Serf Theater of the Demidovs ‘Sloboda Palace’ in German Quarter: Organization, Creativity and Decline of the Noble Home Theaters Tradition in Moscow at the Turn of 19th Century

Serf theaters played an important role in the development of the European theatrical tradition in Russia. For the most part they were nonprofessional and private. Both public and professional serf collectives were rather rare. The paper analyzed the history of the home serf theater, created by Russian nobles and industrialists N. A. and N. N. Demidov. It functioned in their Moscow house “Sloboda Palace”, located within the German Quarter — an elite suburb which contributed to the spread of theatrical culture here. The Demidov Theater was related to a small group of serf theaters that stood between small amateur theaters and large professional ones. Therefore, they were called “midsized” theater. However, they brought up future Russian actors and future Russian spectators in Russia, thanks to which theatrical art began to develop and enjoy great interest in the country. The paper on the basis of archival documents shows the life and structure of the Demidov Theater. Much attention is paid to the appearance and internal structure of the Demidov Theater building. The author highlights different forms of stage art that were available here. The study also dwells upon the musicians and singers who played a large role in the cultural life of the Demidov Palace and Theater, namely the family of the serf actor Mochalov, who belonged to Demidov and whose son came to be a great national Russian actor. The paper examines the causes and conditions of fading of the manor theater culture in Moscow, including the Demidov Manor Theater.