At forty, everything is just beginning!

The celebration, organized with the support of the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Research of the Republic of Moldova, the Chisinau City Hall, and the Russian Center for Science and Culture, was attended by former theater actors from Russia, Ukraine, Canada, Israel, Norway, Germany, and the United States; friends of the company, People's Artist of the Russian Federation Yuri Nazarov, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Lyudmila Maltseva, People's Artist of Moldova and Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Svetlana Toma; theater critics from Moscow and St. Petersburg; representatives of the Aronetskaya Tiraspol Drama and Comedy Theater; and colleagues, fans, and regular theatergoers. Members of Parliament Vlad Batrîncea and Marina Radvan, and candidate for mayor of Chisinau Ion Ceban were also in attendance.

The anniversary evening took place in the Great Hall of the National Philharmonic. Before the event, a specially produced video was shown on the screen. Members of the company, led by chief director Yuri Kharmelin, shared memories and expressed their love for the theater.

As is customary at an anniversary, flowers and gifts were presented, and congratulations were offered. The head of state presented the main gift. Igor Dodon addressed the guests and participants of the event, wishing success and professional achievements to all who have dedicated their lives to acting. He thanked the members of the "S Ulitsa Roz" Theatre for preserving and promoting traditions, for their high artistic skill, and for their commitment to discovering new creative horizons. The President announced decrees awarding the renowned actor Alexander Shishkin the "Gloria Muncii" Order and conferring the honorary title of "Honored Artist of the Republic of Mordovia" on Natalia Ermolaeva, Elena Tendel, and Evgeniy Bognibov. Igor Dodon called the "S Ulitsa Roz" Theatre a unique, original project for our country—it was founded by one man, Yuri Kharmelin. He still heads it and has built an entire educational system around it. To thunderous applause, the head of state announced that he had decided to allocate one million lei from the Din Suflet charitable foundation for the completion of the new building of the State Youth Drama Theater "From Rose Street."

The Chairman of the Union of Theatre Workers of the Republic of Moldova, Sandu Grecu, also presented the award from the creative organization and said:

"To create a theater from scratch and endure for forty years is truly heroic. The Roz Street Theater is my great love. But it must be acknowledged—it's Yuri Kharmelin's theater. He's a great director and a great teacher. The Satirikus Theater is only twenty-eight years old, and we look to you as an example. But it's unfair for a theater to lack its own home. I fully support the president's initiative and hope that other organizations will join in. We propose staging a joint production featuring actors from the Satirikus Theater and the Roz Street Theater."

Congratulations were not limited to those in the audience that evening. Video greetings were shown from renowned Russians—directors, People's Artists of Russia Kama Ginkas, Roman Viktyuk, and Iosif Raikhelgauz, and Honored Artists of the Russian Federation Nonna Grishaeva and Alexander Oleshko.

Lyudmila Maltseva read a greeting from the Union of Cinematographers of the Russian Federation, signed by Nikita Mikhalkov. Yuri Nazarov presented Yuri Kharmelin with a painting depicting their shared alma mater, the Shchukin School, and recited a poem he had composed himself.

Maria Yuryeva, Artistic Director of the International Theatre Festival of the CIS and Baltic States "Meetings in Russia," announced the awarding of the People's Artist of the USSR Kirill Lavrov Prize to the "From Rose Street" Theatre:

The "S Ulitsa Roz" Theatre is one of the most cherished and beloved participants of the "Meetings in Russia" festival, which took place for the 20th time this year. We usually award the Lavrov Prize—for contributions to the development of Russian theatre—during the festival, but to mark the theatre's anniversary, we decided to present it to Yuri Arkadyevich here.

