Bitef

"G. Tovstonogov" award (2001). In addition, he was awarded the medal of the IV and 111 degree for National Merit (1996, 2003). Pyotr Naumovich Fomenko did more than sixty plays in theatres in Moscow, Leningrad, Tbillisi, Wroclaw (Poland), Salzburg (Austria) and Paris (France). His latest theatre work is The Forest by A. Ostrovsky, that had its premiere in March 2003 on the stage of the Parisian Comedie-Francaise theatre. He is currently preparing The Three Sisters by A. P. Chekhov.

It is commonly taken that the date of the origin of the "P. Fomenko's Workshop" Theatre is the year 1993, when the mayor of

Moscow signed a decree founding the municipal theatre under the leadership of P. N. Fomenko. The "Fomenkites" themselves, however, count their biography since 1988 when P. Fomenko chose the second group for his school workshop at the department of direction of the Russian Theatre Art Academy (GITIS), The name came about spontaneously: the word "workshop", the name for all classes at the GITIS, simply outgrew its nickname status. And thus came to be the Moscow "Pyotr Fomenko's Workshop" theatre where, apart from the art director, plays are set by Sergei Zenovach, Evgeniy Kamenykovich, Ivan Popovsky and Nikolay Druchek. The theatre seats are regularly filled by the master's students: at the present, three generations of "Fomenkites" are in the troupe. The company counts twenty-five actors and five directors in total.

With the decree from the Moscow Government the theatre got its location for management. After renovation and repairs, the new theatre building was officially opened on January 13, 2000.

Nowadays, mostly plays created in the past few years are on repertoire. These are primarily directing productions of P. N. Fomenko: 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 Shaio by J. Giraudoux (2001) and Egyptian Nights by A. S. Pushkin and V. Y. Bryusov (2002). Also there are some pieces by the other directors: A Month In the Village by 1. S. Turgenyev (1996), directed by Sergei Zenovach; The Dance on Harvest Day by B.

Fril (2001) directed by Frit Pedayas; The Poisoned Tunic by N, Gumilyov (2003) directed by Ivan Popovsky; The Night Butterfly by P. Gladilin (2002) directed by Nikolai Druchek. The theatre has realised over twenty productions since it was founded.

In its ten years of existence the theatre won various prizes and recognitions: the "Stanislavsky" award (1994, 2000), the National Theatre Award "The Golden Mask" (1995, 2001, 2002), the "Tovstonogov" award (2001) and the "Triumph" award (2001). It won prizes internationally at assorted theatre manifestations: on the international "Hersonese games" festival (1993); at the international theatre festival "Contact" in Poland (1993, 1996); At the Bitef festival in Belgrade (1997); on the Voloqodsky festival "Voices of History" (2001). The theatre has participated in various Russian and international festivals, including the international Chekhov Festival (1998); Christmas Festival in Novosibirsk (1997, 2001); Vologodsky festival "Voices of History" (2001); Sevastopol festival "Hersonese Games” (1993), Polish festival "Contact" (1993, 1996); Venice Biennale (1995); Avignon Festival (1997); Belgrade Bitef Festival (1997); Bohn Theatre biennale (1997); Autumn Parisian festival (1998, 2002, 2003) and Autumn Madrid Festival (2002,2003). It has often successfully toured the cities of Russia, Europe, Latin America, USA and Japan.