The Theater of the People

My Friends!
Much has changed in here since last I wrote.  It has been my pleasure to roam this great nation and partake of its many pleasures.  However, one pleasure in particular has struck my interest.  As a storyteller, I am always intrigued by the work of others to share history and fantasy in new and exciting ways. However, to understand the trend which I am about to describe to you, there is something dark that must be understood. That being the topic of Serfdom.

A Family of Serfs

Years ago, in an effort to stabilize the country during an hour of great need, it was decided that the peasants should not be allowed to leave the land which they work.  To enforce this decree, the land was given to the local nobility.  This would not seem terribly unusual, but for the fact that the peasants were given along with it as part of the deal.  These days, the common people are bought, sold, leased, and traded by the nobility as one might a cow (Malnick, 1952).
While this situation is not ideal, many nobles are taking advantage of their vast resources to create theatre troupes, employing those whom they have ownership in writing plays, building sets, and performing for rather large audiences (Malnick, 1952).  This is an opportunity that would never be had by most now engaged in the practice were they to be left on their own.  It would be challenging to imagine enough peasants with the capital to buy the materials for the costumes, much less build a set or take time away from farm and house to write plays.

The Mariinsky Theatre

This is  not the case with the Lords of the court.  They spend more on these productions than most will see in their entire lives.  A man at arms in the household of Count Sheremetev told me privately that "[The Count] spent a fortune on his theatres," while Count Kamensky lost all he had (Malnick, 1952).  These are impressive productions, far more elaborate than my simple storytelling.
I, myself have been asked to write a play or two, but that is not where my talent lies.  It has been fascinating to watch the rise of plays written by those native to this land.  In court, it is commonly said that no Russia had no history of plays before 1800, as nothing before then was any good (Schuler, 2009).  These people have stopped merely using the works of others, and have begun to create something fascinating all their own.
These theatres have popped up almost overnight.  They vary in size from tiny troupes of a dozen or so to magnificent productions involving thousands of souls.  Either way, if you find yourself in this country, you simply must attend the theater.  You simply will not be disappointed.

Malnick, Bertha. “Russian Serf Theatres.” The Slavonic and East European Review, vol. 30, no. 75, 1952, pp. 393–411., www.jstor.org/stable/4204342.

Schuler, Catherine. Theatre and identity in imperial Russia. University of Iowa Press, 2009.