year old Matvey organized a drama club in Saratov called "Revolutionary Theater" and staged his first production "Robin Hood".

In the early years of 1930 Dubrovin spent time in Leningrad.

For a while he studied at the Faculty of Philology of Saint Petersburg State University.

Then he entered the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts to major in directing.

Before the war he was an assistant director of Vsevolod Meyerhold for the production of "The Queen of Spades" in the Small State Opera House.

Starting from 1939, Dubrovin helped the war effort for Russia during war.

At the beginning of Finnish War he directed the propaganda team.

After severe concussion he was sent to the evacuation city of Khorog, located on the "top of the world" (Pamir Mountains).

There he organized the first Musical Theatre in Tajikistan.

It was during this time he developed the idea of a theater in which "everyone would be happy ...", that later he embodied in TYUT.

After he returned to Leningrad in 1947, Dubrovin began to teach four different children's drama groups (drama club at the House of Cinema, drama in DK (cultural house) Kirov, drama club in the Moika Palace, drama in the Palace of Pioneers. Working with children became the main purpose of his life. From the Cinema House came out such wonderful actors as Margarita Volodina and Lidiya Fedoseyeva-Shukshina.

The busiest time of Anichkov Palace, came in the middle of the 1950s, at the time of thaw.

He is the founder of the Theater of Youth Creativity (or TYUT for short) in Leningrad (1956).

Honored Cultural Worker of the RSFSR.

He developed the theory of integrated education of children through theatrical art.

Matvey Dubrovin's method was based on education of a person through the use of theater.

Matvey Dubrovin created an educational system that teaches children by means of theatrical art.

An author of various articles and methodological developments on aesthetic education, Matvey used the Theatre of Youth Creativity to educate the universe of now well-known figures of Russian theater and cinema, including Evgeny Sazonov, Lev Dodin, Sergei Solovyov, Aleksandr Galibin, Andrey Krasko.

Matvey Dubrovin was born in Saratov.

His father was a tailor, and he was the fourth son.

In 1956, Dubrovin starts to lead Theater of Youth Creativity (main children's theater group in Leningrad), which brings together participants of all previously created, children's drama clubs.

November 10, 1956 TYUT opens its season with the play by Mikhail Svetlov, After Twenty Years.

Among the first students of TYUT are Evgeny Sazonov, Lev Dodin and Sergei Solovyov.

Theatre School TYUT, established in 1956 was built on the principle of the Matvey Dubrovin's Circle.

The typical "professional" theater of the time was managed with a defined hierarchy, where at the top were the director and the actors, and at the bottom were all of the theater's workshops: costume designers, make-up, props, and lighting.

Dubrovin moved away from this model and created a Circle, where all of the theatrical professions worked cohesively towards a path to a performance, resulting in common labor of all of the participants.

Each participant chose a theatrical profession according to their own taste, then trained in that profession.

This way, all participants contributed to the creation of the performance.

This helped keep children grounded and away from the "star" fever.

It is difficult to become conceited if today you act on stage, but tomorrow you are behind the scenes helping your friends.

At the head of each department stands a leader, who helps the workshop teacher.

Lessons in one of the workshops are mandatory for the Studio.

Thus, the participants get the skills of the theatrical professions and are prepared to work on their own TYUT performances.

Lev Dodin:

"I think his idea was bigger than professional theater by itself, or at least of the theater of that era -. He was the spirit – the prophet, the teacher in the Biblical sense of the word – Preacher" .

"Matvey Dubrovin was a terrific demiurge. Once we were working on the play " The secret is in the suitcase", with the second teacher, very smart, informative. We rehearsed it and it was very serious, but boring. Suddenly Dubrovin came in and began to disassemble the play and was able to show WHAT that play can become. He was the boss for us, but suddenly he grabbed a chair, pulled the table, jumped up on the table, picked up the chair and began to swing it ... We rolled down with laughter. I didn't know at that time that you can like the director. But from that moment I wanted to be on top of the table and swing chairs" .

Sergei Solovyov:

"The head of the Theatre of Youth Creativity was an amazing man, absolutely stunning – Matvey Dubrovin. He was not just the director of the theater, he was a man who radiated tremendous energy not only for the love of the theater, but simple love to the fact that in our life there are lots of nice things, and that it is necessary at some point to see, to feel, so then you can and will have a completely different life ... I still remember the sound of his voice ... That was the first lesson of his magic" .

" Dubrovin didn't teach me anything that can be material. He did more, he brought me to life, and to the right feeling about life. After talking with Matvey Dubrovin I suddenly understood that it is very interesting to live in this world".