Doesn't require a poet yet
To the sacred sacrifice Apollo,
In the cares of the vain world
He is cowardly immersed;
His holy lyre is silent;
The soul tastes a cold sleep,
And among the insignificant children of the world,
Perhaps he is the most insignificant of all.

But only a divine verb
It will touch sensitive ears,
The poet's soul will stir,
Like an awakened eagle.
He yearns for the amusements of the world,
Human rumors are shunned,
At the feet of the people's idol
Doesn't hang his proud head;
He runs, wild and harsh,
And full of sounds and confusion,
On the shores of desert waves,
In the noisy oak forests...

Analysis of the poem “Poet” by Pushkin

Throughout his life, A. S. Pushkin was interested in the topic of the purpose and meaning of the poet’s activity. He devoted more than one poem to this issue. In 1827, Pushkin again returned to this topic in his work “The Poet”. It is traditionally believed that the immediate reason for writing was the poet’s visit to Mikhailovskoye. Pushkin exchanged the noisy social life in Moscow for rural solitude, immediately feeling a powerful surge of inspiration.

The work does not contain Pushkin’s traditional calls to fulfill civic duty and pompous words about the poet’s great mission. He's just thinking about different states creative person. Accordingly, the poem is clearly divided into two parts.

The first part describes the poet in a state of mental peace. Until he felt the divine touch of the Muse, secular laws ruled over him. The poet is “cravenly immersed” in the traditional entertainment of his society: balls and masquerades. Pushkin is quite self-critical in assessing this state. He believes that during this period the poet is “the most insignificant of all,” since he was born for something completely different. By becoming like the empty people around him, the poet goes against his nature.

The second part is devoted to the poet’s transformation under the influence of the “divine verb” he heard, symbolizing inspiration. It completely embraces the poet’s soul, turning it into an “awakened eagle.” Secular entertainments instantly become useless vanity for him. He rises above the crowd, looking indifferently at the “people's idol” revered by everyone. Contempt for stupid society forces the poet to seek solitude in wild and deserted places. In the lap of virgin nature, he can calmly pick up his “holy lyre” and express the creative ideas overwhelming him in words and sounds.

Despite the criticism calm state poet, Pushkin admits that inspiration cannot be caused artificially. The “Divine verb” visits a person arbitrarily; it can happen at any moment. The poet can only not miss this state of mind. Trying to stifle your inspiration will be a real crime.

It is worth noting that the poem “Poet” very accurately conveys the peculiarity of Pushkin’s creative activity. During the periods when the poet was in secular society, he was more interested in having fun and courting women. Pushkin's creative activity declined significantly. Moving to the village (suffice it to mention the famous Boldino autumns), great poet created his best works with incredible speed.

Pushkin's priorities were not determined until about the age of thirty. Reading the poem “Poet” by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin means immersing yourself with him in thinking about finding yourself and your destiny.

The poem was written in 1827. Researchers of Alexander Sergeevich’s work believe that it is based on the facts of his biography. Pushkin spent the winter-spring period in Moscow, diving headlong into the secular life of the capital. Holidays and receptions took up a lot of his time, and he practically never took up his pen. But already in June, Pushkin moved to his native Mikhailovskoye, where he began to create again. The work “The Poet,” which is taught in a literature lesson in the 5th grade, appeared in the first letter he sent from the village. Soon it was published by Moskovsky Vestnik.

The main theme of the poem is the historical purpose of the poet. A person endowed with the gift of poetry, according to Pushkin, does not have the right to live for himself. Being to some extent a prophet, a teacher, he must convey his point of view to people, bring them the light of truth. Poetry is a sacred sacrifice for him, the literary gift is a holy lyre. The poet is not the ruler of thoughts, he is the servant of the patron of art, Apollo. And the poet who does not use his gift is worthless. He, according to Pushkin, is more insignificant than all the “insignificant children of the world.” Later, the theme of “sacred creativity” was raised by N. Gumilyov in his “Magic Violin”.

The text of Pushkin’s poem “The Poet” can be called passionate. The second part of the work is dedicated to the euphoria caused by creativity. It completely transforms the hero, raising him above worldly amusements and empty vanity.

Learning a poem is quite simple. You can download it in full or read it online on our website.

Doesn't require a poet yet
To the sacred sacrifice Apollo,
In the cares of the vain world
He is cowardly immersed;
His holy lyre is silent;
The soul tastes a cold sleep,
And among the insignificant children of the world,
Perhaps he is the most insignificant of all.

But only a divine verb
It will touch sensitive ears,
The poet's soul will stir,
Like an awakened eagle.
He yearns for the amusements of the world,
Human rumors are shunned,
At the feet of the people's idol
Doesn't hang his proud head;
He runs, wild and harsh,
And full of sounds and confusion,
On the shores of desert waves,
In the noisy oak forests...

Poet — read by S. Leontyev

Doesn't require a poet yet
To the sacred sacrifice of Apollo,
In the cares of the vain world
He is cowardly immersed;
His holy lyre is silent;
The soul tastes a cold sleep,
And among the insignificant children of the world,
Perhaps he is the most insignificant of all.

But only a divine verb
It will touch sensitive ears,
The poet's soul will stir,
Like an awakened eagle.
He yearns for the amusements of the world,
Human rumors are shunned,
At the feet of the people's idol
Doesn't hang his proud head;
He runs, wild and harsh,
And full of sounds and confusion,
On the shores of desert waves,
In the noisy oak forests...

Poem by A.S. Pushkin’s “The Poet” was written on August 15, 1827 in Mikhailovsky, an estate in the Pskov region granted by Empress Elizaveta Petrovna to Pushkin’s great-grandfather Abram Hannibal.
The poem belongs to the section of the lyrics “On the purpose of the poet and poetry” and is ideologically adjacent to the poem. Compositionally, it is clearly divided into two parts. The first describes the poet's life in the absence of inspiration - the sleep of a soul that does not fulfill its destiny; in the second - his life in the moments “when the divine verb” calls him to sacred service.
The versification system of the poem is tonic, the meter is iambic tetrameter.

Notes

Apollo is the god of Olympus in ancient Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Leto, the twin brother of the goddess Artemis. Apollo was considered the god of music and the arts.
Tonic versification is a system of versification in which rhythm is created by the orderly appearance of stressed syllables among unstressed ones.
Iambic tetrameter is a two-syllable meter with the stress on the second syllable. A foot is a group of syllables in a poem that are united by a common rhythm - stress. This is A.S.'s favorite size. Pushkin.

