Date of creation: 1958
Strastnoy Bulvar n° 10
107031
MOSCOW
Russian Federation
+7 4912 272 083
Presentation
Brief history
UNIMA Russia was founded in 1958. All these years, it was a part of the structure of the International Department of the Central Office of the Theater Union of the Russian Federation.
From 1958 to 1990, Sergei Obraztsov was the President of the Soviet Union Center of UNIMA.
From 1976 to 1983, Sergey Obraztsov, the National actor of the USSR, the winner of the Lenin and Stalin’s Awards and the Stanislavsky State Award of the RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic), was also the Head of UNIMA International.
UNIMA Russia is a legal successor of the Soviet Union UNIMA Center. The Center is in touch with other national centers and with UNIMA International and receives from colleagues all information about the work and plans of the organization. The center helps to carry out communication of domestic puppeteers with colleagues around the world.
Today UNIMA Russia has 48 collective and 98 individual members. The total number of the members is 146.
From 1990 to 2002, the President of UNIMA Russia was a People’s Artist of the USSR, laureate of the State Prize of the USSR named after Konstantin Stanislavsky (famous Russian actor) and a laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation, artistic director of the Voronezh State Regional Puppet Theater Valery Volkhovsky.
From 2002 to 2011, UNIMA Russia was headed by Valery Shadsky, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, Honorary Member of UNIMA International, artistic Director of the Ryazan State Regional Puppet Theater.
From 2011 to 2023, UNIMA Russia was headed by Elena Ivanova, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, and artistic Director of the Ivanovo State Regional Puppet Theater.
Since 2024, Konstantin Kirillov, laureate of the Russian President’s Prize in Literature and Art “For his contribution to the development of domestic theatrical art”, Director of the Ryazan State Regional Puppet Theater is the head of UNIMA Russia.
Executive Committee of UNIMA Russia includes:
- Konstantin Kirillov
President of UNIMA Russia,
Manager of Ryazan Puppet Theater,
Secretary of Union of Theater workers of Russian Federation,
Chairman of Union of Theater workers of the Ryazan region,
Laureate of the Russian Federation president’s award in Literature and Art for works for children and young people “For Contribution to the Development of Russian Theatrical Art”,
Honorary worker of Culture and Fine Arts of the Ryazan region.
Members of the Executive Committee:
- Petr Strazhnikov
Vice–President of UNIMA Russia,
Yekaterinburg Puppet Theater Director,
Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation.
- Yurii Utkin
The chief director and artistic director of the Irkutsk Puppet Theater “Aistenok”.
- Boris Goldovsky
Art Director of the Moscow Puppet Theater,
Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation,
Doctor of Fine Arts.
- Nina Monova
Literary manager of the State Academic Central Puppet Theater named after Sergei Obraztsov,
Honorary Member of UNIMA Russia,
Honored cultural worker of the Russian Federation.
- Alexander Udalov
Manager of the Saratov Puppet Theater “Teremok”,
Chairman of the Saratov Regional Branch of the Union of Theatre Workers of the Russian Federation.
- Elena Bukharina
Manager of the Vologda Puppet Theater “Teremok”,
Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation.
- Veronika Berman
Head of the literary and dramatic part of the Omsk Puppet Theater of Actor, Mask “Arlequin”,
Candidate of philosophy.
The main aims of UNIMA Russia are:
- Developing of various forms and types of puppet theater art in the Russian Federation
- Developing of international contacts and exchange of experience between puppet theaters
The Executive Committee of UNIMA Russia regularly organizes conferences and meetings. Meetings can be held within the framework of puppet theater festivals offline and online.
One of the main aims of UNIMA Russia is to educate and popularize the art of playing puppets.
In 2019, the unique international project “We All Live Under The Same Moon” was successfully implemented within the framework of the Festival “Ryazankie Smotriny”. The project is jointly organized and conducted by Ryazan Puppet Theater and UNIMA Russia, with the support of the Theater Workers Union of the Russian Federation.
The puppeteers from all continents of the Earth took part in the first “Moon”. For the first time in the World history of the puppet theater, 10 actors became participants in the laboratory-performance, creating it “from scratch” during 10 days. Among the participants were puppeteers from South Africa, Portugal, Brazil, Great Britain, Iran, Japan, Australia, USA, Mongolia and Russia. Now the project is alive and developing. In 2021, its geography has expanded. Among the participating countries Canada and Mexico have appeared. In 2023 – Kazakhstan.