At the Irkutsk Folk Drama Theater they are preparing the play The Feat of the Irkutsk Dragoon Regiment about Siberians who fought Napoleon's army near Smolensk in 1812. Playwright Mikhail Kornev says the production was developed for six months using archive materials, and it will feature historical costumes, songs, hymns, and marches of the imperial army. The open air premiere will be shown on September 8 at the Moscow Gates monument on Russian Military Glory Day.
About the preparations for the premiere, rehearsals, and the characters, spoke the director and chief director of the Irkutsk Theater of Folk Drama, City Duma deputy Mikhail Kornev.At the Irkutsk Theater of Folk Drama, rehearsals have begun for a play based on Mikhail Kornev’s play “The Feat of the Irkutsk Dragoon Regiment.” This is a story about a heroic military unit in which Siberians served and which fought a hard battle with Napoleon’s army near Smolensk, covering the retreat of the Russian army in 1812. The Irkutsk Dragoon Regiment was established in 1787 by decree of Empress Catherine II. It took part in the Battle of Borodino, the 200th anniversary of which will be celebrated in September.
Work on the play and the collection of materials lasted for six months. During this time, the author, Honored Artist of Russia, director and chief director of the Irkutsk Theater of Folk Drama Mikhail Kornev, studied a whole stack of archival materials and discovered for himself the characters of the Siberian warriors of that time and, in particular, the commander of the Irkutsk Dragoon Regiment, the Frenchman of Russian origin Anton Skalon, who heroically died in Smolensk during the regiment’s retreat.
“We know our region’s history poorly, yet Irkutsk was never a backwater city. Outstanding people lived, worked, and created here,” says Mikhail Kornev.
The theme of the defenders of the Fatherland is close to the author also from an educational, patriotic point of view. Mikhail Kornev has already created stage images of the pioneer Yakov Pokhabov, Saint Innokenty of Irkutsk, etc. In his opinion, young people should know more about the history of their region, be proud of it, and love it as our ancestors did.
The production of the play is now underway. Historical costumes have already been ordered, and they are being made by experienced craftsmen. This became possible thanks to a grant allocated by the city Department of Culture. The performance will use songs, hymns, and marches of the imperial Russian army. The ceremonial premiere of the open-air version of the play will take place on the Day of Russian Military Glory - September 8 at 3:00 p.m. near the “Moscow Gates” monument on the Lower Embankment.
Based on materials from the press service of the Irkutsk City Duma