In the theater, Vakhtangov said, there should be no everyday life. After all, for the viewer, every exit to the theater is a holiday. But there are special days in the theater for those who work in it. These are premieres, anniversaries of artists and performances.
When a performance reaches its hundredth performance, it is usually celebrated with solemnity. They release a special poster with the number “100” next to the name of everyone who played all the performances without exception. The director and author are called onto the stage; they are applauded by both the audience and the actors...
...One spring day, the hundredth performance of Dynyaev’s play “Memorable Flight” was given at the Shchepkin Theater. The author, who spent his student years in their city, came especially for this occasion.
There were many actors in the hall. Talanova's studio members also came. When an elderly, elegantly dressed man appeared in the aisle, accompanied by Zotov, Anton guessed:
Is this Dynyaev? It seems like you can easily approach me like this... I’ve been wanting to talk to a real playwright for a long time.
Come and ask if there is anything,” Galanova said calmly.
But this is impudence!
- Impudence is unjustified courage. If you need to, try to make an appointment. Demand, they say, is not a problem.
The guys were sure that Anton would not dare. However, during the interval he seized the moment when the playwright was left alone and decisively approached.
Alexey Savelyevich, excuse me, I am a student of this theater...
Are you going to become an actor?
No... a playwright...
Really?! And what?
I wanted to consult... talk...
About what?
Anton suddenly responded with a line from Mayakovsky: “About our craft!”
And since such a daring answer was not prepared, the famous interlocutor took these words quite seriously.
Well... This is the case... But what if we combine business with pleasure? For example, tomorrow afternoon... I want to wander around the city and remember my younger years. What time do you work until?
Until two.
Me too. We meet at two thirty at the theater. Is it good?
...At the appointed hour, Anton approached the theater. From the other side of the square, Dynyaev was already walking slowly towards him. The conversation began somehow immediately, without an approach or routine questions.
“But, you know, I think so too,” the playwright spoke, as soon as they caught up and walked side by side. “Where is it - at Pushkin’s?.. No, perhaps, at Ostrovsky’s.” Well, of course,
“Guilty without guilt,” remember, Neznamov defiantly says to Kruchinina: “Do you consider your occupation to be art or a craft?” And from Pushkin - Salieri: “I made craft the foundation of art.” The amateur thinks that he is engaged in pure art, but the professional knows: until you sharpen the key on a craft machine, the gate to art cannot be unlocked. Where exactly would you like to start?
Most of all I want to know what is inspiration?
Oh colleague! - Dynyaev exclaimed without any irony. “It would be better to end with this.” For us, writers, there is no question more mysterious.
I can’t yet say that I know from experience... But I also experienced: sometimes you sit and sit and nothing happens, otherwise it just happens. I looked for this in books too. One says: don’t leave the table until you achieve it. And the poet - I don’t remember who - assures: stop, don’t worry, Apollo himself will remember about you...
Poets, you see, are a special people. They have it. indeed. sometimes it all depends on inspiration. And then... A real poet is always a hard worker... And for our brother... However, you shouldn’t force yourself - you won’t get anything except aversion to work. And at the same time, how does every professional work? Purposefully. Therefore, he is guided not only by inspiration, but also by will.
The playwright spoke in such a way that Anton felt completely relaxed. I just tried to ask questions that would not cool off my interlocutor.
How do you measure your work per day? Hours or pages?
Strictly speaking, our work is not measured by either one or the other. You can sit for five hours without writing a single line, and this does not mean that the time has passed in vain. Or you can “knock out” ten pages instead of the required two in the same time, but ruin the play. And at the same time, you have to measure both in hours and in pages, if you add one more criterion - quality: “Today I didn’t write anything, but I realized something important for myself.” That's enough. Or: “I wrote one good page this day.”
Are you always objective towards yourself, unmistakably knowing whether things turned out well or not?
Unfortunately no. But a writer differs from an empty writer - a graphomaniac - in only one thing: self-criticism. In some cases, I may be mistaken, but in principle I must have a literary ear: this is a useful page, and that is a waste page. How can I explain this?.. You always more or less feel: cold, warm or hot.
Do you work certain hours?
- Mostly. If I'm not mistaken, the theater tries not to schedule rehearsals from three to six. From what? During these hours, the actor’s body is used to resting between rehearsal and performance.
Reflex! Even though the grass doesn’t grow, and at ten in the morning I’m at my desk, my creative nature adapts and even demands it. One day, in the midst of work, circumstances
They forced me to leave the house - I was overcome by such an internal storm that I wanted to rip the roofs off the houses.
- Does it happen that it doesn’t work?
Still would! This would be light bread!..
But how - you said - not to force yourself?
There is a difference between violence and overcoming oneself, which is not very noticeable at first glance. Let's take sports. The runner's training quota has already been exhausted, but he forces himself - and tomorrow he is out of action. Or: he is in great shape and is making it difficult for himself, trying to set a new record. Is it easy for him? Breathing is exhausted. What to do? Go off the path? But then he is not an athlete. He overcomes himself, and a second wind comes - the same inspiration. The person went through “I can’t.” This is where the professional comes in.
And it’s not for nothing that one of the writers said: “What is written without effort is read without interest.”
How to distinguish overcoming from violence?
Listen carefully to yourself.
And when it doesn’t work? What doping? Smoking, coffee?
I do not smoke. I'm not fond of coffee. It does nothing but harm. Just like in sports. Healthy art gives birth to a healthy psyche.
But work should be joyful, right?
I think work should bring joy as a result. Makarenko noted well: what kind of woman likes to clean, wash dishes, wash floors? But a good housewife wants her house to be clean. The dream of a result makes her work eagerly, because without a process the result is unattainable. No work is a cake, not a blancmange. The word “difficult” comes from the root “labor”. And certainly at some moments he seems joyless and heavy. Why be afraid of this? On the contrary: a young man must be ready to overcome these painful moments of any work, get used to working. Then the comparison of work with a cake will seem offensive to him in the opposite sense: if you have achieved inspiration, even through exhausting work, you will never exchange it for any pleasure. You just need to work with meaning, not monotonously, not stupidly. Inspiration is a bird, and if you want it to sing, lure it instead of strangling it in your fist, repeating: “Sing, birdie, sing!” And it's easy to scare her off too.
How?
Anything. Creativity and everyday vanity are incompatible. When you sit down at the table, you need to be able to hide, as it were, an inappropriate thought, an unpleasant letter or call in its furthest drawer. For someone who works alone, self-discipline is the first priority!
I realized: I don’t know how to lure a bird yet! - Anton admitted sadly.
- Don't be discouraged! Learning this means becoming a professional. Be creative and it will come, sooner or later. Include side inspirations: music, visual arts; Place in front of you an album of your favorite artist or a monograph of one of the great architects. “Eat apples,” the playwright suddenly naively advised and laughed. “Nibble on the seeds - whatever you want!.. Have you heard this name - Bidstrup? This is a wonderful Danish cartoonist. He has a study in cartoons on this topic, called “Satirist”: gloomy
a man with a bandaged head either sits down at the table, then jumps up, runs around the room, floats his feet, and in the last picture he reads to the audience, and they roar with laughter. Do you understand where I'm going with this? Our kitchen doesn't concern anyone. Don’t rush to write it down until it all comes together in your head! Bury yourself in books. You can't be arrogant! Before writing War and Peace, Tolstoy needed to master a whole library - don't forget about it! Make notes, sketches, wander through exhibitions, communicate with nature, and you’ll see that something will begin to emerge. If you are in Moscow, spend a day or two at the Tretyakov Gallery, in the Alexander Ivanov Hall. There you can clearly see how, through sketches, each of which has the value of a painting, the artist went to his great canvas - “The Appearance of Christ to the People.” And how long did it take to write it? From thirty to fifty years old. Will you forget my advice?
I won't forget!
