Tovstonogov Bolshoy Drama Theatre School

The theatre school has been built on a site in the yard between the theatre, a dormitory, and housekeeping buildings. Before the construction, the architectural environment here was incomplete and out of tune with the splendour of the main theatre façade.

The main architectural task was to complete the image of this part of the Fontanka embankment and to arrange the yard space. The façade solution and the colour scheme correspond to the traditional three-part structure while also manifesting some contemporary composition techniques. This allowed the theatre school building to blend seamlessly into the embankment and yet to possess an architectural character of its own.

The design also was to provide for a possibility to deliver equipment and decorations to the scene and the scenery workshop. To meet this requirement, the building has been elevated on high pillars. In the area where the school building borders the theatre there is a staircase and terraces connected to the dressing rooms and the theatre refreshment bar. The design includes a spacious rehearsal room, dressing and make-up rooms, a reading room, and a director’s office at the 1st and 2nd floors.