Abstract

The article discusses changes in Soviet cultural policy in the post-war decade of 1946-1956 while considering the management of thearical art. Te two aspects of this issue are analyzed: on the one hand, the measures to ensure censorship of dramatic productions, on the other, the attempts of the party-state leadership of the country and relevant institutions to maintain, despite the ideological and censor restrictions, at a sufciently high level the quality of dramatic works that were staged in Soviet theaters. In this situation, the authorities had to fnd various ways to counteract the obvious trend, i. e. the loss of spectator interest in theaters, whose repertoire was limited mainly to works of little interest by modern playwrights. Tey tried to switch theaters from state subsidies to self-fnancing, increasing the initiative of the theater administration, which was partially endowed with the functions of artistic directors to the detriment of the latter; artistic councils were established as sort of expert bodies that evaluated the production precisely in terms of its quality. While referring to these two sides of the management of Soviet theaters by party-state institutions, the author shows how purely administrative decisions could infuence the creative sphere itself. Debates about the prospects of the Soviet drama theater, held among the theatrical public at that time, had a certain impact on the decisions made by the authorities in this area. Te article analyzes the experience of Leningrad and some other stage venues during the said period and draws conclusions regarding its compliance with the all-Union patterns and special properties. Te author considers how these relatively insignifcant opportunities that emerged due to administrative and structural changes in cultural management helped preserve the political ideals of the Taw for their subsequent revival during the Perestroika.