Eventually, the quantity of your work translates into quality. By the way, the ratio of quantity and quality must be constantly felt. If your daily energy supply is exhausted, do not add a third average page to two good pages. Stop! Save yourself for tomorrow. Then your imagination will start working and the bird will fly again. Inspiration from a feeling, inspiration from a thought, from an external impression... from a precisely found word...
...But only the divine verb will touch the sensitive ear, The poet’s soul will perk up, Like an awakened eagle... -
the writer said thoughtfully. “In essence, art is born both from geniuses and talents according to the same laws.”
What about mediocrities?
Mediocrity is fruitless. Strictly speaking, one thing needs to be established: do you have this grain of talent in you that can be developed through hard work? And do you know who can most accurately answer this question for a person? Himself! Just don’t lead yourself by the nose - stubbornly repeat “yes” when a distant, distant inner voice prompts: “No, nothing will work out anyway.” Conversely, it is rude to trample on this tiny precious sprout within yourself, or allow others to do it! A persistent, long-term passion for art is most often fueled by hidden talent. And then all that remains is to identify and nurture it, paving one’s way into art with the stones of labor.
Alexey Savelich, I came across this idea in books: a gifted person is talented in everything. And others say: capable in one thing and incapable in another. Who is right?
From what I observe, people's gifts sometimes spread far and wide. Griboyedov, you know, composed music, Lermontov had a brush, Chaliapin painted and sculpted, and so on. But I think, with rare exceptions, this is all additional, private and does not define the main thing. Still, I am a supporter of the view that a person truly finds himself only in one thing. That's why you can't go wrong here. It is very important to find not only your type of activity - your road, but also your personal path along it. At least in our literature we find: a good short story writer and no novelist. Or - he writes beautiful essays, but when he takes up the story - he fails.
- Are journalist and writer similar professions?
I would say - fundamentally different. No more in common than between river and navy. This does not mean that it is easy to be a riverman. But the specifics are completely different. The flights are not that long, and the shores are always visible. Journalism is also a great art. Another newspaper or magazine article can safely be called a work of real literature. But a journalist should not forget that he is engaged not only in creativity, but also in social activities. A journalist cannot live in the hope that recognition will come to him one day, as a result of all his activities. His essay must intervene in everyday life immediately, today. Both the writer and the journalist serve the truth. But a journalist - the truth of fact, a writer - the truth of ideas. Am I clear?
Not really...
What example should I take? Well, at least the most common one now is protection environment. Somewhere, due to the fault of a chemical plant, the adjacent collective farm fields have been poisoned. I, a journalist, immediately go to the scene of the incident, find out who is to blame, and promptly create a scathing essay - as a punishment for those responsible and as an edification to others. You, the writer, will learn the same thing. You also go to the scene of the incident, but maybe not. Many more examples of this kind emerge in your memory, with and without specific culprits, with unscrupulous and deeply conscientious people. Your thoughts move from facts to thoughts about the earth, about the past and the future, rise to generalizations - you want to fit everything into this... story? No, perhaps a novel. Gradually, the characters' characters are drawn out, their destinies are intertwined, and circumstances are clarified. How to give everything harmony and clarity, remove the unnecessary so that the novel does not swell, because, as they say, brevity is the sister of talent? This takes time. And life continues to throw up new facts, thought and imagination work hourly, months flash by faster and faster...
A sailor goes on a long voyage for six months. A writer, sometimes for years and decades. Often he works in the name highest goal, not counting on quick, sometimes even lifetime recognition. Do you think it's so romantic? If only for a graphomaniac living in illusions. But for a real writer this is not so easy; you need to gradually develop a certain character, psychologically prepare yourself to give up the blessings of life and not be afraid of deprivation, need, even misunderstanding of loved ones.
- I read about it in books. This doesn’t scare me, but I would like to know: why can’t such difficulties be avoided?
Literature gives a comfortable life to those who make earning money their first goal. But this is a completely different path - this is what you need to realize once and for the rest of your life. One spends years struggling with the mysteries of the shape and color of a flower, deducing strange species, the other improves greenhouses, growing flowers for sale. There is nothing in common between literature and the literary business, except that both are woven from words... Writings for the market are cooked up, like dishes from a cookbook. And the result? You will earn carpets and crystal, but as a writer at the end of the journey you will understand that you are a beggar, and you, along with those around you, will secretly despise yourself. We talked about Alexander Ivanov. Do you know that this artist, already recognized in Europe, had no means of livelihood because he was not able to do anything specifically to earn money? If you have the opportunity, read Gogol’s letter to a government dignitary about this great artist. By the way, in it Gogol expresses valuable thoughts about the laws of writing. - Dynyaev took out a notebook. - Gogol says that Ivanov’s life is a lesson for artists, here, listen: “This lesson is needed so that everyone else can see how to love art, that you need, like Ivanov, to die for all the lures of life, like Ivanov, to study and consider yourself a student forever, like Ivanov, to deny yourself everything, even an extra dish on a holiday, like Ivanov, to endure everything...”
I’ll read it today, I have the complete Gogol... Alexey Savelyevich, you say, the writer is a sailor. Who is the poet then?
Aviator! His voyages are not as long as those of a sailor long voyage, but height is required! Moreover, when we think about aviation, we imagine risk, but we do not imagine technical challenges. But poetic technique should be ahead of the century! When I flew the first models...
Were you a pilot?
Of course!.. How else would I write about their lives! By the way, pilots have a somewhat poetic character...
And the actors, directors - who can you compare them with?
In my mind, the actor is an anti-aircraft gunner. He needs to hit the target exactly - the heart of the viewer in the last row of the balcony. And, perhaps, I would liken the director to an aircraft designer... That’s who has no peace! When I worked in the theater...
Who did you work in the theater?
A statistician! He was both a watchman and a lighting designer. Without this, how could I write for the theater?
Am I delaying you already?..
Let's slowly row towards the shore. What else are you interested in?
Well, you've managed to do so much... Did you consciously search for yourself or did it happen by itself? And one more thing: some say that a writer does not need a literary education, while others do... And what is literary education? - Anton hurried.
No matter how trite, but for a writer the main teacher is life. We must get into the very thick of life, and then step back and see it from the outside. Always have a notepad with you, don't miss anything that seems to you worthy of attention. And write down your fantasies too. Practice storytelling often, both orally and in writing. Education, I think, is necessary. A higher education is better - in any profession. Moreover, whether you will become a writer - only the future can tell. Sometimes it seems that a person is scattered. But in fact, he is looking for himself. Only in bad books do people's destinies develop according to a given pattern.
And dramaturgy is more difficult than fiction?
In my opinion - yes. And not just mine. Sculptural technique is considered more difficult than painting. One sculptor told me: “How you sometimes want to drop the chisel and pick up the brush.” And in the same way, sometimes I myself want to break out of this stuffy stage box into the forest, into the field, and be transported by my imagination to transcendental worlds. But all this is only for a minute. Becoming a playwright means learning to fit everything into a single stage action, into the clashes of characters. Once you have realized this, you will not exchange your difficulties for anything else. If you were to visit the hot shops of Magnitogorsk, you would see how people love the difficulties they have overcome: every blast furnace operator will convince you that there is nothing more beautiful than a domain, just like an open-hearth furnace worker or a sheet-roller to express patriotism in relation to his work...
Can I ask another question: what quality do you consider the most important for a writer?
The sense of words is like hearing for a musician. And the memory is almost like that of a criminologist! Sorry - mode! I have the honor to bow!

