Youth Theatre on the Fontanka, Theatre company near Fontanka River, Saint Petersburg, Russia
The Youth Theatre on the Fontanka is a theatre company based in a historic building on the bank of the Fontanka River in Saint Petersburg. It has two stages of different sizes, where a permanent ensemble performs alongside guest directors and visiting artists.
The theatre was founded in 1974 by Vladimir Malishitsky, who shaped it from the start as a space for progressive work outside the mainstream Soviet stage. After the Soviet period, it continued on its own artistic path without major breaks in its identity.
The theatre is known for staging works by Dostoevsky and Shakespeare alongside contemporary Russian writing, often in unexpected ways. Audiences tend to find the productions more personal and direct than what larger state theatres typically offer.
The building sits directly on the Fontanka embankment, which makes it easy to find on foot from central Saint Petersburg. The two stages may have separate entrances, so it is worth checking which one applies before arriving.
The permanent company numbers around one hundred actors, which is unusually large for a theatre of this size anywhere in Russia. Many of them come directly from the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts, joining the ensemble shortly after graduation.
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