Armine Oganesyan, deputy director for creative projects and audience engagement at the Roman Viktyuk Moscow Theatre and theater critic, also arrived with something in mind. She brought a greeting from the Russian Union of Theatre Workers (STD RF), signed by Alexander Kalyagin, and presented the actors of the "S Ulitsa Roz" Theatre and its chief director with branded STD RF T-shirts featuring Stanislavsky's portrait and the inscription "I Believe!" The guest said:

"For me, the beauty of a city isn't in its architectural monuments and landmarks, but in the people who live there. Harmelin, a highly talented director, lives in Chisinau. Active, positive people work here. That's why, for me, it's one of the most beautiful cities; I come here as if I were visiting family. I'm confident that when the theater has its own home, it will not only beautify the city but also enrich the cultural life of Moldova and the entire Russian cultural scene."

The event was not without a sad moment. A moment of silence was observed in memory of those who have passed away but left a significant mark on the theater's history: Evgenia Todorashko, Anatoly Umrikhin, Yuri Chuprin, Nikolai Andronatiy, Elena Shtuchenko, and Alexander Ovcharenko.

Vyacheslav Tereshchenko, Dean of the Directing Department at the Shchukin Theatre School and Honored Cultural Worker of Moscow, read a welcome message from Yevgeny Knyazev, Rector of the Shchukin Theatre School and People's Artist of the Russian Federation. He presented Kharmelin with a commemorative medal in honor of Yevgeny Vakhtangov's 100th anniversary and said:

"We are proud that Yuri Arkadyevich belongs to the vast Shchukin family, scattered across the globe. He created a stunning theater in Moldova. Theaters with such a cloistered atmosphere are very rare. I envy him with a passion."

Another Shchukin alumnus, Petru Hadârcă, director of the Eminescu National Theater, congratulated the honorees. Another graduate of the same school, Petru Vutcărău, chief director of the Ionesco National Theater, sent a congratulatory message.

A moving moment at the anniversary evening was the performance by 97-year-old Mikhail Gezhenko, a veteran of the acting profession. He admitted that he had been following the developments of the "From Rose Street" theater for a long time and compared Harmelin to Don Quixote, who spends his entire life tilting at windmills, fighting for the survival of his creation.

People's Artist of the USSR Mikhail Muntyan, in a duet with National Opera soloist Elena Nistreanu, performed "Zazdravnaya" from Verdi's opera "La Traviata" in honor of the anniversary. Honored Artist of the Republic of Moldova Dmitry Koyev and People's Artist of the Republic of Moldova Lilia Sholomei offered warm words of encouragement to the couple.

The actors from the "From Rose Street" theater performed excerpts from their repertoire—"Confusion," "Padam, Padam," "We Are Children of the Big City," "Levushka," and "Troikasemerkatuz." After watching them, Svetlana Toma admitted that she longed to be on stage at that very moment—the actors' performances were so infectious.

The festive program was concluded by students of the National Choreographic College, members of the "Moldoveneyaska" ensemble under the direction of People's Artist of the Republic of Moldova Yuri Gorshkov.

Yes, the anniversary is a joyful occasion. But a note of sadness permeated all the congratulations when it came to the fact that the troupe, which had won resounding international acclaim, still lacked a permanent home. Rehearsals and performances take place in a small hall and several modest spaces rented from the Theatre Lyceum, which, in turn, is located in a former kindergarten. Meanwhile, the company could have long ago celebrated its housewarming. Sixteen years ago, it was given the former store space. A specialized organization designed the building, meeting all the requirements for a modern theatre building. Moreover, 70% of the work had been completed! Then the government in Moldova changed, and everyone had other things on their minds. The state budget stopped allocating funds, and construction was frozen. This happened nine years ago. The unfinished building became a haven for homeless people, drug addicts, and hordes of rats. There's no security here, and much of what was built has been destroyed by vandals: all the double-glazed windows were smashed, and the internal doors were torn out. And the area around the future theater is overgrown with trees as thick as an arm.