Take care of your faces!

At one of the classes, Ksana asked a question:
- Vera Evgenievna, did you participate in admissions committee?
Certainly.
Would you mind telling us what it looks like?
Yes,” Stas supported, “I’d like to know in advance what the situation is like there.”
Please. The first round is preceded by consultations. You will see a sea of ​​people waiting in line. In an ordinary room, like this one, there is one teacher sitting. Usually students help him. Ten people are called. The teacher listens to everyone, advises or does not advise to participate in the competition at this time. educational institution. Sometimes he expresses a desire to replace something in the applicant’s repertoire. But a wish is a wish. If, for example, you are convinced that it is too late for you to prepare something again or that reading the same things in a different order is worse, you have the right to remain unconvinced - the winner is not judged. Essentially, consultation is a preliminary selection.
Yes? - Lyuba was surprised. - And during the consultation they can cut it off?
As a rule, the teacher recommends or does not recommend that the applicant go to the first round. He has the right to disagree and insist that the commission listen to him. But this rarely leads to anything: consultations are dissuaded only from those who have practically no chance of admission. The first round is the same audition, this time by a commission of two or three teachers, with competitive selection. The second and third are the same with ever increasing demands.
After the second or third round, some schools organize an additional test - sketches. There is no need to be afraid of this. You know what a sketch is. An improvised skit performed in your own words. The chairman of the commission proposes simple situation. Well, for example, the station master's office. Someone, by appointment, or more often by choice, takes on the role of a boss. But I emphasize once again: this is not some Ivan Ivanovich Sidorov, but you personally - Stas or Denis - in the proposed circumstances, at your age and with your own character, somehow ended up in such a job. Visitors come to you one by one, each with their own business.
What is the main thing here in this exam? - asked Lyuba.
What is the core, the fabric of performing arts? - Galanova answered the question with a question.
Action! - several voices responded confidently.
Right. Which?
The guys did not understand what Vera Evgenievna asked.
If you are acting on your own behalf in the office of the station master, could it happen that you will have to fight or dance “Apple” in this office?
Hardly.
I think so too. After all, to do this one would have to transform into the image of a hooligan or a madman. This means that the action is on one’s own behalf, mainly verbal. Impact with words. You know what is important here: the truth of your behavior, purposefulness, interest in what you came for. And also - the truth of communication, that is, you must not only accurately influence your partner, but see and hear, otherwise, experience the influence, and act further accordingly.
Shouldn’t there be any other action besides verbal action?
- A simple physical action never interfered with a verbal one. You know what! - Galanova exclaimed. - Let's do an experiment better. And then we’ll have a guessing game - what other qualities are tested in such an exam. This is the story we will play out. Who will be the station master?
- Can I? - Stas and Vadim said almost simultaneously, and since Stas was a split second earlier, the role went to him.
Is it possible to negotiate? - the guys asked.
If there are preliminary circumstances. For example, if this is not the first visit or you are not a visitor, but a personal acquaintance of the boss, you must make an agreement, otherwise it will be “someone going to the forest, some for firewood.” But there is no need to agree on the outcome of the sketch, just as there is no need to reveal the plot of visits that have no backstory.
Can you be more specific? - asked Stas. - So you said: from “I am in the proposed circumstances”! don't retreat. I'm not saying that the station chief is older than me and I don't really know how he works - all this can be imagined for the sake of a sketch. But I have different concepts, I won’t brush a person aside, but the station manager will brush him off. So, it’s still an image?
- No. Firstly, not every boss brushes off visitors, and secondly, you know that through “if” you can justify a lot while remaining yourself. If hundreds of people came to you like this all day long, but you could send just a few? Would you turn into a good wizard? No, you would have to refuse (the question is how?), and you would probably be pretty tired of such an unpleasant duty, and then there’s the phone... That’s it! Who needs it, discuss the conditions with Stas during the break, and let’s try!
...Stas sat down at the table and grabbed his head. Nadya made phone calls, Stas did not hear them. The atmosphere at the end of the working day was so successful. Lyuba entered first. She said that she forgot the code for the automatic locker. Stas came to his senses and began answering calls from two phones. Lyuba managed to use a short pause and explain what was happening.
“This is not for me,” said Stas. “There is a duty officer, tell him what you have there, and everything will be fine.”
Lyuba left. Dasha showed up. She said that she needed to go to Kyiv by the evening train, because the next morning she had an exam at the theater institute.
- Show me the challenge.
There was no call. Dasha continued to convince.
- Understand! - said Stas. - I have no right to believe you.
You can’t imagine how many people have to be sent urgently by telegram.
They argued for a long time, finally Stas said:
You know what? Do you have someone who knows where and why you are going?
Certainly.
Give me your phone and I'll call you.
Please! - and Dasha dictated Geli’s phone number. Stas looked at her carefully and wrote something on a piece of paper.
To the cashier! - he said.
Not believing the luck, Dasha thanked her and left. Denis appeared. He explained that his things had gone to Kharkov, but he stayed behind.
- How so? - Stas asked tiredly.
And Denis began to tell in person how his neighbor’s boy in the compartment was acting up - he wanted to drink, he volunteered to buy a bottle of lemonade, and his watch was behind because the workshop had repaired it poorly for him...
Enough! - Stas stopped him and began calling Kharkov. Meanwhile, Inga entered. She waited until Denis left and began to beg for an increase in her salary, because she had been working as a station attendant for many years. Stas suggested that she write a statement, but warned that this was hardly possible. Inga made a scene for him and threw a folder of papers off the table onto the floor. And at that time Vadim entered the office with a briefcase.
What they say about you is true,” Inga continued: you seem polite, but... you’re just trembling for your place!
I repeat once again - get out! - Stas shouted.
Well, wait a minute! - Inga threatened at the door. “You won’t reign here for long!” - And, slamming the door, she left.
Who is this woman? - Vadim asked, sitting down.
“It’s none of your business,” answered Stas. “Say what you have.”
Still, I would like to know who she is - a cashier, a dispatcher?
Stas was silent, looking expectantly at Vadim, who finally said:
- You see, I’m uncomfortable... but it just so happened... I ask you to hand over the cases. I was sent to take your place.
There was an eerie pause. In order not to prolong it, Vadim laid out the paper in front of Stas. Stas looked at her for a while, then said:
- Well then. Let me gather my thoughts... - And he began to improvise the transfer of affairs to his successor. But, feeling that this was dragging on, he asked for an apology and went to medicine.
room for medicine. After which Vadim sat in his original position, holding his head, and thus everyone understood that after the arrival of the new boss, little would change.
While discussing, the guys and Galanova agreed that Lyuba’s episode was too short. In truth, this is how it should have been, but Lyuba didn’t think of something. It was enough, for example, to say that the duty officer did not believe her, because she listed her things inaccurately, and dramaturgy would appear in the sketch and it would take place. Everyone praised Dasha's visit, they only noted the lack of stage freedom at the beginning. Denis got caught for being a comedian. Anton emphasized that although the situation when the suitcase left without its owner is reliable, and there is a reason for a comedy sketch, but the story in the faces of the neighbor and the watchmaker was unnecessary, because in such circumstances, even in a comedic solution, Denis would have to take it more seriously. Inga was criticized both for the pitiful tone in which she asked for an increase in her salary, since, acting on her own behalf), she should not have lost human dignity, and for | hysteria in which the performer wanted to show her temperament, but showed, as Kirill said, “cultural backwardness.”
Stas was praised for the episode with Dasha, for his sincere and deep assessment of the news of the withdrawal, but they noted that it would be better for him not to fall into Inga’s tone, but to be above the scandal she created. Stas and Vadim noticed that they had delayed the episode in time, but nevertheless Stas got out of it by taking care of the medicine, after which Vadim successfully put an end to it.
“So, let’s draw a moral from the fable,” said Galanova.
If the exam includes sketches, this will test your ability to act authentically and freely on stage, and to be able to communicate like a human being. At the same time, this will be an exam for your
general culture, sense of proportion, sense of time. But when you start your sketch, don’t burden yourself with so many problems. Remember that you should always go on stage confidently and easily, firmly clinging to the stage task.
You need to know that studies in entrance exams are given primarily in order to see what kind of person you are. In reading, behind well-rehearsed excellent literary material, you can still hide something. The sketch shows you as you are. If you know little, have thought little about life, you will not connect two words in a sketch. If you managed to understand something, read a lot, kept a diary, practicing expressing your thoughts, if you had to defend your views on things, mature or immature, you will be able to confidently conduct a dialogue in your own words in front of the commission. A person who has his own thoughts and his own face must have his own words.
We often have the feeling that life is flying by at an accelerated pace. It seems like just recently entrance exams There was about a year left, but now it already smells like spring and time can be measured in weeks...
By the end of April, most had finally decided on their plans. Almost everyone had calls from institutes and schools.
At this point, Nadya decided to give up the idea of ​​the stage. She did it courageously and thoughtfully; That’s why, without “complexing” at all, she continued to participate in studio classes and performances of “Romeo and Juliet.” She set her sights on a difficult, “male” engineering and physics faculty. And she studied mathematics with Victor, because he had to take an exam in this subject at the Faculty of Economics of the State Institute of Theater Arts (GITIS). Ilya also had to combine studies in artistic disciplines, such as general art history and theater history, with physics and mathematics. He chose for himself the production department of the Moscow Art Theater School.
Lera and Nina decided to enter the Moscow Theater, Art and Technical School (THTU), which trains radio and electrical engineers, prop makers, make-up artists, and costume designers. But we were alarmed to learn that this was an educational institution. local significance: recruits and distributes graduates only within Moscow. Ilya found out and told the girls that there is the same TCTU in Odessa, and this is the only school that recruits and distributes graduates throughout the country. Soon both Lera and Nina received calls from Odessa. Just like Lyuba, who was still wavering between the acting and makeup departments.
