ABSTRACT
The Maly Drama Theatre, based in St Petersburg, has for nearly a quarter of a century had a major impact on theatre within the old Soviet Union and the new Russia. Today, wherever the Maly Drama Theatre visits, audiences are eager to see them. The company is celebrated for the kinds of play it has developed from the classical prose and dramatic literary repertoire, magnificent detail in the acting, high production values and an exceptional ensemble structure. This recognition revolves around the artistic director, Lev Dodin (b. 1944), who became director of the Maly Drama Theatre in 1983. Dodin himself trained at what is now the St Petersburg Academy, and he went on to train most of the actors within the Maly Drama Theatre, a family that he has created.
