Fyodor Grigorievich Volkov () ( in

Kostroma Kostroma (, ) is a historic city and the administrative center of Kostroma Oblast, Russia. A part of the Golden Ring of Russian cities, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Volga and Kostroma. In the 2021 census, the population is 267, ...

– in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

) was a Russian actor and founder of the first permanent Russian theater.

Life

The stepson of Merchant Polushkin from

, Fyodor Volkov received a versatile education. He established the very first public theater in

Yaroslavl Yaroslavl (; , ) is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historic part of the city is a World Heritage Site, and is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl rivers. ...

in 1750, which would later bring fame to the then-unknown actors Ivan Dmitrievsky, Yakov Shumsky and others. Two years later, Fyodor Volkov and his theater were invited by Empress Elizabeth to perform at her court, but it would soon be dismissed due to its "plebeian" nature. Some of the actors were sent to the Szlachta Corps (Шляхетный корпус) to get education. In 1756, the empress issued a decree on the establishment of the first permanent public theatre in St.Petersburg under the guidance of Alexander Sumarokov. Fyodor Volkov assisted Sumarokov in managing the theater and five years later became its director after the latter's resignation. Volkov created the Russian professional public theater of national significance, tied it together with progressive dramatic art, and paved the way for a number of Russian actors. He married one of the first actresses in Russia, Maria Ananina. As an actor, Fyodor Volkov mostly played tragic roles, such as the ones in Sumarokov's plays ''Khorev'' (Хорев), ''The Refuge of Virtue'' (Прибежище добродетели), ''Gamlet'' (Гамлет; Sumarokov's version of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

''), ''Semira'' (Семира), ''Sinav and Truvor'' (Синав и Трувор), ''Yaropolk and Demiza'' (Ярополк и Демиза). Having mastered the art of stage acting, Volkov often deviated from esthetic canons of classicism and chose not to follow the universally accepted rules of solemn recitation. In his plays, Sumarokov would often create characters with Volkov's wild temperament in mind. The latter, however, was a very talented comedian, as well.

Legacy

The Yaroslavl Theatre has been bearing Volkov's name since 1911.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Volkov, Fyodor 1729 births 1763 deaths People from Kostroma Male actors from the Russian Empire Theatre managers and producers from the Russian Empire