Scenario of a game and entertainment program for children of primary school age. "Fair Theater Parsley". Petrushka Puppet Theater. Structure, analysis of the comedy about Petrushka

I. Stravinsky ballet “Petrushka”

The ballet “Petrushka”, the music for which was written by the young composer I. Stravinsky, became the highlight of the “Russian Seasons” in Paris in 1911. At that time, no one could have thought that Petrushka, with his characteristic clumsy plasticity and sad face will become a symbol of the Russian ballet avant-garde. But the brilliant creative triumvirate of composer I. Stravinsky, choreographer M. Fokine and artist A. Benois created a masterpiece that became one of the symbols of Russian culture. The riot of colors, expressiveness, and national flavor, manifested both in music and in costumes, scenery, and choreography, led the audience into complete admiration and established a fashion in Europe for everything Russian.

• In the ballet, a street dancer twirls to the old song “Wooden Leg.” Her simple motive Stravinsky I heard it on one of the streets of Nice from an organ grinder. Subsequently, the author of the song appeared - a certain Spencer, and the court ordered the composer to pay him the amount of the royalty.
• At the first rehearsal of the orchestra in Paris, the musicians began to laugh out loud, they found the music of “Petrushka” so funny. Conductor P. Monto needed all his powers of persuasion to explain to his colleagues that Stravinsky’s music should not be perceived as comic.
• The role of Petrushka became key in the life and work of such dancers as V. Nijinsky, V. Vasiliev, M. Tsivin, S. Vikharev, R. Nureyev and others.
• It is believed that it is Diaghilev revealed Stravinsky's talent to the world. When he first heard young composer, he didn’t even have a higher musical education.
• Mikhail Fokin considered Tamara Karsavina the best performer of the Ballerina doll. She, in turn, loved this role very much and danced it until the end of her ballet career.
• In 1993, a platinum coin dedicated to Stravinsky was issued. It features a relief image of the composer against the background of a scene from the ballet “Petrushka”.
• Contemporaries unmistakably guessed in the characters of “Petrushka” the real participants of the “Russian Seasons”. The image of the Magician was directly associated with Sergeev Diaghilev, who controlled his artists like a puppeteer controls puppets. Nijinsky was compared to Petrushka, seeing in him an artist who, by the power of his art, rose above the crowd.
• In 1947, Stravinsky created a second edition of Petrushka to be performed by a smaller number of musicians. Instead of a “quadruple” orchestra, the score was redone for a “triple” composition, and the music for “Petrushka” began to exist in two versions - as ballet and as orchestral.
• Based on the ballet “Petrushka”, the Russian cartoon “Christmas Fantasy” was created in 1993.
• Stravinsky skillfully wove motifs of famous Russians into the music of the ballet folk songs“In the evening of a stormy autumn”, “Wonderful month”, “Along along Piterskaya”, “Oh, you canopy, my canopy”, “It’s not the ice that’s cracking, it’s not the mosquito that’s squeaking”, “But the snow is melting”.
• Music from the ballet “Petrushka” is heard in the films “The Charming Prankster”, “The Vampire’s Kiss”, “Our Lady of Turkey”.

It is believed that the birthplace of modern puppet theater is India and Ancient China. Later, this type of democratic art was brought by wandering artists, possibly gypsies, to Ancient Greece, and from there spread throughout Europe. It is not known for certain when puppeteers appeared in our country, but the Russian folk theater of Petrushka enjoyed enormous popularity among people of all ages and classes for about three centuries.

Background

Researchers believe that there were 3 species in Russia:

• puppetry, in which the dolls were controlled using strings;
• the Petrushka Theater - with figurines of characters placed on the fingers of the puppeteer;
• nativity scene - a theater in which dolls were fixed motionless on rods and moved along slots made in a special box.

The latter option was popular only in the southern regions of the country and in Siberia, and until the end of the 19th century, puppets, due to the complexity of making the figures, were used quite rarely. Thus, when talking about Russian pre-revolutionary puppet shows, they most often refer to Petrushki. It got its name from the name of the main character of funny performances performed right on the street.