Gelya found out that the same Odessa school also has a department of costume designers. But by this time she had already decided to take exams at the Moscow Textile Institute, at the faculty of outerwear fashion designers. She understood that she would receive less in purely theatrical terms, but practice in the theater had already given her some foundation, and she wanted to get a higher education.
Kirill was still at the crossroads of three roads: either to go to Moscow to the Surikov Art Institute for the theater and set design department, or, together with Ilya, to the Moscow Art Theater Studio for production, from where, as he knew, they would leave with higher education not only post managers, but also set designers; or to Leningrad, to LGITMiK, where at the art and production department he was attracted by the traditions of the founder of this department, Nikolai Pavlovich Akimov. The latter prospect seemed increasingly attractive to him.
Vadim found out back in the winter that this year in Moscow GITIS would be recruiting specifically for the acting and directing department, and this interested him most.
Shortly before the final exam, Lida also made a choice: - GITIS, theater studies.
And only Vadim knew how difficult it was for her to make this final decision.
Anton sent his essays to the Gorky Moscow Literary Institute in order to at least check whether they would send a challenge.
The rest were going to the acting departments of Moscow universities: GITIS, Moscow Art Theater Studio, Shchukinsky, Shchepkinsky schools.
On Tuesday, June 28, the studio “Tsel” gathered in last time.
Vera Evgenievna entered without any solemnity, calm and cheerful as always.
- Remember the game “hot and cold”?
We remember!
Let's play!
The studios did not object, although no one understood why.
- Here's a pencil. I’ll ask Lyuba to come out, and we’ll hide him.
When Lyuba came out, Ksana took it from Vera Evgenievna’s hands
pencil and hid it under the radiator.
- Prompt only after my signal.
When Lyuba appeared, everyone was silent with a conspiratorial look. After hesitating, Lyuba began to search, but went in the other direction.
Help a little,” Galanova suggested.
Chilly.
Very cold! Pole!
A little warmer.
More!
Hot!!
Having discovered a pencil under the battery, Lyuba, and with her the other guys, for some reason, were delighted.
So what was it? - asked Galanova.
The simplest sketch.
Any other opinions?
Child Game! - Kirill objected.
Yes, a game! And the conclusion?
You have to love children's games! - Boba said at random.
What does it mean?
Like children, actors should be able to indulge in children’s games,” Vadim clarified.
Vadim put it exactly! - Galanova was delighted. - Exactly - to indulge in games! For those who see the New Year tree as just a source of garbage in their apartment, the artist is dead. Now let's think about how to transform an ordinary children's game into a sketch.
Add some “if,” Anton guessed.
Well, let's try! Here's a suggested circumstance for you, Dasha: you know where the pencil is. But as a performer of a sketch - no. And we don’t know whether Dasha will find the pencil.
Like Lyuba before, Dasha walked out the door, Ksana approached Galanova, who handed her an imaginary one instead of a real pencil. Ksana took the nothing as if it were a pencil, and the guys, with the same sincerity, began to suggest where to hide it.
Like Lyuba, Dasha began searching for the pencil for real, without pretending to be anything. As before, having received permission, the guys began to give little hints: “hot and cold.” When Dasha did not find what she was looking for under the radiator, she was confused for a moment, but immediately hid it, triumphantly took out an imaginary pencil from under the radiator and gave it to Galanova, who quite seriously put it on the table in front of her.
Now I agree that it was a sketch. Further. Who can tell me how to turn it into a mini-performance?
“Move everything to the stage,” Victor guessed.
Yes! Who should be on stage?
Dasha.
No one else?
And those who suggest “hot and cold”.
So, our play: Dasha is looking for a pencil. Inga, Nina, Tima, Ksana, Lida, Lera help. I ask everyone to take the stage.
Can I use a pencil? - Denis suddenly blurted out.
You are already our clown Pencil! - said Gelya, but Galanova seized on this idea.
It's a joke! - Denis began to deny.
The word is not a sparrow. Denis - on stage! You will be a pencil, only with a small letter.
How to play a pencil? - Lera asked.
I don’t know how. But you can even play a punctuation mark, an ink blot, and a day of the week. In youth theaters there are often such characters and artists create serious works.
Denis went on stage. He straightened up and stood to the side, quiet and faceless.
“Dasha, go away for a while,” Lida asked. “Tima, please hide the pencil under the radiator.”
Those watching laughed, but no one on stage seemed to notice.
Timofey approached Denis, put his hand on his shoulder and he obediently trotted off to the opposite wing. With a strong-willed movement, Tim sat Denis down on the floor, and he hid his head behind the scenes, as kids do in the game, saying: “I’m not here!” The search and clues began. And when the pencil was found, Dasha took Denis by the shoulder and led him to Lida, she opened the bag, put an imaginary pencil there, and Denis the pencil instantly turned into just Denis and returned to his place.
- Let's repeat the sketch. I'll ask another group to come on stage. Now I ask you to hide the pencil in the pocket of one of the participants and guess by their eyes whose pocket it is in. In the role of a pencil - Stas. Vadim will search, but I’ll add another circumstance: he didn’t sleep all night.
Vadim relaxed, believed that there was lethargy throughout his whole body, but, overcoming himself, he began to carefully look into everyone’s eyes. Meanwhile, Star, without hiding, stood behind Geli. The condition of a sleepless night forced not only Vadim, but also everyone who was on stage, to check themselves to see if there was excess tension in their muscles. Vadim stopped in front of Gelya and looked at her intently. Gelya “with the blue eye” shook her head. Vadim did not yield. He patted his pocket suggestively and froze. Gelya hesitated, but after Vadim smiled and even winked, Gelya had no choice but to touch her jacket pocket with her hand, after which Stas openly came out from behind her chair.
So, let's check ourselves. What elements of acting school and stage language did we use in these exercises? We identified the first quality back in the game: human spontaneity. Take care of it within yourself! Who will continue?
Belief in the magical “if only,” Ksana immediately responded.
That's right: a stage miracle is created not by pyrotechnics, but by the artists' faith in fiction, no matter how naive. More?
“Our attention,” Ilya entered. “The guys were attentive to both real objects and imaginary ones.”
Right. Don't forget this either. On stage, on the stage or in front of the selection committee, trained attention will always help out. As in life - composure.
Grade! - Inga continued. - Those who were looking for the pencil sincerely appreciated the find every time.
Well done. More?
- Muscle freedom. “No one was tense or loose,” Nadya noted.
Yes. This is also a lifesaver. Both when speaking in front of an audience and in life, always relieve unnecessary tension! But don't relax too much. Let your muscles learn to find the norm on their own.
More action! - Vadim reminded.
This, as you know, is the most important element of the school. Remember firmly: as soon as the action stops, the theater ceases to exist.
Communication! - added Nina.
Yes. You did not act alone, but interacting with each other. Remember the moment when Vadim tried to guess by his eyes who had the pencil. What other element was connected during his communication with Gelya?
Adaptation! - Victor guessed.
Favorite Vitin element! - Denis did not fail to sarcastically.
Remember,” Galanova smiled, “that the devices are not fixed. They are always new. You were convinced of this by the examples of the best actors of our theater when you played “Romeo and Juliet” with them...
Seventy-two performances! - Timofey noted, and there was a sad pause, which Galanova quickly removed;
No one has yet remembered the rhythm, the magical power of which you have felt in recent years both on stage and in life. There is one more basic element, not of school, but of theater, which is useful to us now. What do you think would happen if, in eighth grade, on the first day of sketch lessons, I asked one of you to play with a pencil, and the other to hide it in his pocket?
There would be laughter, that’s all,” said Anton.
You see! And now you have solved such a problem not only competently, but even artistically. Well, sir?
Not wanting to further test the students with questions, Galanova answered herself:
- All three years we cared about stage truth. And this is actually the most important component art - “half an apple”. The other half of all aesthetics is convention. The sense of truth and the ability to trace the logic of convention constitute an understanding of the language of art as a whole. Trust one another. Take care of your sense of truth and develop a taste for convention - the ability to distinguish empty, fictitious forms from a witty symbol on the stage.
...After the break, which was a little quieter than usual, Vera Evgenievna addressed the guys:
- Well well, - began she, - since we practically worked out, I would like to say something.
First of all, congratulations on your complete secondary education. In the three years of our studies, you have not wasted any time. I am calm that you now know how to work - together and independently. You tested your maturity in a group of adults, and such a difficult one as the theater. Determined your life goals. This is not so little. But not too much either.
Perhaps some of you are destined to do a lot in life. In any case, do not forget the behest of Academician Pavlov: always have the courage to say about yourself: “I am an ignoramus.” This is a guarantee of maintaining modesty, a guarantee of your spiritual growth.
You are entering the world of adults. How will he meet you?
- If you hear that none of the people can be trusted, know that this is not so. But don’t be simpletons either. The ability to understand people is your immediate goal.
Where does it start?
From a careful look into the faces. The face is not only a screen of our momentary experiences, but also a book of the years we have lived. What envious person wants to have “envious” written all over their face? What would a rogue not give to have his appearance not betray him? But neither one thing nor the other can be hidden from the discerning gaze of a physiognomist.
As much as I could, I tried to draw your attention to the meaning of the words, their roots. Face, personality.
The art of human studies lies in the ability to discern the personality behind the face.
But the word mask comes from the same root. This is not a transparent mask of a good person on an evil person, but a special gift of some people to inspire others that they are not at all what they really are. That is probably why the proverb was born that you can truly get to know a person only by eating a ton of salt with him.
Let us now turn to ourselves.
I am pleased with the friendly atmosphere in our studio. I don’t remember now a single unworthy act on anyone’s part that would poison the memories of the three years we spent together. But this is not a guarantee for each of you for the future. You must develop a formula for decency for yourself - the sooner the better. And always be guided by it, like a compass.
I have never understood people for whom their own peace comes first, especially in their younger years. The one who goes through life's storms and trials on the way to his goal is much richer.
And one last thing. Don’t complain about life if it doesn’t give you something right away. For those who know how to wait, everything comes on time!

