Bitef

cruelty of Russian life to the core, bitter and horrid in its recognizability ("investigations everywhere, surveillance, informers, informers, informers...“). Despite its success with the audience, the peculiar and perceptive play in collision with the "grand style" of Soviet theatre was taken off the repertoire. During the seventies Fomenko survives between the two capitals. He became the director of the “Comedy" theatre in Leningrad in 1972, and from 1977-1981 he was the leading director there. There, he directed: That Dear Old House by A. Arbuzov (1972): There will be no Trojan War by Jean Giraudoux (1973); The Old New Year by M. Roschin (1974); Moliere's Misanthrope and G. Nikitin's Muse (both 1975): The Forest by A. Ostrovsky and Wedding. Anniversary by A. Chekhov (both 1979): Tyorkin-Tyorkin by A. Tvardovsky (1980); The Tale of he Arden Wood by W. Shakespeare (1981) and many more. At the same period he directed plays in Moscow theatres: The Tests Last Constantly after E. de Filippo (1976) at the Theatre of the Soviet Army and Lyubov Yarovaya by K. Trenev (1977) at the Little theatre. Together with working in theatres, Fomenko worked very hard and fruitfully for the Central Television and created his unrepeatable teletheatre. Here he did plays like The Story of Nasredin Khoja (1967): The Queen of Spades after A. S. Pushkin (1969 and 1985): Childhood. Boyhood. Youth (1970) and Family Happiness (1972) after L. N. Tplstoy: Gunshot (1979), Snow Storm (1982) and The Coffin maker (1991) after A. S. Pushkin (1969 and 1985). Aside from that Fomenko made feature films: For all the Life left after the piece Travelling Companions by V, Panova (1974 - 1975) for Lentelfilm: An almost Funny Tale after the script by E. Braginsky (1976 - 1977) for the Central television and Journeys with an Old Car (1986) for Mosfilnn. In 1981 Fomenko leaves the Leningrad "Comedy" theatre and

returns to Moscow, where he parts from repertoire theatre and focuses on pedagogy at the GUIS (now RATI). Fomenko received the title of professor from the Russian Theatre Art Academy (RATI) in 1992. In the GUIS lecture hails the plays Fomenko did with his students saw the light of day: Boris Godunov (1984) and Queen of Spades (1988) after A. Pushkin, The Card Players by N, V. Gogol (with R. Siroty 1986); Wolves and Sheep by A. Ostrovsky (1992); The Wedding by A. P. Chekhov (1996). Throughout the years, four classes of Fomenko's students entered theatre life professionally, including the directors Sergey Zenovach, Ivan Popovsky, Oleg Ribkin, Yelena Nevezina, Vladimir Epifancev, Vasilliy Senyin, Mindaugas Karbauskis, Sergej Puskepalis, Nikolay Druchek and others. Parallel to his pedagogical work, Fomenko keeps directing in Moscow theatres. His directorial creations made from 1980-1990 in numerous theatres include The Fruits of Enlightment by L. N. Tolstoy in the "Maiakovsky" Theatre (1985); The Lawsuit by A. V. Sukhovo-Kobilin (1988): Our Lord by F. Goerenstein (1990); Guilty Without Guilt by A. N. Ostrovsky (1993); Queen of Spades after A. S. Pushkin (1996); Resurrection or St. Anthony's Miracle by M. Meterlink (1999) at the 'Evgeniy Vahtangov" theatre; Caligula by A. Camus at the "Mossoviet" theatre (1990); The Magnificent Cuckold by F. Kromelink at the "Satyricon" theatre (1994). Fomenko's acting/directing class (his second) received the status of a theatre in 1993, with Pyotr Naumovich Fomenko as art director. The name came spontaneously: the word “workshop", the name for all classes at the GUIS, simply outgrew its nickname status. Thus was born the Moscow "Pyotr Fomenko's Workshop" theatre where, apart from the art director, plays are set by Sergei Zenovach, Evgeniy Kamenykovich, Ivan Popovski and Nikolai Druchek. The theatre seats are regularly filled by the master's students. At the present, three generations of "Fomenkites" (as the theatre Moscow calls the "Workshop" actors) are in the troupe, and some have already made names for themselves: Galina Tyunina, Ksenia i Polina Kutyopova, Kiril Pirogov, Karen Badalov, Yuri Styepanov, Irina Pegova, Evgeniy Ciganov and others. Fomenkos pieces are on repertoire: Wolves and Sheep by A. N. Ostrovsky (1992), A Completely Happy Village after B. B. Bachtin (2000), L. N. Tolstoy's prose dramatisation Family Happiness (2000) and War and Peace. The Beginning of the Novel. Scenes (2001), The Fool of Sha/o by J. Giraudoux (2001) and Egyptian Nights by A. S. Pushkin (2002). Fomenko's plays have been regularly receiving various theatre awards: the "Stanislavsky" award (1994, 2000), the "Crystal Turandot" award (1994, 1996), the National Theatre Award "The Golden Mask" (1995, 2001, 2002). P. N. Fomenko himself got the title of Russia's national Artist in 1993 and was awarded the Russian Federation State Award (1995, 1998, 2002), the Triumph" Award (2001) and the