Rector of GITIS: Bogomolov's Appointment Didn't Bother Anyone

On January 23, Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova appointed Konstantin Bogomolov as acting rector of the Moscow Art Theatre School-Studio. The decision sparked protest from a group of graduates, including Yulia Menshova and Mark Bogatyrev, who demanded its cancellation, citing the tradition that the head should be a graduate of the institution.

Bogomolov himself characterized discussions about «insiders» and «outsiders» as naive and stupid, stating that collective letters are not his way of existence.

GITIS (Russian Institute of Theatre Arts) Rector Grigory Zaslavsky, in an interview with TASS, supported the appointment, emphasizing the director«s theater experience. »In this matter, theater practice must also be taken into account. In this context, Konstantin Bogomolov can be called a true Moscow Art Theatre person: he has staged productions both at the Oleg Tabakov Theater and at the Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre,« said Zaslavsky.

He provided historical data: over the 83 years of the Moscow Art Theatre School-Studio«s existence, it was run by non-graduates for 51 years. »And until now, this didn«t bother anyone,» the rector explained. As an example, he mentioned Veniamin Radomyslensky, who headed the institution for 35 years, being a graduate of Moscow State University.

Zaslavsky also noted that School-Studio graduate Yulia Menshova teaches at VGIK (All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography), and this raises no questions. Similarly, when Kirill Serebrennikov, who has no theater education, was invited to teach, no protest demonstrations followed.

Commenting on the ethical aspect of the appointment, which took place nine days after the death of the previous rector Igor Zolotovitsky, Zaslavsky stated: «This has all happened before.» He recalled that Viktor Ryzhakov took over «Sovremennik» (Contemporary) on the day of the funeral of its previous head Galina Volchek.