Konstantin Bogomolov, director: biography, creative activity

Hardly anyone from modern theater-goers has heard the name of Constantine Bogomolov. He became famous for scandalous topical productions and ultra-modern reading of the classics. This is the case when they go not to the play, but to the director: than this time he will try to shock the audience. For 14 years of his theatrical career Bogomolov has staged more than 30 performances: "Karamazovs", "Fathers and Sons", "Seagull", "Gargantua and Patagruel", "Lear", "Iphigenia in Aulis" and many others. In addition, Konstantin Bogomolov - director of the film-performances "Wolves and Sheep", "The ideal husband. Comedy". As you can see, most of his productions are based on classical works - from Chekhov to Euripides, but the spectacle on stage will be very different from calm classics.

Biography of Konstantin Bogomolov

The director was born in Moscow in July 1975 in a family of film critics. Few people know that Bogomolov tried himself on a poetic path. He studied in the literary studio "Cypress Casket", founded by the famous Soviet writer Olga Tatarinova. His poems were even printed: in the magazine "We", the collections "The Seventeenth Echo" and "Babylon".

After graduation from the gymnasium in 1992, the literary education was decided to continue at the philological faculty of Moscow State University. Then, instead of studying in graduate school, a young man enters GITIS and successfully finishes it in 2003. After that, Bogomolov, the director, became famous for the general public. The performance "A lot of noise from nothing" brought him the first award: he became a laureate of the prestigious theater prize "The Seagull". Next were the awards of the "Living Theater", Oleg Tabakov and Oleg Yankovsky. With the "Golden Mask" Bogomolov was less fortunate. The director was nominated in 2010 with the performances "Elder Son", "Wonderland-80", "Lear", "The Year I was not Born", "The Ideal Husband. Comedy ", but so far only received the" Prize of Criticism ".

For a long time Bogomolov worked as an assistant director in the Moscow Art Theater. He staged 9 plays for the Oleg Tabakov Theater. The director collaborated with the Pushkin Theater, the Theater of Nations, the Mayakovsky Theater. He also worked abroad: in Poland and Latvia. In 2016, Bogomolov - director of the theater "Lenkom" (since 2014).

"Iphigenia in Aulis" (2005)

Konstantin Bogomolov staged one of his first performances in the foyer of the Theater Center "Na Strastnom". The director gave a new sound to the work of Euripides. From the classical tragedy, it turned out to be something like a chamber psychological drama in the entourage of gangster films. Criticism was very skeptical about this idea. It's not even that gum and glossy magazines in the hands of actors are inappropriate for the ancient Greek tragedy, but that their use was unjustified. Bogomolov did not disclose any new meanings this time, but simply brought the characters to show off in fashionable costumes - "poor, but clean".

"Much Ado About Nothing" (2007)

Shakespeare's comedy was performed by Bogomolov at the Malaya Bronnaya Theater. After the first directorial works, the critic hung on him the label of an intelligent boy from a decent family, but with this performance he managed to shake up the classical theater. In Italy, the Second World placed his troupe of Praying Mantis. The director built the whole play in contrasts: funny and gloomy, lyrical and ominous, poetry and prose. However, completely get rid of the status of a budding director, promising, Bogomolov was not able to: he was too carried away with minor decorative details and expressive means.

«Wonderland - 80» (2010)

Autobiographical prose Dovlatov Bogomolov gave piquancy to the Carrollian absurdity. Not every director dares to cross these writers in one play. Soviet life acquires a surreal flavor when the White Rabbit comes out on stage in the form of a KGB officer. Slightly insane characters who live "in the opposite direction" can not escape or change the era of stagnation, and are doomed to eternal descent. Not only Carroll and Dovlatov, but also two cultures - modern and recently gone - pose in their performance Bogomolov. The director acted here as a more mature master, for which he was nominated for the "Golden Mask" in 2011. With "Wonderland - 80" and the glory of Bogomolov-brawler began.

The Karamazovs (2013)

"Karamazov" - one of the most sensational performances, which put Bogomolov. The director turned the classic work upside down, not only moving the heroes into modern realities, but also bringing to the fore a detective line instead of philosophical and religious searches. If the previous works of Bogomolov were non-linear and fragmentary in the best traditions of postmodernism, then the original plot and dialogues of the director's improvements had little effect. Despite this, the Karamazovs are not the kind of spectacle that schoolchildren should lead to show classics in illustrations.

The Seagull (2014)

In this performance, the action also unfolds strictly according to the Chekhov text with small director's remarks. The scenery is minimalistic. One of the main findings is a large screen in the middle of the scene, which places accents. On it, the viewer sees Nina Zarechnaya's rapturous look, Masha's worried face, and the tense gesture that sets the intonation. Impressive is the transformation of the image of Zarechnaya: if in the first act she appears full of life as a blooming girl, then in the second step a dried old woman comes out, from which life drank all her strength. Like previous performances, "The Seagull" was a surprise: just because the performance was not shocking, but shocked the public Bogomolov. The director subordinated everything to the simple and strict Chekhov narrative.

The Prince (2016)

The staging of Dostoevsky's Idiot is one of Bogomolov's recent directorial works. Again the performance is accompanied by a scandal, again the audience rises, not waiting for the end of the action, and leave the hall. Such is Bogomolov's creative method - shocking. On the scene appears the character of Tymyshkin, whom the director himself represents: the compilation of Myshkin and Stavrogin. And again the audience is waiting for the postmodern collage: Bogomolov is quoted not only by the "Idiot", but also by the "Karamazovs", and "Demons," Nabokov, and Mann. Bogomolov explores the classic work and invites the viewer to unravel this puzzle and find its meanings in it.

It is clear and without a detailed analysis of the performances that Konstantin Bogomolov - the director is not for everyone. But those who have long been bothered with classical productions of the Maly Theater, his provocative attacks are likely to like. You can love him or criticize him, but you do not have to miss him for sure. The performances of director Bogomolov are a surprise every time. Pleasant or not - everything depends on the point of view. Be that as it may, without Bogomolov, which does not justify his name, modern Russian theater is difficult to imagine.