Russian directing school and dramaturgy in Vahe Shakhverdyan's theater

The authors focus on the theater of the director Vahe Shakhverdyan, which is a phenomenon in the history and modern life of Armenian performing art. Emphasizing the relevance and significance of the theatrical and cultural description of this artistic phenomenon, the authors correlate it with the phenomenon of the independent theater. The research is based on the principles of studying and analysing the director’s theater developed by the Russian school of theater studies. The article is the first attempt of the theatrical analysis of Shakhverdyan’s creative work as a stage director. The authors emphasize the decisive role of the Russian directing theater training in the formation and development of Shakhverdyan's theater. The artistic originality of Shakhverdyan’s theater is revealed during the analysis of his performances based on Russian classical drama. The performances based on the plays by M. Y. Lermontov, A. N. Ostrovsky and A. P. Chekhov, staged by Shakhverdyan in Armenian and Russian theaters are analyzed in the article. The research is based on the analysis of video footage of the plays, descriptions of performances by critics, and on the material from conversations of one of the authors of the article with the director Shakhverdyan, as well as on other interviews given by the director. The results of the study allow us to assert that Russian theater and Russian drama occupy one of the most important places in Shakhverdyan’s theater. The productions of Russian plays demonstrate Shakhverdyan’s original directing manner. It is distinguished by his bright theatrical metaphors, lack of gravitation toward immediate relevance, and an expressed desire for philosophical, humanistic performances. Shakhverdyan's individual theatrical style is based on the Russian directing education he received, on his comprehension of Russian stage performances by outstanding Soviet and Russian directors, and on the national character of Armenian people, their mentality, temperament, vivid imagery and tragic perception of the world.