Anatoly Vasiliev: Biography

       A .Vasiliev was born on May 4, 1942. Graduated from Rostov State University, faculty of Chemistry. In 1973 graduated from GITIS (the State Institute of Dramatic Art), where he had studied on the directing course supervised by A.Popov and M.Knebel. Being the director-intern he staged «A Solo for a Clock with Chimes» by O.Zaradnik with an older generation of distinguished actors. This performance also became the starting point for the artistic collaboration between Anatoly Vasiliev and Igor Popov, scenographer ; this collaboration has been going on up to these days. After the premiere of the performance «A Solo for a Clock with Chimes» the name of the young director became Moscow-famed among those who are interested in theatre. But his next stage productions « The First Draught of Vassa Zheleznova » by M.Gorky (1978) and «The Grown Daughter of a Young Man» by V.Slavkin (1979) staged in the Stanislavski Theatre broght him the real success. In the process of his artistic activity there was organized a group of actors who continued their acting together and with Vasiliev later. 
       In the beginning of 80ies Anatoly Vasiliev and his group of actors had to leave the Stanislavsky Theatre. In 1982 Yuri Lubimov invited Anatoly Vasiliev to work in the Taganka Theatre. Thus, in July 1985 on the Small stage of the Taganka theatre the premiere of a new performance «Cerceau» by V.Slavkin directed by Anatoly Vasiliev took place. «Cerceau» was voted the best performance of thetare season 1985-86.       
      On February 24, 1987 the theatre «School of Dramatic Art» under the direction of Anatoly Vasiliev was officially open and the presentation of the new performance «Six Characters in Search of an Author» by Luigi Piradello took place. By that time there were two performances directed by Anatoly Vasiliev in the repertoire of the theatre – “Six Characters in Search of an Author” and “Cerceau” by Victor Slavkin (“Cerceau” was staged by A.Vasiliev in 1985 in the Taganka theatre). Next few years these performances presented abroad brought to Anatoly Vasiliev the real success. 
       In 1987 Moscow theatre « School of Dramatic Art » toured abroad with the performance «Cerceau» for the first time. «Cerceau» was presented in the festivals in Stuttgart, Rotterdam, London, Belgrade. It was also performed in Helsinki, Budapest, Munich, Western Berlin, Brussels, Paris and Rome. 
       «Six Characters in Search of an Author» was presented in the festivals in Vienna, Milano, Avignon, Hvar, Western Berlin, Palermo, Prato, London, Montreal, New York, Mexico and Wroclaw. 
       On the venue of the theatre “School of Dramatic Art” Anatoly Vasiliev staged the following performances: «Today We Improvise» by L.Pirandello (1990); «Fiorenza» by T.Mann (1993); «Joseph and His Brothers» by T.Mann (1993); «Amphytrion» by Moliere (1994); «The Lamentation of Jeremiah», the book of Jeremian, sung, composer Vladimir Martynov (1996) – in 1997 the performance «The Lamentation of Jeremiah» was awarded the National Theatre Premium «The Golden Mask» in two nominations: «As the best performance» and «For the best scenography» ; "A.S.Pushkin. «Don Juan, or «the Stone Guest» and Other Verses» (1998) ; A.S.Pushkin «To ***» (1999) ; A.S.Pushkin «Mozart and Salieri/V.Martynov «Requiem» (2000) ; «Pushkin Matinée» (2000). 
       The performance «Medée – Materiaux» by Heiner Muller (2001) is the last premiere of the theatre «School of Dramatic Art». The performance «Amphytrio» was on toures in Bratislawa, Scopie, Taormina. It was presented in the festivals «Theater Formen» (Braunshweig), «Ibero Americano de Theatro» (Bogota, Columbia), «Festival delle Culture» (Leche, Italy), Fabrica Europa (Florence) and in the Festival d’Avignon. 
       The performance «The Lamentation of Jeremiah» was awarded the National Premium of Russia The Golden Mask in two nominations : «As the best performance» and «For the best scenography». «The Lamentation of Jeremiah» was presented in the festival Taormina Arte, in the festivals in Berlin, Avignon, Goeteborg (Sweden) and in Stockholm within the framework of the programme Stockholm – Cultural Capital of Europe’ 98, in Sevilla, Barcelona. 
