Russian drama on the Azerbaijani stage in the period of independence: analysis of creative trends

The author identifies the main trends that determined the appeal of theatrical figures of Azerbaijan to the works of Russian classics and modern Russian literature during the years of independence (1991-2021). The study is based on electronic media reports about theatrical premieres, critical articles, as well as studies of cultural historians and theater critics. The methodology is a combination of ideographic, diachronic and historical-genetic methods. The author considers works of the teams of the Azerbaijan State Academic National Drama Theatre, the State Academic Musical Theatre, the Azerbaijan State Theater for Young Spectators, and the Yug Theater on the stage performances of the writings of Fyodor Dostoevsky, Yuri Polyakov, Nikolai Gogol, Anton Chekhov, Aleksey N. Tolstoy and others. The conclusions of theater critics about these performances are given. Of the regional theater groups, the author notes the activities of the Ganja State Drama Theater. He characterizes features of the directors’ work on productions based on the writings of Russian authors. The author states that Russian dramaturgy has a serious impact on the development of directing and acting in Azerbaijan, ensuring the preservation of theatrical traditions of the past; he also notes that the public met such performances with sympathy and interest. Regional theaters also showed interest in the work of Russian classics, in particular, they often turned to The Government Inspector by Gogol. The study has established that the performances the theaters of Azerbaijan conduct based on Russian classical works are intended for spectators of all ages, including children. These productions, often endowed with Azerbaijani national specificity and color, are truly unique works, which are a kind of a fusion of two cultures. The directors often “weaved” the work of the Russian playwright into the plot outline of the production together with the works of authors belonging to other national literary traditions - in this way the idea of multiculturalism was creatively realized. Very often performances were created by international creative teams. The author emphasizes that the appeal of Azerbaijani theaters to Russian drama during the years of independence not only serves to enrich their repertoire and develop theatrical art, but also, continuing the historical ties between the peoples of Russia and Azerbaijan, contributes to their further development.