Russian State Institute of Performing Arts

The college was originally founded in 1779 at the Emperor's Theatre in St Petersburg, Over the course of its history, the institute has been reorganised and renamed several times. A growing theatre school assimilated the St Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy, along with several independent theatre classes and schools in the city. Leonid Sergeevich Vivian was appointed professor at the school in 1940 and from 1957 was head of the acting department. He was later awarded the Order of Lenin and a number of other medals and awards. After World War II, the institute (then named Leningrad Ostrovsky Institute of the Theatre or variant translation) was headed by Yuri Slonimsky (1902-1978), followed in 1951 by Vera Krasovskaya (who had studied there since 1946), then Galina Dobrovolskaya. In 1958 the State Research Institute of Theatre, Music and Cinematography was created. The School of Acting was absorbed in 1961, St Petersburg State Theatre Arts Academy, St Petersburg Academy of Theatre Arts, Its style of instruction has also changed: from the classical theatre in the "Emperor's Theatre School" to workshops under renowned stage director Vsevolod Meyerhold in the 1910s and 1920s, through to its current approach. graduating in 1935. == Location ==

The institute occupies historic buildings built in the early 20th century. Its main building, a three-storey building at 34 Mokhovaya Street, is an example of modern architecture. ==Instruction==

It is the largest professional theatre school in Europe, with faculty numbering more than 330, around 230 support staff, and over 1550 students. The institute teaches along similar lines as the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts in Moscow. criticism and theatre management. It covers a range of performing arts: drama, musical theatre, puppetry, variety shows, and television. The institute also hosts various international festivals, conferences and competitions, as well as student and teacher exchange programs. == Former staff and alumni ==

• Alexander Meiselman (1900–1938), taught theatre history until being arrested in 1937 • Professor Anatoly Altschuller (1922–1996) was a theatre historian. He attended the Ostrovsky Theatre Institute after World War II and graduated in 1948, returning as a research fellow in 1954. • Edward Rozinsky, theatre director, choreographer, playwright, and physical theatre specialist, taught mime and acting at the Leningrad Institute of Theatre, Music, and Cinematography before moving to the United States. • Arkady Katsman, taught in the 1970s • Lev Dolin ==References==