Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Shakhovskoi
Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Shakhovskoi (1777-1846) was a notable Russian figure in the theater, emerging from an aristocratic background in Smolensk. Initially trained as a military officer, he left the service in 1802 to take on the directorship of the imperial theater, reflecting his deep passion for the performing arts. Shakhovskoi traveled to Paris during a period of relative peace, where he sought to recruit actors and gain insights into the contemporary French theater, which was influential to Russian theatrical development at the time.
Upon his return, he produced a variety of comedic plays, often featuring serfs as performers, aligning with the cultural practices of the Russian aristocracy, who enjoyed theatrical entertainment at their estates. One of his most significant works, "Urok koketkam: Ili, Lipetskie vody," created in 1815, sharply satirized the attitudes of certain aristocrats, showcasing his keen observational skills and willingness to critique societal norms. Although he was critical of emerging literary movements like Sentimentalism and Romanticism, Shakhovskoi also created fantasy plays inspired by the stories of Alexander Pushkin.
His career as a theatrical administrator was cut short by the political upheaval of the Decembrist Revolution in 1825, though he remained active in writing plays until his death. Shakhovskoi's contributions reflect a pivotal era in Russian theater, characterized by a blending of local traditions with Western influences.
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Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Shakhovskoi
- Born: April 24, 1777
- Birthplace: Bezzaboty, Smolensk, Russia
- Died: January 22, 1846
Biography
Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Shakhovskoi was born in 1777 in Bezzaboty, Smolensk, Russia, into an old aristocratic family, and from an early age he developed a strong interest in the stage. Although he was a military officer, as was common for young men from good families in that era, he left the service in 1802 in order to assume the directorship of the imperial theater. During the brief peace that preceded Napoleon I’s invasion of Russia, Shakhovskoi went to Paris to recruit actors for a French theatrical troupe in St. Petersburg. This trip also gave him the opportunity to familiarize himself with the French theatrical scene, since Russian theatrical practice was still in the process of imitating and assimilating Western models, rather than truly developing a tradition of its own.
When he returned home, Shakhovskoi began producing a large number of comedic pieces. These plays were written and staged at a time when it was popular for serfs to perform in plays that were presented to aristocrats visiting each others’ estates. Similarly, Shakhovskoi intended his comic productions to be performed by troupes of trained serfs. In 1815, he produced his sharply satirical play, Urok koketkam: Ili, Lipetskie vody, which poked fun at unpatriotic Russian aristocrats and was suspected of being critical of a noted poet of the period. Although Shakhovskoi was critical of the earliest works of Sentimentalism and Romanticism, he also wrote a number of fantasy plays dealing with magical events which were based upon the works of Alexander Pushkin. Shakhovskoi was a political conservative, but the radical Decembrist Revolution in 1825 meant the end of his career as a theatrical administrator. However, he continued to write plays until his death in 1846.