This was the sad sight that greeted the anniversary guests, who were given a tour of the unfinished building by Yuri Kharmelin. Despite its desolation, it's already clear that it's a real theater: with a large foyer, a spacious auditorium, a stage capable of hosting various stage effects, numerous backstage spaces, and even a theater museum. In fact, little remains to be done to make performances possible here—if only the funds could be found. Incidentally, every president, prime minister, and minister of culture since 2009 has promised to allocate funds! But these promises remained empty. Only Igor Dodon took concrete action.

Former theater actors, who had come from various countries, took photos on the future stage and expressed hope that next time they would gather for the opening of the new theater.

During the anniversary week, a presentation of Yulia Semenova's book "The House Where Hearts Grow," which our readers have already read, was also held. It was completely unlike similar events and had a truly theatrical feel. Instead of lengthy speeches, those gathered were invited to read excerpts from the book on stage. These were read by former members of the "From Rose Street" Theatre: Elena Yakub, Dmitry Zhukovsky, Aurelia Georgieva, the troupe's current leading actor Alexander Shishkin, and Yuri Kharmelin's daughter, Irina, who traveled from Israel especially for the anniversary. A quiz on the history of the theatre followed. Those who answered the questions correctly received a copy of the book as a gift.

Throughout the anniversary week, the "S Rue Roz" Theatre presented the best performances from its extensive repertoire—currently, the playbill includes over forty titles. The parade opened with a premiere: Bertolt Brecht's celebrated play "Mother Courage and Her Children," staged with financial support from the German Embassy. Conceived in a sharp, grotesque form, the play served as a dire warning that war cannot be justified by any purpose, no matter how noble.

Another premiere, actually four decades old, is "Pippi Longstocking," based on Astrid Lindgren's fairy tale. Yes, this production is as old as the theater; as Yuri Harmelin explained, almost all the actors have performed in it at various times. But this time, the audience was treated to a completely new production—with a new cast, updated sets and costumes, and a veritable fireworks display of songs, dances, and captivating circus acts. The actors, and the audience along with them, basked in this extravaganza of jokes, colors, and melodies. Elena Spitsina, the very first performer of the role of Pippi, shared her impressions with an RS correspondent:

"It feels like those forty years never happened. I remember the entire script, every word, and I long to be there, on stage. The fact that the show is still alive is a true miracle. Yes, it's changed a lot; the costumes and sets are magnificent, but for us, everything was homemade: my mother dyed my tights, braided my hair, and inserted wires into them to make them stick out playfully. We probably weren't as professional in singing and dancing, after all, we were still children then. But the eyes of today's performers sparkle just as much as ours once did."

Incidentally, it was the final song of this performance that closed the anniversary evening at the Philharmonic. Then, both current members of the troupe and their former colleagues took to the stage. Together, they sang:

"The whole Earth with its cities,

All the seas with ships,

Even lions and elephants -

In the palm of your hand!

But we need to hold the Earth

With all my might, carefully -

Then there will be more miracles on it!”

Honorary guests of the festival

Elena Yakub (Moscow, Russia)

Sergey Pukhlyakov (Moscow, Russia)

Vladimir Dovgonenko (Moscow, Russia)

Tatyana Andreeva /Kamyanaya/ (Moscow, Russia)

Elena Russu (Ekaterinburg, Russia)

Irina Gaidukevich (Saint Petersburg, Russia)

Vitaly Bondarev (Ukraine)

Elena Kapralova  /Chernova/ (Israel)

Elena Dyn'govskaya   /Pasternak/ (Israel)

Aurelia Georgieva (Germany)

German Medvedev  (Germany)

Evgeny Tribukhovsky (Norway)

Ilya Gershman (USA)

Dmitry Zhukovsky (Canada)

Natalia Silina (Spain)

Natalia Dinisyuk / Pukhlyakova / (Chisinau, Moldova)

Evgeny Tribukhovsky (Oslo, Norway)

Yuri Derkach (Moscow, Russia)

Olga Tikhovskaya (Moscow, Russia)

Natalia Tikhovskaya /Ungardt/

Svyatoslav Nastashevsky (Moscow, Russia)

Anna Alabuzheva (Moscow, Russia)