Who is Parsley

This nickname was given to the glove puppet, which was usually dressed in a red shirt, canvas pants and a pointed cap with a tassel. It is still not entirely clear why her physiognomy was traditionally given “non-Russian” features. In particular, he has an overly large head and hands, a dark face, huge almond-shaped eyes and Most likely, Petrushka’s appearance is due to the fact that he was created in the image and likeness of the Italian Pulcinella.

As for the character’s character, he is also a fraudster for whom no laws are written.

The appearance of Parsley

In Russia, a glove puppet with strange facial features and the name Ivan Ratyutyu appeared in the 17th century. However, it received its greatest distribution and its final name only 200 years later. By the way, Petrushka himself introduced himself as Pyotr Ivanovich (sometimes Petrovich) Uksusov.

Description of the theater at an early stage

In the 17th century, performances were performed without a screen. More precisely, traditional theater Petrushki assumed the participation of only one actor, who tied a skirt to his belt. A hoop was sewn to its hem, and when lifted, the puppeteer found himself hidden from prying eyes. He could freely move his arms and imagine scenes involving two characters. At the same time, the comedian almost always worked in tandem with the bear leader and also performed the functions of a clown.

Description of the theater after the mid-19th century

From the 1840s, the screen began to be used. It consisted of three frames, which were fastened with staples and covered with chintz. It was placed directly on the ground, and it hid the puppeteer. A mandatory attribute, without which it was impossible to imagine the Parsley Theater, was a barrel organ. Its sounds invited the audience, and behind the screen the comedian communicated with the audience through a special whistle. During the performance, he could run out to the audience with a long nose and a red cap. At the same time, the organ grinder became his partner, and together they acted out comic scenes.

Puppeteers

The Petrushka Theater, the history of which has not been fully studied, was considered purely masculine. To make the puppeteer's voice more squeaky and loud, a special squeaker whistle was used, which was inserted into the larynx. In addition, the puppeteer tried to speak very quickly and laugh disgustingly at every joke.

Subjects

The theater plays (Petrushka was their main, but not the only hero) were rather monotonous. Main plots: treatment and training for soldier service, a date with the bride, buying and testing a horse. The scenes followed one after another in a certain order. At the same time, the duration of the performance depended on how long the audience deigned to pay attention to this street performance.

The action took place in the following sequence:

• Petrushka decides to buy a horse from a gypsy horse dealer. He haggles with the seller for a long time. Then he gets tired of this activity, and he beats the gypsy, who runs away.
• Petrushka tries to climb onto the horse, but it throws him off and goes after the dealer, leaving the cunning one lying motionless.
• The doctor arrives. He asks Petrushka about his illness. It turns out that he has a thousand diseases. The doctor and Petrushka fight because the patient calls the doctor ignorant. The bully hits the medic hard on the head with his baton.
• The policeman appears and asks Petrushka why he killed the doctor. The rogue replies that he “doesn’t know his science well.” Then Petrushka hits the policeman with a baton and kills him. The dog comes running. Parsley turns to the public and asks for their help. Then he tries to appease the dog and promises to feed her cat meat. The dog grabs Petrusha by the nose and drags him away. At this point the performance ended and the audience dispersed.

"Petrushka's wedding"

Sometimes, usually during Maslenitsa and other folk festivals, the performance, at the request of the public, could last even longer. Then they acted out the scene “Petrushka’s Wedding”. Her plot was crude and frivolous. A bride was brought to Parsley, whom he examined as if she were a horse. After he agreed to marry, long persuasions began for the bride to “sacrifice herself” before the wedding. From this point on the performance, the spectators left, taking the children away. The remaining men listened with delight to Parsley's greasy jokes.

There was also a scene with a priest or clerk. However, due to censorship reasons, it was not included in any of the collections where the texts of the performances with Petrushka were recorded.

