Vadim Vasilievich Zhukov is an artist of the puppet stage and director of the puppet theater, who has been creating a fairy-tale world for 60 years and pleasing the audience of any age. He is the master of the puppet world. He always had "it is important that after the performances in children there remains at least a small grain of good."
From biographical information
Vadim Vasilievich Zhukov was born in 1934 in Krymsk into a military family. During the war years, he was left without parents: his father went missing, his mother was shot by Germans. An orphan was raised by a woman who was still nursed by his mother. Vadim wanted to become a naval officer and enter the Nakhimov School. After graduating from a vocational school, he worked at construction sites, was a leader at cultural events. He began working as an actor and director of the Crimean Puppet Theater even before receiving his education at the Leningrad Institute of Theater, Music and Cinematography.
The first acting and directorial experience
The first experience of V. Zhukov-actor was associated with a curiosity. He went on stage with the doll and held it in a stiff outstretched arm for more than an hour. It turned out that he simply forgot to say when to leave the stage. The young man began to watch the children from behind a screen, saw how they were happy, what kind of faces they had surprised. It was then that he fell in love with dolls. The debut directorial work of V. Zhukov was the play "The Scarlet Flower".
The way to the hearts of children is found
In 1968-2007, V. Zhukov worked in Lipetsk as a director and artistic director of a puppet theater. Gradually, a team of enthusiasts formed, which became a family for V. Zhukov. He greatly appreciated the fact that everyone in their troupe wants to work well and be needed. Over the years, V. Zhukov has created about three hundred performances.
The theater took part in the All-Polish festival. The actors performed in one breath. Polish directors said that for many years they have been looking for a way to the heart of a child, and the Lipetsk Theater brought a performance where it has already been found.
When the television boom with the militants began, V. Zhukov thought that the theater needed to change something. And then, as he says, he looked into the guys’eyes and realized that nothing needs to be changed. Children need a kind fairy tale, native Russian fairy-tale characters. And no "black cloaks" and ghosts will not replace them.
The famous creator of the Central Puppet Theater, Sergei Obraztsov, then spoke with almost every artist of the Lipetsk Puppet Theater, watched the performance, and praised the work of Vadim Vasilievich Zhukov.
Pioneer Puppeteers
The staff of the Lipetsk Puppet Theater ventured on a long journey. Actors were the first envoys of Soviet theater art, and even more so puppet theater in Africa. It was decided to talk about the friendship of two amazing animals, whose homeland is Africa. The play was called "Giraffe and Rhinoceros" based on a play by German writer H. Gunther. Young Africans sat with their mouths open. The tale began. The dolls came to life and spoke. At first there was dead silence in the hall, a beautiful translation sounded. And the children smiled, began to laugh. The revival was growing. All performances were accompanied by amicable and long applause.
Actors played impassionedly, enthusiastically. The legendary Russian patriotism played an important role in overcoming difficulties during the trip. During performances in Africa, actors were convinced that, anywhere in the world, the most beloved are children, and they have their own love - dolls.
Theater today
Since 1965, when G.N. Bokova, more than forty years have passed. For the past 10 years, he has been leading the theater of O.V. Ponomarev. The team has many diplomas of various levels for professional art and for originality of performance. Performances The Queen of Spades "Legend of the Little Mermaid" "Little Bear Rome-tim-ty" "Lipetsk Fair" "Vespers in Little Russia", "Sonin Secret", "Golden Chicken" and others. Delight not only children but also adults.
Zhukov family
All his life V. Zhukov loves his wife Galina Nikolaevna, who is his muse. The Zhukovs consider their meeting a gift of fate. She happened during the cast. Among them was a beautiful 17-year-old girl with a stunning scythe.
V. Zhukov advised the director to take it. We looked closely at each other for three years. Household troubles did not frighten them, and they settled with their eight-year-old daughter in Lipetsk. Soon the son Alexander was born.
Daughter Tatyana recalls how she was with relatives during the holidays. The girl sat bored, and a passerby asked her what she was doing here and who her parents were. She, referring to the tour trips, replied: "My parents are gypsies!"
Tatyana believes that she had a wonderful childhood. In the puppet theater, she slept and did homework. Sometimes she was allowed to participate in the play. Tatyana became a doctor. She still remembers her little experience with dolls.
Vadim Vasilyevich in one of the interviews admits that the family always talked about the theater, and it never bothered. In 2017, the Zhukov family celebrated the 60th anniversary of the registration of their marriage. This couple has grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