       The performance «A.S.Pushkin. «Don Juan, or «the Stone Guest» and Other Verses» was performed in Theatre du Soleil in Paris and in the Centre of Studies on Jerzy Grotowski"s Work and of the Cultural and Theatrical Research in Wroclaw, Poland. The performance A.S.Pushkin «To ***» was on tour in Theatre Moliere in Paris. The performance A.S.Pushkin «Mozart and Salieri» was presented in Teatro Valle in Rome. 
      Anatoly Vasiliev also staged several performances abroad : «Bal Masque» by Lermontov, Comedie Francaise (1992), «The Uncle’s Dream» by F.Dostoevsky, Budapest Art’s Theatre (1994), «The Queen of Spades», by P.Chaikovsky, National German Theatre and State Weimar Chappel (1996), «More Sinned against than Sinning» by A.Ostrovsky, Siglighetti Theatre, Hungary (1998), «Amphytrion» by Moliere, Comedie Francaise (2002). Anatoly Vasiliev has been already teaching at GITIS since 1981, at first as a teacher on the course supervised by A.Efros and sinse 1984 as a course supervsor. 
        The theatre «School of Dramatic Art» created by Anatoly Vasiliev is a unique model of theatre from the point of view of its artistic, intellectual, professional and ethic relations. The concept of the «theatre – laboratory» gives the opportunity to fulfil the research and experiment. As a result of the seminars and laboratory researches in the «School of Dramatic Art» there appear new performances, there are conducted open rehearsals devoted to a certain author, to a text or to a theme. 
       For the time of its existence in the theatre-laboratory there were staged the following performances (as laboratory works) : «Dumas» - chapters from the novels by A.Dumas (1987), «Vis-a-Vis» - chapters from the novels by F.Dostoevskoy (1988), «Demons» based on the novel by F.Dostoevsky (1988), «An evening with Maupaussant» (1988), «Dialogues» by Plato (1988, 1990), «Simple Talks» by Erasmus (1989), «Oscar Wild. «The Critic as an Artist» (1989), «The Republic» by Plato (1992), «Evening with Moliere» (1992), A.S.Pushkin «Conversations with a Poet» (1994), «Pushkin evenings» («Mozart and Salieri», «The Stone Guest» and Other Verses in dialogues and interludes», «Evgueni Oneguin», 1995), «Homer. Iliada» (1997, 2001), «Puskin Matinee» (2000). 
       Besides, several joint projects were realized : «Vis-a-Vis» based on the novel by F.Dostoevsky «Idiot» with Centro Kunstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin, 1992 ; «I am a Seagull» based on the plays by A.Chekhov, 1991 ; «Each in His Own Way» based on the play by L.Prandello with University of Rome, Centro Teatro Ateneo and Theatro di Roma, 1993 ; projects with Academe Experimentale des Theatres under the direction of Mm Michelle Kokosowski, 1993, 1996, 2001 ; projects with Workcentre of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Ricards in Pontedera, 1993,1996, 1999 ; the theatre « School of Dramatic Art » is a participants of a joint international project of theatre organizations of European Countries of «Ecole des Maitres». Sessions of Ecole des Maitres directed by A.Vasiliev and M.Langhoff took place in Moscow in 1997 and 1998. 
      In April 2001 Moscow theatre «School of Dramatic Art» was accepted in the Union des Theatres de l’Europe. Anatoly Vasiliev is the author of the books : «A propos de Bal Masque de Mikhail Lermontov», «Szinhazi Fuga», «Sept ou huit lecons du theatre», «Ione e Menone di Platone», «A un unico lettore». 
       Anatoly Vasiliev is a laureate of Russian Stanislavsky Premium (1988), holder of the «Order of the Cavalier of Art and Literature» (France, 1989), laureate of the premium «Nuove Realita Europee» (Taormina, Italy, 1990), and the winner «Chaos prize» - the Pirandello prize (Agrigento, Italy, 1992), the Honoured Art Worker of Russia (1993), the laureate of the premium of Stanislasky Fund for the contribution into the development of theatre pedagogics (Russia, 1995). 
      In 1999 Anatoly Vasiliev and Igor Popov were awarded the State Premium of Russia in the field of Literature and Art for the creation of Moscow theatre «School of Dramatic Art». 
       In 2001 they were awarded the National Premium «Triumph».