"Death"

Among the characters in the Parsley Theater there was one most sinister one, who defeated the main character. It was Death, who, after a verbal spat, took Petrushka with him. However, the hero was soon resurrected in another place. This circumstance became the reason that some researchers began to find a connection between Parsley and pagan deities, who endlessly died and were reborn here and there.

Moscow puppet theaters

Before October revolution such permanent cultural institutions did not exist, and performances were staged by single artists on the streets or in booths, or they were invited to private homes to entertain guests. The first real puppet theaters in Moscow appeared in the early 1930s. The most famous of them eventually became the largest in the world. This is the theater. S. Obraztsova. It is located at: st. Sadovaya-Samotechnaya, 3. In addition, around the same time, the Moscow Puppet Theater appeared in the capital, originally created to popularize children's literature. He toured the country and introduced viewers to new works by Soviet authors, written specifically for the younger generation.

Later, other puppet theaters in Moscow appeared: “Albatross”, “Firebird”, “Fairytale”, “Chamber” and others. Here you can watch not only children's performances, but also productions specially created for adults.

To preserve the traditions of Russian street performances for children and adults, Andrei Shavel and artist Valentina Smirnova organized a new creative team. It was called the Russian folk theater "Petrushka" and debuted in 1989 in the city of Fresino.

The theater puts on 30-minute performances right on the street and tries not to deviate from the traditional scenarios of farcical performances.

The emergence of the Petrushka Theater is connected with the desire of its creators to preserve the best that was in the street mass art of past centuries.

Performances are also performed indoors. In such cases, the audience is also introduced to the history of Petrushka and the Russian farce theater. In their work, the actors use props that are exact copies of the screens and puppets that their predecessors had, who entertained the public on the streets of Russian cities 150-200 years ago.

Now you know how the Russian folk puppet theater arose. Parsley still arouses interest among children today, so be sure to take them to some show in a farce style.

The history of this doll goes back to the beginning of the 17th century. Although she has many prototypes in the folk theaters of Italy, France, Germany, and Turkey. The Parsley Theater enjoyed enormous popularity, first among ordinary people, and then among the more affluent segments of the population.

History of the theater

The Petrushka People's Theater is one of the oldest in Russia. It is precisely established that it existed at the very beginning of the 17th century in Rus'. Confirmation of this fact can be found in the Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, where the fresco depicts a puppeteer raising the curtain.

This is also evidenced by the entries in the travel diary of the scientist, diplomat and traveler Adam Olearius (Elschläger), which was republished several times. He was in Russia twice: in 1633-1634 - as secretary of the German embassy, ​​in 1635-1639 - as a scientific researcher.

Olearius described in detail the puppet theater of Petrushka, supplementing his story with an illustration, later made by an engraver at the request of the author. Character and type puppet shows, which was portrayed by Adam Olearius, suggests that these performances were the prototype of the Petrushka Theater of the 19th century.

Description of the theater

The Parsley Theater was a screen that consisted of frames fastened with special staples, covered with fabric, most often chintz. This structure was attached around the puppeteer's body. After it was raised above the head, a kind of stage was formed on which the performances took place.

In the performance of the Petrushka puppet theater in the 17th century, a guslar or a whistle-player participated, who maintained dialogues with the puppet and with the audience. The musician invited the audience to the performance and collected payment at the end.

In Rus', only a man could be the puppeteer of Petrushka. When he “drove” the doll and voiced it, the actor inserted a whistle (squeaker) into his larynx. This made the character’s voice ringing and loud, which was necessary at fair performances where there was a large number of of people. At the same time, because of the squeak, speech was not always intelligible; in such cases, an accompanist came to the rescue and explained everything to the viewer.

The history of the doll

Parsley is a glove puppet that the puppeteer places on his hand and controls it with his fingers. This character is dressed in a red shirt, canvas pants and a pointed cap with a tassel at the end. In V. I. Dahl’s dictionary, Petrushka is positioned as a farcical doll, a jokester, a Russian jester, a wit in a red caftan and cap.

His appearance is not at all Slavic, although he was the main character of the Russian folk theater Parsley. The doll has greatly enlarged arms and a head, which were carved from wood treated with a special compound to darken it.

