Semen Spivak Artistic Director of the Youth Theatre on Fontanka Date of Birth: 14.06.1950 Country: Russia

1. Artistic Director of the Youth Theatre on the Fontanka
2. Early Career and "Subbota"
3. Professional Career and the Youth Theatre on the Fontanka
4. Pedagogy and Legacy
5. Spivak's daughter, Emilia Spivak, is a renowned actress.

Artistic Director of the Youth Theatre on the Fontanka

Semen Spivak, a renowned theater director and pedagogue, is the Artistic Director of the Saint Petersburg State Budgetary Institution of Culture "Saint Petersburg Youth Theatre on the Fontanka." He holds the title of People's Artist of the Russian Federation (2000) and is a laureate of the Russian Government Prize (2018).

Early Career and "Subbota"

Born in Chernovtsy, Ukraine, Spivak's passion for theater began in the early 1970s at the "Subbota" theater club. As one of its most active members, he staged a version of "Romeo and Juliet" titled "Old Verona." Spivak later incorporated "Subbota" members into his educational work at the Leningrad State Institute of Theatre, Music, and Cinematography (LGITMiK). For instance, Natalya Nikitina, now Artistic Director of Teatr Dozhdey, made her professional debut in Spivak's "Three Write, Two in Mind!" at the Lenkom Theater in Leningrad. The style developed by "Subbota" in the 1970s would later be preserved and expanded by Spivak at the Youth Theatre on the Fontanka.

Professional Career and the Youth Theatre on the Fontanka

After graduating from the Leningrad Institute of Economics in 1972, Spivak completed LGITMiK in 1979. From 1979 to 1984, he served as director of the Theater of the Leninist Komsomol. He then moved to the Academic Lensovet Theater in 1984 and became the director of the Young Theater at Lenconcert in 1986. In 1989, he assumed leadership of the Youth Theatre on the Fontanka.

From 1991 to 2003, Spivak concurrently held the position of Artistic Director at the Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre.

Pedagogy and Legacy

Spivak teaches acting and directing at the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts (RGISI). His students, known as "Spivakovs," made their debut in 1998 with "Cries from Odessa" at the Youth Theatre on the Fontanka, which remains in the theater's repertoire. In 2019, a new generation of "Spivakovs" created "Ordinary Eccentrics," which has been met with great success.

Spivak's daughter, Emilia Spivak, is a renowned actress.