Tests

A week passed, and the first group left for Moscow: Ksana, Inga, Lyuba, Dasha, Boba, Tim, Stas and Denis, who dubbed everyone together the magnificent eight.
Let's come back without slurping - so you will have a “magnificent” one! - Timofey grumbled.
Forget me, forget me! - Denis exclaimed with shamanic movements.
The eight travelers could not be accused of being in a tourist mood. Perhaps it's the other way around. Only Denis and Boba were joking around out of habit. To some extent, this relieved internal tension, but for the most part their jokes hung in the air. Tim was especially keen on privacy. As luck would have it, a reckless company was traveling with him in the compartment, laughing deafeningly every now and then. The guys strongly suggested that Tim change places, but he did not agree. Then Boba and Denis, “as a preparatory practice,” acted out a sketch, assuring the cheerful neighbors that their friend was nervously ill, suffered from seizures, and was going to Moscow for treatment. They began to laugh more quietly, glancing warily at the top shelf.
...The situation in the dormitories where the boys were accommodated left much to be desired. The tone among applicants was set by those who were looking for an easy and cheerful life in the theater, but in fact had less hope of enrolling than others. They had nothing to lose, and they equally vigorously celebrated everyone’s passage to the next round, their failure, and their departure. The Galanovites were not shocked by this, since they knew in advance what awaited them. Tim, however, immediately fled from such bedlam to the apartment of some grandmother, who, as he said, was “although bad, but quiet.” The rest firmly decided not to pay attention to anything, to sleep at night, no matter what these, as Stas put it, “random companions in life” said about them. They went to the exam as needed - two, three, but mostly one at a time, so that they could prepare and concentrate along the way.
No matter how Vera Evgenievna warned them, everyone was initially stunned by the number of applicants. It was more difficult than others for those who were unable to pass quickly. Dasha, for example, who showed up for the first round at ten in the morning, appeared before the commission only around nine in the evening.
I didn’t understand anything because I was tired,” she told her roommate.
What about the teachers?
It seems to me that they too were in a fog.
Nevertheless, all eight made it through the first round.
“Passing the first and second rounds doesn’t mean anything,” Inga instructed her dorm neighbors.
From the second round, Ksana in Shchepkinsky and Lyuba in Shchukinsky flew out on the same day. Both proudly did not allow themselves to express any sympathy.
Whatever is done, everything is for the better! - Lyuba cheered up. - The girls are already waiting for me in Odessa! Why should I become an actress? I would have suffered all my life because they didn’t give me roles. And so - I will become a good makeup artist, everyone will need me. Shortage! Right?
And I, too, just wanted to try the strength. I'll be a teacher! - Ksana echoed her. “Of course, we still need to get over all this...
The girls didn’t want to be escorted, but the guys assured that they couldn’t leave without their help. As Denis assumed, they had to “play out the sketches in the station master’s office.” And indeed, with considerable difficulties, Boba and Denis managed to send Lyuba to Odessa, and Ksana home.
“I did such a thing there,” Denis boasted, “and he rolled his eyes and fainted...
The next day, Inga got bored with her sketches in Shchukinsky and disappeared from the hostel without saying a word to anyone. Boba and Denis also didn’t make it through the second round.
- Eh! I’ll go to Pitsunda for a week to lick my wounds! -
said Boba, counting the money. “Enough for a general carriage.”
My bro is there. He won't let you die of hunger!
Tima, seeing Denis off, assured:
In a year you will enter! Just think again about what to read.
I already thought of Ushinsky. Today I bought it at a used bookstore.” Denis showed the book.
Timofey looked at him in surprise.
For pedagogical purposes. Together with Ksanka!
What are you doing? After all, you and Kuliska are the friendliest of all!
Do you want it in secret? It was he who suggested this idea to me.
Jokes?
The jokes are over, Tim. Let's go adulthood. OK! With Ksanka, we’ll start such a teacher’s theater there - you’ll collapse! Well, go ahead, Timofey!..
...And then it came - the third round. There are approximately fifty people left in each university for twenty-five places out of two thousand applicants. Now the applicant was expected to fight with only one opponent. Tima and Stas were in the same top ten. They did not treat each other as competitors; on the contrary, they sincerely rooted for each other. Tima was sure that Stas read better than anyone, and Stas had no doubt that Timofey took the palm: listening to him, the commission members did not hide their pleasure...
And indeed, three of the magnificent eight: Stas, Tima and Dasha triumphantly passed the third round. But unexpectedly, Tim failed on his essay, even though he had straight A’s in his Russian and literature certificates. Apparently, all his strength went into the competition.
Stas and Dasha caught the course leader in the corridor, he immediately remembered Timofey Blokhin:
“Perhaps I’m even more annoyed than you!” - And divorced
hands.
The rest of the guys had exams in August, and they continued to work hard. Victor was preparing for a colloquium at the Faculty of Economics of GITIS, where, as he knew, there could be all sorts of questions on the history of the theater, its practice and economics, and mathematics.
Ilya and Kirill studied together: they had to enter different institutes and with an eye to different specialties, but to the same production department. However, the programs of the Moscow Art Theater Studio and the Leningrad Institute did not coincide in many ways, complementing each other interestingly, and the guys decided to prepare, taking into account the requirements of both institutes.
Vadim and Lida had a lot in common in the theoretical part of the program, and since they had already read a fair amount, they also complicated the task for themselves: Lida studied books on directing, Vadim often looked at the list of literature for those applying for theater studies. They still didn’t have time to do some things and, in order not to overexert themselves, they turned to the Theater Encyclopedia, obtaining condensed information from it.
Denis actually applied to the pedagogical school, where, as he assured, there was a shortage of men, especially comedians. Boba made a sharp turn towards the engineering path and asked Nadya to take over his patronage.
Inga, apparently, was very hurt and completely disappeared from sight. The guys were sure that in a year she would enroll in acting again.
The days rushed by with incredible speed. And now Kirill flew to Leningrad, and after him Lida, Gelya, Ilya, Anton, Victor, Vadim went to Moscow. The day before their departure, a joyful telegram arrived from Odessa: all three girls - Nina, Lyuba and Lera - entered the Theater Arts and Technical School.
The six who came to Moscow also stayed in different dormitories and almost never met. Vadim had to adjust a good relationship with the duty officers at Lida’s hostel so that she would be called to the phone as an exception. Both of them still had a few days left before the exams, and, meeting in the morning, they visited theater museums one after another: Stanislavsky, Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky, Nemirovich-Danchenko, Ermolova, Serf Art in Ostankino, and most importantly, the Bakhrushin Theater Museum and Museum Moscow Art Theater. Evenings were spent in the Central Theater Library. We visited the theaters twice.
These were anxious and joyful days. The future was intriguing. But Vera Evgenievna’s parting words inspired confidence that in the end everyone will achieve their goal in life...
...Tests for the acting and directing department began with an interview.
The course director, two teachers sat at the table, and several students sat in the second row. They called one by one. When Vadim came in, it seemed like he was being x-rayed. “Nothing,” he decided, “the main thing is not to get lost and not to get into a pose. Everyone does their own thing."
The chairman of the commission, having finished reading Vadim’s autobiography, fixed his eyes on him.
Do you want to become a director... and an actor too?
An actor for the sake of directing.
— Do you think a director should act on stage?
Yes, but not in my productions.
Why?
Because... it is impossible to be both here and there at once.
It's clear. Well, what about Stanislavsky?
This is a mystery to me.
So. Thank you. Invite the next one.