Parsley has hypertrophied facial features, huge almond-shaped eyes with eyeballs white and a black iris. A large, long nose with a hump and a wide-open mouth, which some take for a smile, but in fact it is an evil grin. Petrushka got his appearance from the doll of Pulcinella, an Italian comedy character.

Origin of the name

How this doll got the name Parsley is not known for certain. There is a version that the famous comedic character was named after his namesake, Pietro Mirro (Pedrillo or Petrucha-Farnos). This was the court jester of the Russian Tsarina Anna Ioannovna. This version is supported by texts and popular prints (amusing sheets) identical to the plots of the Parsley Theater.

There is also a hypothesis that Petrushka received his name from famous puppeteer actors who lived at the beginning of the 18th century, these are Pyotr Ivanov and Pyotr Yakubovsky. It is quite possible that the doll was named after one of these amusements, whose performances were most popular at that time.

It is believed that Petrushka was named because of the similarity of his profile and ringing, noisy voice with a rooster. This version is supported by the fact that in Russia roosters are called Petya, Petrusha.

The puppet character got his name in the “Petrine Age”, when Emperor Peter I, according to one expression, signed his rescripts not with a pen, but with a club, and in free time drank and fooled around under the name of Petrushka Mikhailov in “the most drunken cathedrals.”

Performance scripts

There were several scenarios in the Parsley Theater. The main plots are buying a horse and riding it, learning to be a soldier, preparing a wedding, a scene with a gendarme or a policeman, with a dog or death. Almost every scene showed a fight between Petrushka and another character, in which he invariably won.

Usually the performance began with Petrushka wanting to buy a horse, and the accompanist calling the gypsy salesman. Main character examines the horse for a long time, and then begins a long bargaining with the gypsy, as a result of which he beats the latter on the back with a stick for attempting to deceive.

After this, Petrushka gets on the horse, but she throws him off and runs away. He remains lying on the ground, waiting for the doctor, who appears later. There is also a conflict with the doctor, and it all ends in a fight with a club. Later there is a skirmish with a gendarme or a policeman, in which Petrushka also defeats them with a stick. And it all ended with his meeting with a dog or with death, after which he died.

Popularity of the heroes of the Parsley Theater

All the characters participating in the performance changed periodically. The only constant was Petrushka, who was also called Pyotr Petrovich Samovarov, Vanka Ratatouille or Pyotr Ivanovich Ukusov. The comedy with his participation was very popular and widespread in Russia. Love common people to the main character of the speeches was explained in different ways. Some argued that the reason was the topicality of the satire, while others spoke of the accessibility, simplicity and understandability of the speeches.

In the monthly magazine “A Writer’s Diary” in 1876, F. M. Dostoevsky wrote a story on the theme of the Petrushka puppet theater. In it, he describes the performance that took place in the St. Petersburg house of artists. Fathers and their children stood in a crowd and watched the always popular comedy, and in fact this performance was the most fun of the whole holiday. The author asks questions: why do you feel so funny because of Parsley, so happy when you look at him? Why is everyone happy - both old people and children?

Relatives of Parsley

Some historians believe that Petrushka has so-called relatives in the theatrical puppet world of other countries. This is, for example, Pulcinella - a character considered the ancestor of Parsley, since he appeared in the 16th century. In France, this is Polichinelle - the hero of the folk theater, a hunchback, a cheerful bully and a mocker. In England, this is Punch, who is described as a hunchback with a pointed, hook-shaped nose and wearing a cap. He is a rogue, a fighter, a merry fellow and a reveler.

In Turkey, the prototype of the Parsley Theater was a shadow theater, the main character of which was a doll named Karagöz (black-eyed in Turkish). He also had a cheerful, cocky personality. People's dissatisfaction with the existing government was often expressed in performance scenes.

In Germany, Parsley's brother was the Kaschperle (Casper) doll, who also participated in comic performances at fairs and festivities. By nature, Kasper was a simple, cheerful joker who joked about topical topics.

