Behind The Scenes At The Bolshoi Theatre
Martine Self
January 26, 2006
Recently, one of Russia’s cultural treasures was closed to the public for a lengthy period of much-needed renovation. Before it closed, I jumped at the chance to tour the Bolshoi (big) Theatre and unearth some of its history.
The Bolshoi is not the first theatre to stand imposingly on the impressive square known as Teatralnaya Ploschad (Theatre Square) just a stone’s throw away from Red Square.. There were at least two previous incarnations, both of which burnt down. This third incarnation dates from 1856, a date which is inscribed above the main entrance into the auditorium.
In 1776, Catherine the Great signed a decree ordering the foundation of a musical theatre in Moscow which would incorporate both opera and ballet. Prince Peter Urussov, together with an English business partner, Michael Medox, undertook to build the theatre in return for a permanent box. They acquired the cheapest possible site in Moscow and in 1780, built the first theatre, known as the Petrovsky theatre. Though it was three stories high, it was much smaller than the present building. It burnt down in 1805.
In the 19th Century, Moscow was awash with private theatres. Anyone who was anyone and who could afford it, built his own theatre on his estate and used his own serf troupe to entertain his friends. It was considered degrading for the nobility to have to go to a public theatre and to share the spectacle with others whose pedigrees might not have been so illustrious.
However, the reigning Tsar, Alexander, passed a law which resulted in a move from private to public theatre and which resulted in the rebuilding of the Bolshoi theatre, this time on a much larger scale in 1825. It was only called ‘Bolshoi’ because it was the biggest building in Moscow at the time. This, the second theatres, was burnt down again in 1853.
The theatre which stands on Teatralnaya Ploschad today was rebuilt in 1856 on the order of Nicholas 1 to celebrate his coronation.
Containing some 2, 153 seats, the main body of the auditorium was intended for the hoi polloi, while the aristocracy took to the boxes which are located in a semi-circle overlooking the main auditorium. A noble family would normally hire their own box for the duration of the season and it was not uncommon for them to visit the theatre every night. It is still possible to hire a box for an entire season today, though it costs in the region of $10,000 a year. Acoustically, the Tsar’s or the Imperial Box situated over the main entrance to the auditorium always enjoyed the best sound in the theatre. Today it is used to entertain visiting royalty or leaders of other countries. Its most recent high-profile visitor was Laura Bush, wife of George W Bush.
President Putin uses a box which is situated to the left of the stage (as you face the stage). During Stalin’s time, the area behind and above it was transformed into a 1,000sqm, three-storied sanctum which has every possible convenience that might be needed during a performance. It contains a bathroom, a bedroom, dressing room, even a medical room and a kitchen/diningroom. It also is completely separate from the rest of the theatre and has its own private entrance. Being partial to ballet and opera, Stalin used to visit the Bolshoi far more frequently than President Putin has been known to do.
Despite its practical uses, the ordinary visitor would most probably judge it to be a rather awkward position as it overlooks the orchestra pit and is at the very left of the stage.
In the aristocratic boxes, known as the ‘loges’, a word taken from the French, there was a space behind the front row of the box where a samovar or Russian tea kettle would normally be on the boil so that its occupants could take their own private refreshments during the interval. Mirrors were also available so that the aristocratic theatregoers could ensure that they looked their best in their glamorous finery when they were visible to the rest of the audience, when sitting out at the front of the box.
Our guide pointed out that nowadays, in the main area of the auditorium, theatregoers are free to move to a better seat if they should find one empty, in contrast with theatres in London for example, where you are expected to remain in the seat that corresponds with your ticket.
The stage
At present it is 14 x 20m and it has a depth of 23m. It is shielded by an upper and a lower set of curtains. The largest curtain, which is the oldest and more magnificent of the two consists of brocade, hand sewn with gold thread and designed by the stage designer, Fyodor Fyodorovsky in 1950. It is 1,000sqm in extent and weighs 1.5 tons. It features the crest of the USSR in contrast with the upper, smaller curtain which is newer, does not contain gold thread and which depicts the word ‘Rossiya’.This was erected in 1996.
During the planned renovation of the theatre, it is envisaged that the larger of the two curtains be removed and replaced with a curtain that is a replica of the original 1856 curtain that contained emblems associated with the Romanov dynasty.
During our tour, the guide pointed out a small removable ‘bridge’ which was placed over the orchestra pit towards one side. This is to allow the show’s director to hastily leap onto the stage from the auditorium to explain the finer points of choreography to errant performers. It is removed during performances.