Vadim left with a feeling of terrible dissatisfaction, as if he, like Khoja Nasreddin, had only been allowed to inhale the smell of food. “Is it possible to decide a person’s fate in two minutes?!” Vadim had no doubt that he “didn’t show up” to the course master. And just in case, I forced myself to wait for the result.
He was allowed to take further exams.
The next day a similar interview awaited Lida. Desperate to get through, Vadim went to the hostel himself in the evening. Finding out that Lida was not there yet, he randomly asked one of the entering girls:
Are you not a student?
Student.
Theater studies?
Let's say yes. Any more questions?
Vadim had enough questions. He learned that the girl helps in the admissions committee and remembers Lida Dedova very well. She was among the last to pass. They asked her about everything: about the poetics of Aristotle and Schiller, and about Zola’s views on the art, and about the aesthetics of Brecht, about the history of Meyerhold’s productions, about Jouve, Mey-Lanfant and Tovstonogov. Lida answered most of the questions and made a very good impression. Having found Lida’s article in the local newspaper in the documents, she was asked why she wrote specifically about “Romeo and Juliet,” Lida spoke briefly, without excessive enthusiasm, about the elective and practice in the theater. Naturally, questions began about the history of productions of Romeo and Juliet, which gave Lida another reason to shine. When Lida was released, the professor who was setting up the course remarked to someone:
- Here. And you say - weak flow!
Vadim wanted to warmly thank the student, but at that moment Lida appeared around the corner. Vadim rushed to meet her, the girl looked at them proudly and disappeared.
Lida was extremely exhausted. Vadim, however, convinced her that it was better to go for a walk.
The young people went to the Lenin Hills. They walked along the embankment, full of forebodings and hopes. From the other bank of the Moscow River, music could be heard from the stadium. Having listened, Vadim and Lida stopped at the same time and looked at each other. It was a melody from Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet, and they saw it as a good omen.
A day later, Vadim had his next exam. It was carried out in two stages: in the morning - acting sketches, in the evening - director's sketches.
During the morning exam, Vadim was given a solo fantasy sketch - to link three concepts on stage: “luck”, “fear”, “knock”. We were given a minute to prepare. It flashed in my head: “Just don’t start playing with feelings - neither fear nor joy associated with luck!” And the second thought was: “It would be better not to take advantage of this minute.”
And Vadim started almost at random. He approached the closed door and paused in doubt. He raised his hand to knock, but didn’t dare. “They are looking carefully,” Vadim felt and realized that he had the right to repeat his hesitant attempt once again. Finally, he knocked. Then, opening the door slightly, he turned into the corridor with a question:
- Sorry, for some reason there are no lists there. May I know if I made it to the next round?
There was no answer from the corridor, but Vadim managed to imagine what would have happened if he had heard “Yes” and it was true. He almost staggered from imaginary joy. Closing the door tightly behind him, he addressed the commission not only without insolence, but with sincere confusion:
- Luck...
There was a barely noticeable reaction of approval. “It really seems like luck,” flashed through Vadim’s head. “However, the last battle is still ahead.”
At the evening exam, the group that included Vadim got the topic “Suspicion.” Each of the five (and the rest as actors) was asked to make a director's sketch on this topic. Everyone was given an hour to prepare.
At first, Vadim experienced a feeling of panic: “I can’t cope.” Then he began to quickly figure out how to overcome it.
- Choosing props! - he called. Everyone went to another
a room where, apparently specially for those entering, a wide variety of items were prepared...
Vadim could not determine whether the sketch was successful. There was something in it, but he built it hastily, with unfamiliar guys who did everything far from the way he would have liked... All he had to do was wait.
That same day Lida had written work.
At eight in the evening, as agreed, Vadim approached the hostel. Lida saw him through the window, and they went to wander through the alleys of old Moscow.
Lida told about the exam. Paperwork I studied in my specialty at the same time as an essay. Lida was attracted free theme, which, as she understood, was given to test human maturity and consciousness of one’s life goal: “The place of a theater scholar in theatrical art.” Lida wrote about all the types of theater studies she knew about: theater historian, journalist-reviewer, radio and television editor, head of the literary department of the theater. Lida wrote about the latter specialty with particular passion, proving how much the state of its literary part means in the fate of each theater. Practicing in the theater gave her the opportunity to describe the work of zavlit specifically and give interesting examples.
As it turned out the next day, Lida was given a B for her essay. On the one hand, it was high mark. On the other hand, an A would not hurt. But Lida knew literature and history well, and Vadim’s task was not to let her get upset or worry too much.
Finally the exams entered their final stage. And Vadim understood for himself why they were called tests: indeed, it was difficult to withstand such stress. They were encouraged, however, by the good news from the guys. Through Gelya it became known that Kirill had already been enrolled in the Leningrad Theater Institute. And soon she herself found herself on the list of those admitted to the Moscow Textile Institute. The results of Ilya and Victor were still unknown, but both scored the maximum number of points.
The next test for Vadim was the colloquium. Unlike the first interview, they didn’t let him go for about twenty minutes, asking the most unexpected, sometimes tricky questions, starting with why the theater needs a director and ending with the aesthetic principles and technological techniques of almost all outstanding directors of the past and present.
Of the original eight hundred applicants for five directorial positions, after the colloquium only eighteen people remained, including Vadim.
As in the theater department, work in the specialty was at the same time an essay.
It was expected that the next morning, along with the grade for the essay, the list of those accepted would be communicated. But there was a rumor that the results would become known late in the evening - after the final meeting of the commissions. Some, including Vadim, remained to wait until the victory in the front garden of the institute.
At the beginning of the first night, tired teachers began to leave one after another. Looking mysteriously at the arrivals, they passed by. Someone wanted to rush after him, but then a student came out with a sheet of paper. Those waiting silently crowded around him. Vadim heard his last name fourth.
...Vadim could not fall asleep for a long time. His thoughts were red-hot, his imagination was in the clouds...
Meanwhile, at the Yaroslavl station, Lida was crying inconsolably. Her nerves were tense to the limit. And when someone touched her hand, she pulled back sharply, almost screaming. It was Anton, who also did not find himself on the list of those admitted to the Literary Institute.
Lida felt a little better. At least she was not alone in this difficult situation. And together they began to make efforts to go home as quickly as possible.
...Meanwhile, Vadim still could not come down from the clouds. From afar, like a lullaby, came a well-known, old song:
My childhood, wait,
Don't rush, wait;
Give me a simple answer:
What's ahead?..
A blessed dream began to gradually overcome Vadim. He fell asleep with the thought: “I wonder why they gather us not on the first of September, but on the eve of the thirty-first?..”
He dreamed of a giant double door. He knocked on it for a long time, but in vain. And when he had already lost hope and decided to leave, the doors suddenly opened, so that Vadim almost fell there. He struggled to maintain his balance and saw in front of him a small, vaguely outlined smoky-gray figure. She shook her finger at him cheerfully. And then suddenly, making a theatrical gesture, she exclaimed:
- Come in boldly!..
At the same time, the mysterious “someone” did not give way. And as if through a column of dust in a ray of sunlight, Vadim passed through this strange creature.
Ahead there was an endlessly long corridor with the same door in the distance. He, Kuliska, peeked out from behind it and, with the same mysteriously mischievous look, pointed his paw at the next door. And from everywhere repeated echoes repeated after him:
- Be bolder! Be brave! Be bolder!!!