Petrushka Theater in the 19th century

After a while, this character ceased to exist only as a street performer. Puppeteers and accompanists are increasingly being invited to the houses of gentlemen, where the scenes in which Petrushka participates lose their sharpness and topicality. He stops killing and stabbing his stage partners, and only scolds and drives them away.

At the end of the XVIII - early XIX century, changes are taking place in the theater. Musical instruments such as the harp and whistle are being replaced by the violin and organ-organ. The latter is especially widespread. In fact, she was the first mechanical musical instrument and was liked by the public. It did not require special playing skills and therefore gradually replaced the harp, violin and buzzer.

Also in the 19th century, the structure of the screen itself changed; now it consists of two poles on which coarse fabric is stretched, most often dyed, with Blue colour. Because of this design, the puppeteer showed his performance.

From wit to hero of children's parties

Petrushka's speech changes from common folk to more acceptable for manor houses, and the “parsley man” is no longer a street actor, but a salon actor. The stage itself is decorated with beautiful lush draperies, and those participating in the performance dress in satin clothes with shiny tinsel, which makes the performance ceremonial and solemn.

Parsley turns from an evil wit with obscene jokes into a kindly, cheerful character at children's parties and matinees. Moreover, after some time he is reborn from a glove puppet into a puppet, like his foreign relatives Pulcinella, Polichinelle, Punch and Karagoz. More and more often you can see the performance of Petrushka the puppet, and not the glove puppet.

Parsley in the twentieth century

IN Soviet time appears new character- Comrade Petrushka, at the same time he leaves the stage and turns into the hero of stories and literary plays. Now the old Petrushka Theater in which much was permissible does not exist. Frivolity is lost in the 20th century storyline, the events unfolding in the plays and stories are aimed at promoting hygiene, literacy and recycling.

All that remains of the original Petrushka is his tendency to accuse. He points out, identifies and condemns drunkards and slackers, and explains to readers the elementary standards of decency and decent behavior in society.

The doll's appearance also undergoes a transformation. Thus, the red shirt in which Petrushka was previously dressed turns into a tunic or blouse, and instead of a pointed cap, a cap, budenovka or cap appears on his head. Even his long nose with a hump shortens and initially becomes snub-nosed, and later becomes completely ordinary.

Parsley in modern times

The history of the Parsley Theater is now being studied by scientists and theater experts. And today this character has not outlived its usefulness. For example, Petrushka became the hero of the ballet of the same name, which is often identified with the unique emblem of the Russian ballet seasons.

He was a real key figure for the work of the composer I. F. Stravinsky, who wrote excellent music for the ballet, for the founder of classical Russian ballet school M. M. Fokine, who created this production, as well as for the dancer V. Nijinsky, who performed the main roles in this ballet.

Petrushka remained in the image of an irreconcilable fighter against injustice and negative characteristics person. Making fun of all this, he tries to change it for the better.

PEOPLE'S THEATER- Theater created directly by the people themselves, existing among the broad masses in forms organically related to the oral folk art. In the process of historical development of arts. the culture of the people is the fundamental principle that gives rise to the entire subsequent history of prof. theater. claim-va, is adv. theater. creation.

Folklore theater is the traditional dramatic creativity of the people. The types of folk entertainment and play culture are varied: rituals, round dances, mummers, clownery, etc. In history folklore theater it is customary to consider the pre-theatrical and majestic stages of folk dramatic creativity. Pre-theatrical forms include theatrical elements in calendar and family rituals. In calendar rituals there are symbolic figures of Maslenitsa, Mermaid, Kupala, Yarila, Kostroma, etc., acting out scenes with them, dressing up. Agricultural magic played a prominent role, with magical acts and songs designed to promote the well-being of the family. For example, for winter Christmastide they pulled a plow around the village, “sowed” grain in the hut, etc. With the loss magical meaning the ritual turned into fun. The wedding ceremony also represented; theatrical play: the order of “roles”, the sequence of “scenes”, the transformation of the performers of songs and lamentations into the protagonist of the ritual (the bride, her mother). Complex psychological game there was a change in the internal state of the bride, who in her parents’ house had to cry and lament, and in her husband’s house meant happiness and contentment. However, the wedding ceremony was not perceived by the people as a theatrical performance. In calendar and family rituals, mummers were participants in many scenes. They dressed up as an old man, an old woman, a man dressed up as women's clothing, and the woman - as a man, dressed up as animals, especially often as a bear and a goat. The costumes of the mummers, their masks, makeup, as well as the scenes they performed were passed down from generation to generation. On Christmastide, Maslenitsa, and Easter, mummers performed humorous and satirical scenes. Some of them later merged into folk dramas.