Although a full dress rehearsal for a ballet performance was underway during our tour, our group was able to quietly sneak onto the stage and stand in the wings for a short while, bearing in mind our guide’s warnings that it was the most dangerous place in the theatre as objects could fall from the ceiling, holes open up in the flooring, and heavy objects making up the set are pushed onto the stage.
Bowels
There is a private entrance off Petrovka Ulitsa sidestreet through which performers and other workers are expected to enter the bowels of the theatre on their way to work. Since the ‘Nord-Ost’ terrorist attack, security personnel now check staff using metal detectors.
Painted a shade of ‘hospital green’ or yellow, the corridors that run maze-like under the theatre are gloomy and dimly lit, probably not very different from what they looked like during the Soviet era. FEet of electrical wiring are attached to the wall some 10 to 15 wires deep. They seem to have been covered by several layers of paint. Understandably,
no-smoking signs are everywhere.
Under the stage lies a motley assortment of heavy machinery, some dating back to 1905 which it has been impossible to remove up to now, though the area will be cleared and modernised during the forthcoming renovation of the theatre.
Nowadays preliminary rehearsals take place in a 180-seat theatre situated above the main auditorium. Here family members of performers are able to watch their relatives perfect their craft prior to the final rehearsal. Before the introduction of electricity, this particular room was used to accommodate the auditorium’s main chandelier which was hoisted up into its space. Once hoisted, the chandelier’s many oil lamps these were individually lit, before being lowered back into the auditorium. It was not unknown for lamps to overheat, and shatter, sending shards of glass over the audience. To prevent injuries, a special circus-like net was suspended below the chandelier in order to contain the broken glass.
Once electricity was introduced, in the early 20th century, the current French-made chandelier, much larger than the first chandelier, was installed. It contains 30,000 pieces of crystal and weighs two tons. At one stage, candles were used to illuminate the boxes but this was a relatively rare occurrence as they were expensive.
If you look up and examine the ceiling of the main auditorium, you will see that it contains scenes depicting Apollo surrounded by the nine muses. These were painted on canvas and pasted over a special type of wood which reverberated slightly, and which was responsible for the Bolshoi’s world-renowned acoustics. Over time the original wood has been replaced with less flexible wood, though during the renovations, it is planned to restore the ceiling according to its original design.
One major reason for the restoration of the theatre is due to the fact that the building was constructed over marshy ground, causing it to subside slightly. At one time a sudden subsidence caused the exit doors to be jammed shut which forced the audience to leave the theatre by climbing out of windows.
The main portico and the statue of Apollo which sits over it were damaged during World War 2, The Bolshoi also suffered damage due to World War II, when in 1941 a 500 lb. bomb exploded in its lobby, destroying its façade and part of the auditorium. Reconstruction began immediately, and despite the fact that it was right in the middle of the war, it took only 240 days for complete restoration. There has been no other major restoration since the theatre’s opening in 1856.
Apart from renovating the seats in the auditorium, it is also planned to install a newer, larger stage with a turntable and separate interchangeable floors which can be used for ballet performances.
There is a second public theatre inside the Bolshoi on the second floor, known as the Beethoven Hall. Originally this was set aside for the Imperial family to relax in, in private, but in 1920, after the Revolution, it was converted into a musical concert hall where special recitals are held today.
While exploring the third floor of the Bolshoi, I expected to see more evidence of artistes in rehearsal, but much of this takes place behind closed doors. We were, however, able to watch a ballet troupe in rehearsal. I also expected to see more evidence of costumes being made and sets being built but these take place in separate buildings behind the theatre itself.
According to our guide, out of 3,000 employees, there are some 800 employees directly engaged in performances and these are all hired on the basis of a renewable annual contract which ends on the last day of June. Apart from the main corps de ballet, there are also ballet and operatic soloists and several choirs in the Bolshoi’s employ. Recently one prima ballerina, Anastasia Valenchikova was featured in the global media when her contract was terminated after her male co-dancers had alleged that she was too tall and overweight, thus causing them injury when they tried to lift her during ‘pas de deux’ routines. She successfully appealed to an employment tribunal for reinstatement.
In order to ascertain how young recruits to the ballet corps will develop, their mothers are expected to attend their first auditions. If the mother is too tall and overweight, regardless of how small the young dancer is, their chances of success are likely to be nil.
Our guide explained that to work for the Bolshoi, represented a lifetime’s calling. Several generations of the same family can be employed there in one way or another
The more than one million people who visit the theatre annually may not be able to enjoy the splendid surroundings of the Bolshoi theatre while it undergoes renovation, but they will be able to see the artistes of the Bolshoi company performing at the New Stage (just adjacent to the Bolshoi) and at the Maly Theatre on the other side of Petrovak ulitsa.
