Public cultural institution
"Ulyanovsk Regional Puppet Theater named after V.M. Leontyeva, a People's Artist of the USSR "Visit to a fairy tale"

 

 

  

Information
The Ulyanovsk Regional Puppet Theater was founded 10 April 1944 under the guidance of the Moscow Operetta artists: Nicholaj Valentinovich and Marina Nikolaevna Missyura. The theater is engaged into aesthetic and spiritual education of the younger generation.
The theater interior is unusual. Crossing its threshold, a child enters the world of fairy tales and magic. The cloakroom is the realm of the Snow Queen: the ceiling covered with crushed icicles, stained glass mirrors powdered with frost and even cloakroom tickets in the form of snowflakes.
The auditorium interior practically embodies the dream of Bremen musicians: carpet is a flower meadow, the walls display birds, giant pines and other trees, and the ceiling is a starry arch, colorful seats for 212 spectators.

After performance, parents and children are invited to visit the theater cafe “Seventh Kingdom”.
In the lobby before the show kids can have a ride on a real train. An electric locomotive with three cars, can take onboard 4 children under 7 years old.
Here is also a "corner of the rules of the road”. Posters, stylized as children's drawings, explain in simple terms the basic rules of the road. Together with traffic police officers the Puppet Theater regularly holds meetings "Children on the roads", where kids are taught the proper behavior on the roadway.

At the theater there is a playing ground, which includes several slides, swings and other attractions. Here after performances animators play with children.
The theater stuff includes an Honored Worker of Culture of Russia, an Honored Artist of Russia, and Honored Art Workers of Russia.
The theater activity aims to expand the sphere of its influence on children's leisure time, assisting in educating the younger generation.
The theater is carrying out great visiting activity: in schools and kindergartens of the city and the Ulyanovsk oblast. The Ulyanovsk Puppet Theater was awarded a special prize of the Governor Sergei Morozov at the festival "Litsedej" for "promotion of theatrical art in the Ulyanovsk Oblast”. In total the theater performs 40 visiting productions at the region.

Repertoire
The theater repertoire politics is focused on the world classic drama. The repertoire has been developed for different age groups. The repertoire contains more than 30 productions of different genres, topics and artistic expression.
The theatre playbill contains Russian folk tales: "In Pike's command", "Hen Ryaba", "The Tinder Box", "What a turnip!", "Gingerbread Man", as well as works by Chukovski, A. Pushkin, Aksakov
, S. Marshak and Bazhov. There are also the tales by foreign authors: O. Preusler, A. Saint-Exupery, Hans Christian Andersen, C. Perrot, D. Kinoshita.
Much attention is paid to vital issues, such as fire safety. There has been staged a play "Adventure with fire" (by N. Sinina). The theater tours with this play at the kindergartens and schools of the region. Together with the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia in the Ulyanovsk region the theater holds meetings with children, with the aim to prevent and predict fire situations.

By the 65th anniversary of the victory in World War II in the theater had staged a patriotic play "The Foal" (M. Sholokhov), for the adult audiences there is a program "Songs of the war years" (based on "Vasily Terkin” by Tvardovsky).
The theater regularly holds theme-based events dedicated to a certain writer.

Memorializing V.M. Leontyeva
August 1, 2008 in the alley at the theater there was set a monument to the People's artist of the USSR V.M. Leontyeva, remembered by the millions of Russians as the linkman of a children's program "Good night, kids!" And "Visit to a fairy tale." All the dates important for the theater - opening and closing of the theater season, the International Day of a puppeteer - traditionally begin at the monument.
The theater has a unique audio disc with tales performed by V.M. Leontiev. April 1, 2009 the Governor Sergei Morozov has presented to the theater a clip with Valentina Leontyeva. All these materials are shown to the audience.
Theater carefully cherishes the memory of the television presenter Valentina Leontyeva. In the creative workshops of the theater there have been manufactured the favorite characters of the TV-show "Good night, kids!": Khrusha, Stepashka, Philya and Karkusha. The actors use the puppets in interactive games with children. Here every child can become a linkman of the popular TV program "Good night, kids!", or turn into a beloved character for a short while and discourse upon one’s behavior at home, theater etiquette, favorite books, etc.

Projects implemented by the Ulyanovsk Regional Puppet Theater named after V.M. Leontyeva
The Ulyanovsk Puppet Theater organizers festivals and tours. It has become a tradition to hold a "Carousel of Tales" as part of exchange tours of the Volga Federal District theaters. The"Carousel of Tales" is held annually in April. The first festival was held in 2004.
In the days of "Carousel" Ulyanovsk is attended by the theaters from Chuvashia, Tatarstan, Mordovia and Samara. The puppeteers show their best productions and the premieres of the latest season. Every day, the children of Ulyanovsk have the opportunity to get acquainted with the art of the neighboring puppet theaters. Meanwhile, the Ulyanovsk Theater is touring in the cities of the Volga Federal District. In course of time the geography of the festival is expanding.
The Theater takes an active part in organization of children’s drawings competitions held every season. There have been held exhibitions on the following topics: "The theater of my childhood," "The most beautiful butterfly," "How I Spent My Summer", "I live in Russia," "My favorite fairy-tale character," etc. The Prizes for the competition winners are provided by the Theater Board of Trustees.
Not only children, but also their parents sometimes participate in the competitions.

Competition "Theater School 2010”. The main objective of the competition is to enhance the creative interaction between the school and the puppet theater. In addition to this the project aims to promote the ethical values, the idea to raise children with help of best literary works and dramatic art; to attract public and mass media attention to educational institutions, engaged into art of puppet theater; to plan the future activities of the Puppet Theater in the light of the audience requests.

The Puppet Theater Museum
In the theater there is a museum of puppets, which exhibits the posters, sketches and models of the past. There are two large collections of mechanical puppets made by the Ural master A. Morozov in 1905 and 1947. It also exhibits puppets of various mechanics, used in different performances staged at various times at the theater. The exposition is periodically updated. Part of the puppets get old, and are replaced with the others.

Contacts:
432601, Ulyanovsk,
st. Goncharov, 10
Tel. (8422) 41-21-46 fax (8422) 42-22-33
www.ul-teatrkukol.ru
E-mail: karabas73@inbox.ru

Working hours:
Administration

Monday-Friday 09.00-17.00
Closed - Saturday-Sunday
Ticket agency
Tuesday - Friday 10.00-17.00
Saturday, Sunday 09.00-15.00
Closed-Monday