Balagan- temporary wooden building for theater and circus performances, which became widespread at fairs and folk festivals. Often also a temporary light building for trade at fairs, to accommodate workers in the summer. In a figurative sense - actions, phenomena similar to a farce show (buffoonish, rude). Balagans have been known since the 18th century.

Nativity scene- a folk puppet theater, which is a two-story wooden box resembling a stage. The nativity theater entered Russia at the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th centuries from Poland through Ukraine and Belarus. The name is associated with the original depiction of scenes about the life of Jesus Christ in the cave where he was hidden from King Herod.

Among Ukrainians, Belarusians and Russians, the performance was divided into two parts: religious and everyday. Over time, the religious part was reduced and acquired a local flavor, and the repertoire expanded and the nativity scene turned into a folk theater.

Unlike the “Parsley Theater”, the puppets are controlled from below

The nativity scene was a large box, inside of which there was a stage, usually two-tiered. On the upper stage they showed the worship of the newborn baby Jesus, on the lower stage - episodes with Herod, after whose death the everyday part of the performance followed. Wooden dolls were attached to a wire from below, with the help of which the nativity scene maker moved them along slots in the floor. The main decoration on the stage is a manger with a baby. At the back wall there were figures of the righteous Joseph with a long beard and the holy Virgin Mary. Scenes with the birth of Christ were traditionally played out in the upper tier. The owner of the nativity scene usually spoke the text himself in different voices and drove dolls. The choir boys sang Christmas carols. And if a musician was present, he would accompany the singing and dancing with music. Puppeteers and the accompanying musicians and choir walked from house to house, or staged performances in public gathering places - in shopping areas.

In fact, it was a two-tier box, 1 x 1.5 m, with dolls moving on the tiers.

Petrushka Theater- The parsley screen consisted of three frames, fastened with staples and covered with chintz. It was placed directly on the ground and hid the puppeteer. The barrel organ gathered the audience, and behind the screen the actor began to communicate with the audience through a peep (whistle). Later, with laughter and reprise, he ran out himself, in a red cap and with a long nose. The organ grinder sometimes became Petrushka's partner: because of the squeak, speech was not always intelligible, and he repeated Petrushka's phrases and conducted a dialogue. The comedy with Petrushka was played out at fairs and booths.

In Russia, only men “drove” Petrushka. To make the voice louder and squeakier (this was necessary both for audibility at fair performances and for the special character of the character), they used a special squeak inserted into the larynx. Petrushka’s speech had to be “piercing” and very fast.

Unlike the Nativity Scene, the screen is not a box, but a window with “curtains”. And the person who controlled the puppet in the Parsley Theater could appear to the public himself and talk to his own puppet.

Rayok- a folk theater consisting of a small box with two magnifying glasses in front. Inside it, pictures are rearranged or a paper strip with homegrown images of different cities, great people and events is rewound from one skating rink to another. Raeshnik moves the pictures and tells sayings and jokes for each new plot.

The highest manifestation folk theater is folk drama. The first folk dramas were created in the 16th–17th centuries. Their formation proceeded from simple forms to more complex ones. The most famous and widespread folk dramas were "The Boat" and "Tsar Maximilian". Folk, everyday satirical dramas were also performed ("The Master", "The Imaginary Master", "Mavrukh", "Pakhomushka", etc.), adjacent to the Yuletide and Maslenitsa games. They are based on dramatic scenes that were performed by mummers.