The Bolshoi is not the first theatre to stand imposingly on the impressive square known as Teatralnaya Ploschad (Theatre Square) just a stone’s throw away from Red Square.. There were at least two previous incarnations, both of which burnt down. This third incarnation dates from 1856, a date which is inscribed above the main entrance into the auditorium.
In 1776, Catherine the Great signed a decree ordering the foundation of a musical theatre in Moscow which would incorporate both opera and ballet. Prince Peter Urussov, together with an English business partner, Michael Medox, undertook to build the theatre in return for a permanent box. They acquired the cheapest possible site in Moscow and in 1780, built the first theatre, known as the Petrovsky theatre. Though it was three stories high, it was much smaller than the present building. It burnt down in 1805.
In the 19th Century, Moscow was awash with private theatres. Anyone who was anyone and who could afford it, built his own theatre on his estate and used his own serf troupe to entertain his friends. It was considered degrading for the nobility to have to go to a public theatre and to share the spectacle with others whose pedigrees might not have been so illustrious.
However, the reigning Tsar, Alexander, passed a law which resulted in a move from private to public theatre and which resulted in the rebuilding of the Bolshoi theatre, this time on a much larger scale in 1825. It was only called ‘Bolshoi’ because it was the biggest building in Moscow at the time. This, the second theatres, was burnt down again in 1853.
The theatre which stands on Teatralnaya Ploschad today was rebuilt in 1856 on the order of Nicholas 1 to celebrate his coronation.
Containing some 2, 153 seats, the main body of the auditorium was intended for the hoi polloi, while the aristocracy took to the boxes which are located in a semi-circle overlooking the main auditorium. A noble family would normally hire their own box for the duration of the season and it was not uncommon for them to visit the theatre every night. It is still possible to hire a box for an entire season today, though it costs in the region of $10,000 a year. Acoustically, the Tsar’s or the Imperial Box situated over the main entrance to the auditorium always enjoyed the best sound in the theatre. Today it is used to entertain visiting royalty or leaders of other countries. Its most recent high-profile visitor was Laura Bush, wife of George W Bush.
President Putin uses a box which is situated to the left of the stage (as you face the stage). During Stalin’s time, the area behind and above it was transformed into a 1,000sqm, three-storied sanctum which has every possible convenience that might be needed during a performance. It contains a bathroom, a bedroom, dressing room, even a medical room and a kitchen/diningroom. It also is completely separate from the rest of the theatre and has its own private entrance. Being partial to ballet and opera, Stalin used to visit the Bolshoi far more frequently than President Putin has been known to do.
Despite its practical uses, the ordinary visitor would most probably judge it to be a rather awkward position as it overlooks the orchestra pit and is at the very left of the stage.
In the aristocratic boxes, known as the ‘loges’, a word taken from the French, there was a space behind the front row of the box where a samovar or Russian tea kettle would normally be on the boil so that its occupants could take their own private refreshments during the interval. Mirrors were also available so that the aristocratic theatregoers could ensure that they looked their best in their glamorous finery when they were visible to the rest of the audience, when sitting out at the front of the box.
Our guide pointed out that nowadays, in the main area of the auditorium, theatregoers are free to move to a better seat if they should find one empty, in contrast with theatres in London for example, where you are expected to remain in the seat that corresponds with your ticket.
The stage
At present it is 14 x 20m and it has a depth of 23m. It is shielded by an upper and a lower set of curtains. The largest curtain, which is the oldest and more magnificent of the two consists of brocade, hand sewn with gold thread and designed by the stage designer, Fyodor Fyodorovsky in 1950. It is 1,000sqm in extent and weighs 1.5 tons. It features the crest of the USSR in contrast with the upper, smaller curtain which is newer, does not contain gold thread and which depicts the word ‘Rossiya’.This was erected in 1996.
During the planned renovation of the theatre, it is envisaged that the larger of the two curtains be removed and replaced with a curtain that is a replica of the original 1856 curtain that contained emblems associated with the Romanov dynasty.
During our tour, the guide pointed out a small removable ‘bridge’ which was placed over the orchestra pit towards one side. This is to allow the show’s director to hastily leap onto the stage from the auditorium to explain the finer points of choreography to errant performers. It is removed during performances.
Although a full dress rehearsal for a ballet performance was underway during our tour, our group was able to quietly sneak onto the stage and stand in the wings for a short while, bearing in mind our guide’s warnings that it was the most dangerous place in the theatre as objects could fall from the ceiling, holes open up in the flooring, and heavy objects making up the set are pushed onto the stage.
