Metadata: R. A. Sirota
Collection
- Country:
- Russia
- Holding institution:
- St. Petersburg State Theatrical Library
- Holding institution (official language):
- САНКТ-ПЕТЕРБУРГСКАЯ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННАЯ ТЕАТРАЛЬНАЯ БИБЛИОТЕКА
- Postal address:
- 191011, St. Petersburg, ul. Zodchego Rossi, d. 2.
- Phone number:
- +7 (812) 5717711
- Web address:
- http://www.sptl.spb.ru
- Email:
- sptl@sptl.spb.ru
- Reference number:
- F. 49
- Title:
- R. A. Sirota
- Title (official language):
- Title (official language):
- Creator/accumulator:
- R. A. Sirota
- Date(s):
- 1903/2002
- Language:
- Russian
- Yiddish
- Romanian; Moldavian; Moldovan
- Georgian
- Bulgarian
- French
- Extent:
- 352 storage units
- Type of material:
- Textual material
- Photographic images
- Audio
- Scope and content:
- Documents in the fonds are in Russia, Yiddish in Cyrillic transliteration, Romanian, Georgian, Bulgarian and French. The fonds includes biographical documents of R. A. Sirota and materials connected with her artistic activities; notebooks, correspondence, books with dedicatory inscriptions from various persons; materials about R. A. Sirota; photographic images (personal, and from show rehearsals and performances); audio- and video-materials; and documents of various other persons, including reminiscences by actors and directors with whom R. A. Sirota worked. Pertaining to the history of Jews in Russia are an autobiographical statement of R. A. Sirota (1994) and her personal documents, and in particular, a birth certificate signed by her parents, A. B. Sirota (1896-?) and B. M. Daniiakh (1895-?) and by administrative officials (1924); the birth certificate (an extract from vital records) of R. A. Sirota’s father A. B. Sirota on a printed form, with handwritten text and the signature of the Kishinev city rabbi (1903); a printed confirmation as to the correctness of the information on a vital-records certificate, signed by administrative officials of the Kishinev Municipal Administration, and stamped (1905); the marriage certificate of A. B. Sirota and B. M. Daniiakh, signed by administrative officials (Odessa, 1920); etc.; photographic images of relatives of R. A. Sirota: her grandfather, the well-known cantor Gershon Sirota; her grandmother, parents, and others (late 19th c. – 1943); a copy of an article on Gershon Sirota from the Concise Jewish Encyclopedia; a letter from the Hachette Premiere & Cie studio (Paris) confirming R. A. Sirota in the role of Sarah in Iolanda Zoberman’s film I’m Ivan, You’re Abram; this letter also contains information on the filming schedule, conditions for the movie’s theatrical release, dubbing, and promotion, and R. A. Sirota’s payment, and a typewritten excerpt from the screenplay, in Yiddish in Cyrillic transcription (1991-92); also pertaining to this film is a notebook of R. A. Sirota’s containing excerpts from the screenplay and the text of the role of Sarah, written by I. Levkovich in Yiddish in Cyrillic transcription, and translated into Russian (1991); and sheets from a pad containing notes on Yiddish lessons in connection with the shooting of this film, etc. (1992); etc.
- Archival history:
- The St. Petersburg State Theatrical Library was founded 30 August 1756 per the edict of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna that established the first professional Russian theatre. It arose as a repertoire library of the Russian Theater Troupe, and was subsequently reorganized as the Central Library of the Directorate of Imperial Theaters. However, it is clear from archival research that the library of the Russian Theater Troupe began to take shape well before the edict itself. In particular, this is attested to by copies of manuscript plays housed in the library dating from 1754 through 1759 marked “From the Library of the Court Theater.” The name and agency jurisdiction of the library changed on numerous occasions: from 1759-1889, it was called the Library of the Russian Court Theater; from 1889-1917, the Central Library of the Directorate of Imperial Theaters; from 1917-31, the Central Russian Drama Library; from 1931-34, the Library of the A. S. Pushkin Theater; from 1934-93, the A. V. Lunacharskii Leningrad State Library; and since 1993, the St. Petersburg State Theatrical Library (SPb GTB). Since 1889, the library’s fonds have been supplemented with collections of plays from other state troupes (French, German, and Italian) working in St. Petersburg in the 18th-19th c. After 1917, the library opened its fonds to all persons interested in the theatre arts. Currently the library’s fonds number over 700,000 storage units. A third of them (manuscripts, rare and valuable publications, personal papers of theatre figures, decoration and costume designs, theatre programs and posters, one-of-a-kind photographic images, etc.) are housed in the library’s Department of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Archival and Visual Materials. All materials of this department are catalogued (including in card catalogues), insofar as the St. Petersburg State Theatrical Library employs the library accounting system (with the exception of the Archival Materials Sector, which has inventories).
- Administrative/biographical history:
- Roza Abramovna Sirota (1924-95) was a theatre director, educator, and Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1986). She graduated from the A. N. Ostrovskii Leningrad Theater Institute in 1952, whereupon she was assigned to be director of the drama theatre of the city of Kizel’ (Molotov region; now the Perm’ territory). From 1954-55 and 1962-64 she served as director of the Leningrad Regional Drama Theater; from 1956-62 and 1966-72, of Leningrad’s Gorky Bolshoi Drama Theater; from 1972-79, of the Lenin Komsomol Theater of Leningrad; and subsequently of the M. Gorky Moscow Art Theater (1979-94). From 1965-66, she served as director of the editorial board in charge of literary and dramatic programming of the Leningrad Television Studio. She taught at the Leningrad State Institute for Theater, Music, and Cinematography (1964-65), the N. K. Krupskaia Leningrad State Institute of Culture (LGIK) (1976-79), the A. V. Lunacharskii State Institute for Theater Arts (1985-86), and the Studio-School (VUZ) of the M. Gorky Moscow Art Theater (1987-91). The archive of R. A. Sirota was transferred to the St. Petersburg State Theatrical Library for storage in 1999-2000 by N. A. Elinson. In 2000-02 it was supplemented with materials acquired from various persons.
- Access points: locations:
- Kishinev
- Russia
- St Petersburg
- Access points: persons/families:
- Daniiakh, B. M.
- Levkovich, I.
- Sirota, A. B.
- Sirota, G.
- Sirota, R. A. (Roza Abramovna)
- Zoberman, Iolanda
- System of arrangement:
- The fonds includes a single inventory systematised by subject.
- Finding aids:
- An inventory is available.
- Yerusha Network member:
- Jewish Theological Seminary