Epilogue

Memorable dates, deeply personal for us, themselves revive and bring the past closer. On the tenth day of graduation from school, Lida and Vadim had something to remember. But in the morning Vadim had a rehearsal, Lida had the usual business in the theater.
In the evening, Vadim watched the introduction of a new performer to the performance. Lida was home alone. She also still had work to do. Of course, writing is easier in the morning, but it takes away the best part of the day from anyone who works in the theater. Lida remembered Galanova’s precept: creative work does not know weekends.
Now she was finishing an article about the premiere at the Youth Theater - a play for preschoolers “ The Scarlet Flower" Lida didn’t want this to be just a review. Through an evaluation of one production, she decided to address the problems of theater for the little ones. Collecting her thoughts, Lida leafed through the wonderful illustrations of the artist Bilibin to the Russians folk tales. This evening it was more difficult for her to tune in than usual. Every now and then Lida was distracted by memories...
...Has she been lucky in life? Today she could definitely answer this question: yes! Although much was not given right away, through overcoming difficult circumstances, and most importantly, oneself.
Not having entered the institute then, Lida made an attempt to break with the theater. But I couldn't. While working in the library, she prepared again and a year later again did not pass the competition. After consulting with Vera Evgenievna, Lida got a job as a props master at the theater and continued to prepare. And a year later I became a student correspondence department Faculty of Theater Studies. And when Vadim’s fate was determined, he called Lida to him, and they became husband and wife, as if it had long been decided between them. They were a good couple, they had many things in common, and above all - a common life goal. From the first days family life Lida realized that such difficult work as Vadim’s could only be successful when the atmosphere at home is subordinated to the main thing: creativity. And that she herself should not only help Vadim, but also not lose herself, also grow creatively...
...Lida finally managed to concentrate. She wrote that the sense of theater is ingrained in a person from the first performances he sees in life; therefore, theater for preschool children should be real - modern, wise and simple as the truth. And also - unexpected... Fortunately, in the new performance there were moments that Lida could cite to confirm her thought.
Three hours later Lida finished the article. Now she belonged to herself and could indulge in memories. Before her lay letters and telegrams from former studio members.
They knew each other well, but they took every news with great interest.
None of the destinies were lost, no one got lost in life.
They saw Kirill often: he came from Leningrad to design performances and would soon move to their city and take on the position of chief artist of the theater. Sometimes, at Vadim’s invitation, Gelya would fly in to make costumes for classical productions.
Over time, Vadim hoped to strengthen management team theater by two more strong specialists: Ilya and Victor, who were now working in different cities, one as a post manager, the other as a deputy director of the theater.
Stas and Dasha became actors of the first position and worked in one of the large theaters in the Urals.
Three girls who graduated from the Odessa School were enrolled in the staff of their favorite theater: Lera became the leading lighting controller; Lyuba not long ago took over the make-up shop from the retired Zoya Ivanovna, and even folk artists considered her as a master. Nina worked as a prop maker, producing small masterpieces for the stage. All three felt needed and welcome in the theater.
Have former Galanovo members become celebrities?
Is this the point?
The goal of creativity is dedication,
And not hype, not success... - the poet said.
However, Timofey Blokhin became a popular reader, a master of artistic expression. In the city where Vadim and Lida worked, his tour was expected soon.
In a word, everyone who was not “let go” by art sooner or later found themselves in it. Those who realized that theater in their life is a related hobby found themselves in other types of activities. For no one, the studio years were in vain.
Lida and Ksana constantly corresponded. Just like Denis, she graduated pedagogical institute, and they made good teachers. Both of them coped with the most difficult classes with ease, were always armed with humor, and knew how to captivate the imagination of the children. Denis and Ksana really organized a folk teachers' theater, which flourished in their city.
Of those who have chosen a business far from the theater, famous person the once quiet, inconspicuous Nadya became. She was already deputy director of a large plant and a deputy of the city council. However, she still did not miss a single premiere at the theater and said that this helped a lot in her work. “Without the theater and studio,” she admitted to Ksana when they met, “I would not have learned to work with people, to understand them.”
Boba also worked at the same factory. When Ksana asked how he felt about working under Nadezhda’s leadership, Boba said one word: “fair.” And this was a comprehensive description of Galanova’s student. Boba changed, became more thoughtful, less noisy, and also remembered the studio with gratitude. He said that it was then that he learned to live in a team, to be obligatory and punctual.
Anton, who did not enter the literary institute, actually graduated from the naval school and became a “sea wolf.” But he never gave up the idea of ​​drama. He became convinced in practice that you cannot write for the theater without knowing it, and you cannot say anything new about the sea if you are not a sailor. On long, sometimes six-month voyages, he always had the world of his imagination and a piece of paper with him. He sent Vadim one after another versions of his play “Evening on the Roadstead,” until finally Vadim recognized it as completed and considered it possible to include it in the theater’s repertoire plan.
The guys knew little only about Inga. According to rumors, she worked as a lecturer for the Knowledge Society in some city and they were pleased with her...
And Vera Evgenievna still played in her theater and produced two more groups of studio students. All her former students continued to live under her attentive gaze.
Lida leafed through telegrams, letters... Pictures of the past, faces appeared before her eyes...
And at this time, Vadim in the auditorium was dictating in a whisper to his assistant comments to the artists, technical departments and, above all, the newly introduced one. The debutant worked well. His role essentially ended in the first act, although there was still a small exit near the finale. Vadim did not have the habit of leaving the auditorium during a performance, but this time he allowed himself an exception. He released the assistant and entered his office. There was about an hour ahead. I muted the internal broadcast and sat down at the table. My mind's eye ran through the events that had passed since graduation...
...Student years come once in a lifetime. They were intense and tense. By his third year, Vadim began to look for a theater for himself where he could perform his graduation performance. He wrote tirelessly to the most remote corners of the country. Finally, one of the Siberian theaters became interested in the opportunity to receive young specialist.
Of course, it wasn’t easy at first: new directors in any theater face considerable challenges. But Vadim turned out to have enough character,