Bowels
There is a private entrance off Petrovka Ulitsa sidestreet through which performers and other workers are expected to enter the bowels of the theatre on their way to work. Since the ‘Nord-Ost’ terrorist attack, security personnel now check staff using metal detectors.
Painted a shade of ‘hospital green’ or yellow, the corridors that run maze-like under the theatre are gloomy and dimly lit, probably not very different from what they looked like during the Soviet era. FEet of electrical wiring are attached to the wall some 10 to 15 wires deep. They seem to have been covered by several layers of paint. Understandably,
no-smoking signs are everywhere.
Under the stage lies a motley assortment of heavy machinery, some dating back to 1905 which it has been impossible to remove up to now, though the area will be cleared and modernised during the forthcoming renovation of the theatre.
Nowadays preliminary rehearsals take place in a 180-seat theatre situated above the main auditorium. Here family members of performers are able to watch their relatives perfect their craft prior to the final rehearsal. Before the introduction of electricity, this particular room was used to accommodate the auditorium’s main chandelier which was hoisted up into its space. Once hoisted, the chandelier’s many oil lamps these were individually lit, before being lowered back into the auditorium. It was not unknown for lamps to overheat, and shatter, sending shards of glass over the audience. To prevent injuries, a special circus-like net was suspended below the chandelier in order to contain the broken glass.
Once electricity was introduced, in the early 20th century, the current French-made chandelier, much larger than the first chandelier, was installed. It contains 30,000 pieces of crystal and weighs two tons. At one stage, candles were used to illuminate the boxes but this was a relatively rare occurrence as they were expensive.
If you look up and examine the ceiling of the main auditorium, you will see that it contains scenes depicting Apollo surrounded by the nine muses. These were painted on canvas and pasted over a special type of wood which reverberated slightly, and which was responsible for the Bolshoi’s world-renowned acoustics. Over time the original wood has been replaced with less flexible wood, though during the renovations, it is planned to restore the ceiling according to its original design.
One major reason for the restoration of the theatre is due to the fact that the building was constructed over marshy ground, causing it to subside slightly. At one time a sudden subsidence caused the exit doors to be jammed shut which forced the audience to leave the theatre by climbing out of windows.
The main portico and the statue of Apollo which sits over it were damaged during World War 2, The Bolshoi also suffered damage due to World War II, when in 1941 a 500 lb. bomb exploded in its lobby, destroying its façade and part of the auditorium. Reconstruction began immediately, and despite the fact that it was right in the middle of the war, it took only 240 days for complete restoration. There has been no other major restoration since the theatre’s opening in 1856.
Apart from renovating the seats in the auditorium, it is also planned to install a newer, larger stage with a turntable and separate interchangeable floors which can be used for ballet performances.
There is a second public theatre inside the Bolshoi on the second floor, known as the Beethoven Hall. Originally this was set aside for the Imperial family to relax in, in private, but in 1920, after the Revolution, it was converted into a musical concert hall where special recitals are held today.
While exploring the third floor of the Bolshoi, I expected to see more evidence of artistes in rehearsal, but much of this takes place behind closed doors. We were, however, able to watch a ballet troupe in rehearsal. I also expected to see more evidence of costumes being made and sets being built but these take place in separate buildings behind the theatre itself.
According to our guide, out of 3,000 employees, there are some 800 employees directly engaged in performances and these are all hired on the basis of a renewable annual contract which ends on the last day of June. Apart from the main corps de ballet, there are also ballet and operatic soloists and several choirs in the Bolshoi’s employ. Recently one prima ballerina, Anastasia Valenchikova was featured in the global media when her contract was terminated after her male co-dancers had alleged that she was too tall and overweight, thus causing them injury when they tried to lift her during ‘pas de deux’ routines. She successfully appealed to an employment tribunal for reinstatement.
In order to ascertain how young recruits to the ballet corps will develop, their mothers are expected to attend their first auditions. If the mother is too tall and overweight, regardless of how small the young dancer is, their chances of success are likely to be nil.
Our guide explained that to work for the Bolshoi, represented a lifetime’s calling. Several generations of the same family can be employed there in one way or another
The more than one million people who visit the theatre annually may not be able to enjoy the splendid surroundings of the Bolshoi theatre while it undergoes renovation, but they will be able to see the artistes of the Bolshoi company performing at the New Stage (just adjacent to the Bolshoi) and at the Maly Theatre on the other side of Petrovak ulitsa.
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