Theater buffs from all over Ukraine recently gathered in Lviv to congratulate the actors of the Maria Zankovetska Theater, Ukraine’s first state-run theater founded in September 1917. When the actors were marking the 80th jubilee of their theater, it was actually 85 years old. It was only a few years ago that the theater’s true founding date was revealed, although veterans actors had known this long ago. But they had to keep quiet about it because no one could possibly dare to admit that the theater was born when the Central Rada government of the Ukrainian National Republic was in power. Academician Rostyslav Pylypchuk and his student, Candidate of Art History Ruslan Leonenko, were the ones who published documents confirming that on March 12, 1917, the first assembly of Ukrainian theatrical figures at Trinity People’s House in Kyiv set up the Committee of the Ukrainian National Theater headed by Volodymyr Vynnychenko, a prominent playwright and the deputy head of the Central Rada.
The committee set itself a goal to form and finance “theatrical facilities based on new ideas.” Aware of the importance of this task, the committee took part in establishing a governmental structure called the Theater Department at the Central Rada’s General Secretariat of Education. Preparatory work to establish Kyiv’s first state theater began in the summer of the same year, and in September 1917 the Ukrainian National Theater was founded on the basis of the itinerant “Society of Ukrainian Artists under the Direction of I. Marianenko” and the Mykola Lysenko Music and Drama School. It was later called the People’s Theater, and in 1922 it was renamed the Maria Zankovetska Theater.
These were difficult times, and the theater was forced to move from place to place: Chernihiv, Kremenchuk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Luhansk, and Kryvy Rih. The actors performed in nearly 100 cities until they obtained their own premises in 1931, which provided a tremendous impetus for artistic growth. The troupe was first led by Panas Saksahansky and later by Borys Romanytsky.
During World War II the actors were first evacuated to Kuban and then to Siberia. It was not until 1944 that the theater found a permanent home in Lviv. Almost all the leading theatrical figures came here, including Borys Romanytsky, Varvara Liubart, Vasyl Yaremenko, Nadia Dotsenko, Faina Haienko, and Volodymyr Danchenko. The company later incorporated the stars of the Galician theater Lesia Kryvytska and Ivan Rubchak.
Today’s stars are also well known throughout Ukraine. The theater is celebrating its artistic jubilee as a strong and confident troupe of actors that have staged a number of noteworthy productions. Such distinguished actors as Bohdan Kozak, Taisia Lytvynenko, Hryhorii Shumeiko, Lesia Humenetska, and Lesia Borkovska work here side by side with talented young actors trained at the Faculty of Culture and Art of Lviv National Ivan Franko University.
THEATRICAL HOUSE
The actors of the Zankovetska Theater form a tightly knit group, but they could hardly have achieved this distinction had it not been for the old and magical building where they work. There is something in this structure that, combined with the artists’ creative energy, creates an unforgettable spiritual aura, attracting people who become passionate fans of the theater after their very first visit.
A little historical background is in order here. A resident of Lviv, Stanislaw Skarbek, obtained a construction license in 1834, although he had planned to build a theater already in 1818. The first production, Sluby Panienskie (Maidens’ Vows) by the famous Polish comic dramatist Alexander Fredro, attracted Lviv’s beau monde, and a year later Skarbek willed the building to the city.
Skarbek had a difficult life. Hiss mother died a week after she gave birth to him, and his father died shortly after. The boy was brought up by his aunt Belska-Rzewuska. With no children of his own and knowing what it was it was like to be an orphan, although not a poor one, Skarbek willed all his property and money to the theater and to an orphanage that incorporated a number of vocational schools. (The playwright Fredro later got engaged to Skarbek’s former wife, which proves that Skarbek’s love of the theater was not accidental or spontaneous.)
People’s Painter of Ukraine Myron Kyprian said: “Since Skarbek and I were related through the Swierzavskis, Belskis, and Fredros, I asked my friend Dmytro Krvavych to make a bas-relief of the theater’s founder, and we placed it the lower foyer to mark his 150th death anniversary.”
Skarbek made his fortune by raising cattle. His family ridiculed him, saying, “If you go to a ball or a reception, don’t sit next to Skarbek, because he reeks of cattle.” This hurt him so deeply that he did not leave anything in his will to the family. He did not shirk peasant’s work, although he was a titled person.
“Elite” means spiritual aristocratism, not a title. It should be emphasized that Lviv has preserved its many theaters. Galicia had many different theaters, and it would be a crime not to preserve their spiritual legacy, which enriched the world theater. Why not open a historical museum of Galician theaters — Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, Jewish, German, and others — in Lviv?