Some of folk dramas were of a historical nature. One of them is “How the Frenchman took Moscow.”

FOLK PUPPET THEATER, ITS TYPES

The Russians knew three types of puppet theater: the marionette theater (in which the puppets were controlled using threads), the Petrushka theater with glove puppets (the puppets were put on the puppeteer’s fingers) and the nativity scene (in which the dolls were fixedly fixed on rods and moved along slots in boxes) . Puppet theater did not become widespread. The Parsley Theater was popular. The nativity scene was distributed mainly in Siberia and southern Russia.

Petrushka Theater is a Russian folk puppet comedy. Its main character was Petrushka, after whom the theater was named. This hero was also called Pyotr Ivanovich Uksusov, Pyotr Petrovich Samovarov, in the south - Vanya, Vanka, Vanka Retatouille, Ratatouille, Rutyutyu (tradition of the northern regions of Ukraine). The Parsley Theater arose under the influence of the Italian puppet theater Pulcinella, with which the Italians often performed in St. Petersburg and other cities.

An early sketch of the Petrushka Theater dates back to the 30s. XVII century This illustration was placed by the German traveler Adam Olearius in the description of his trip to Muscovy. Regarding the drawing, D. A. Rovinsky wrote: “... A man, having tied a woman’s skirt with a hoop at the hem to his belt, raised it up - this skirt covers him above his head, he can freely move his hands in it, display dolls on top and present entire comedies.<...>In the picture, on a portable skirt stage, it is not difficult to discern a classic comedy that has survived to our time about how a gypsy sold a horse to Petrushka." Rovinsky cited Olearius' remark that the puppet comedian was always with the bear leader; he also corrected the "positions" of the goat and the clown's skits, according to Olearius, were always of the most modest content 1

Later, the raised women's skirt with a hoop at the hem was replaced by a screen - at least in descriptions of the Petrushka Theater in the 19th century. the skirt is no longer mentioned.

In the 19th century The Petrushka Theater was the most popular and widespread type of puppet theater in Russia. It consisted of a light folding screen, a box with several dolls (each

number of characters - usually from 7 to 20), from a barrel organ and small props (sticks or batons, rattles, rolling pins, etc.). The Parsley Theater did not know the scenery.

The puppeteer, accompanied by a musician, usually an organ grinder, walked from courtyard to courtyard and gave traditional performances of Petrushka. He could always be seen during folk festivals and fairs.

About the structure of the Petrushka Theater D. A. Rovinsky wrote: “The doll has no body, but only a simple skirt, to which an empty cardboard head is sewn on top, and on the sides there are arms, also empty. The puppeteer sticks it into the doll’s head forefinger, and in the hands - the first and third fingers; He usually puts a doll on each hand and thus acts with two dolls at once.”

Character traits appearance Parsley - a large hooked nose, a laughing mouth, a protruding chin, a hump or two humps (on the back and on the chest). The clothes consisted of a red shirt, a cap with a tassel, and smart boots on his feet; or from a clownish two-tone clown outfit, collar and cap with bells. The puppeteer spoke for Petrushka with the help of a squeak - a device thanks to which the voice became sharp, shrill, and rattling. (The pischik was made of two curved bone or silver plates, inside of which a narrow strip of linen ribbon was fastened). For the rest characters The comedy puppeteer spoke in his natural voice, moving the squeak behind his cheek.

The Petrushka Theater's performance consisted of a set of skits that had a satirical orientation. M. Gorky spoke about Petrushka as invincible hero puppet comedy, which defeats everyone and everything: the police, the priests, even the devil and death, but he himself remains immortal.

The image of Parsley is the personification of festive freedom, emancipation, and a joyful feeling of life. Petrushka's actions and words were opposed to accepted standards of behavior and morality. Parsley's improvisations were topical: they contained sharp attacks against local merchants, landowners, and authorities. The performance was accompanied by musical inserts, sometimes parodic: for example, the image

funeral under "Kamarinskaya" (see in the Reader "Petrushka, aka Vanka Ratatouille").