The house that Skarbek built needs major repairs. The Ukrainian government has repeatedly promised to provide money for this, but new problems in the state continue to crop up. The appearance of the theater was radically changed as a result of the first reconstruction in 1902 by Yakiv Balaban. Originally, the main hall had four balconies, an amphitheater, and a parterre decorated in the style of the current Opera House. The fronton of the main entrance was crowned with a four-horse chariot driven by Apollo. Made of wood, the sculptures were destroyed by the first strong gust of wind. They were never restored. In 1941-42 the theater was restored by the Germans.
Strange as it may sound, the war “helped” the theater on two occasions. There were plans to sell the foundation — fumed oak piles — to the Americans, who suggested to the Polish government that in exchange they would build a new theater at their own expense in any proposed design. The Second World War thwarted these plans. A grand Versailles-style restoration was undertaken to install dark gray and green walls, a dark green, almost black, curtain, and black furniture upholstered with velvet identical to the curtain. Oval mirrors were hung in massive mounts and chandeliers in every box. The stage was also technically rebuilt with German precision: a rotating circle and a projector to create various lighting effects were installed.
There have been no major renovations since then. It is high time because the walls are cracking and peeling. The adjoining premises are also in terrible condition.
When the theater was being built, it was Europe’s third largest after Milan’s La Scala and the Dresden Opera. There were all kinds of entertainment and a refreshment room for spectators. A temple to Melpomene, the muse of tragedy, a restaurant, and a casino were under the same roof. Next to them were a horse-carriage stand and stables. The very size of the theater played a cruel joke on it. In the Soviet era the stage was left in the theater, but the part where audiences were entertained was converted into housing. The theater’s general manager Andrii Matsiak says today: “The problem is that the theater proper accounts for only 50 percent of the whole building. The other 50 percent does not belong to the Zankovetska Theater. It is mostly used as housing, which is a tremendous problem because the people who live there should be given some other housing.” So the theater stands waiting for who knows what — perhaps for its centenary. After all, the 90th anniversary did not result in any needed changes.
GIFTS, FLOWERS, AWARDS
There was a high-profile celebration and the actors were showered with gifts. Actor Stepan Hlova was awarded the title of People’s Artist, and some other thespians were declared Meritorious Artists. The Lviv Council presented the actors with two three-room apartments, Lviv University Rector Ivan Vakarchuk provided a laptop computer, and the Lviv Railway donated some funds. The jubilarians received a television, icons, books, albums, and flowers. The whole celebration lasted for almost four hours.
But the celebration would have been incomplete if they had not been greeted by a “landing party” consisting of their colleagues from Kyiv’s Ivan Franko Theater with Les Zadniprovsky at the head. According to venerable theatrical tradition, they staged an informal show. The audience was literally rolling in the aisles, laughing at the absurd puns, bold comments, and the actors’ ability to transform themselves instantaneously. The show provided unforgettable moments for the jubilarians and audience members.
Naturally, the actors from the Zankovetska Theater were expecting to see the former Lviv resident Bohdan Stupka, the artistic director of the Ivan Franko Theater, and they were not disappointed. Stupka devoted more than 20 years of his career to the Zankovetska Theater. In the middle of the soiree, the famous actor hobbled out of the hall and never returned. The rumor spread that he had gone home. Stupka confessed later, “I was tired of waiting behind the scenes. I was walking around and this tired me out.” He told the audience a few tall stories spiced with risque jokes and the Galician dialect. “I am very grateful to the government for giving so many awards to the jubilarians. It is a really indestructible Soviet tradition to read out citations and award watches!”
Joking apart, it would be good if the theater’s next jubilee were marked by something weightier than citations, for example, a renovated building. The theater and Lviv deserve it.
“Your theater brilliantly has combined truth, realism, and Maria Zankovetska’s populist spirit with phantasmagoria, experimentation, and the strategic modernism of Les Kurbas,” said Les Taniuk, chairman of Ukraine’s National Union of Theatrical Figures, in his greetings, which were later published in the latest issue of Teatralna beside (Theatrical Conversation). “Both of them pursued the Ukrainian national idea, which illuminated the path for all of us who are devoted to the theater. Today, like never before, Ukraine needs your theater, your style, and your devotion. God grant you humor and talent for the next 10 years, when the entire theatrical Europe will celebrate your centenary.”
