The Small Museum of the Great Talent is the Living Room of Vladislav Golubok in Minsk

In the first half of the XXth century the great theatrical activist Vladislav Golubok worked and created in Belarus. Maybe at the present time very few people know this name, but in Minsk there is a place where you can closely get acquainted with the works of the great actor, the first People's Artist of the BSSR and the founder and Director of Third Byelorussian State Theater. And not just to get acquainted but to plunge into the difficult pre-war time. This is “The Living Room of Golubok” - a permanent exposition of the State Museum of History of Theatrical and Musical Culture of the Republic of Belarus.

Vladislav Golubok has been known as a multifaceted person, who devoted himself entirely to the theatre. He could simultaneously be a producer, actor, playwright, and administrator. And he did all this with inspiration and talent.

Surprisingly, Vladislav Golubok was born in the same1882 when Yanka Kupala and Yakub Kolas were born. It must have been fate to praise Belarus with his creative work, as well as the great poets.

Vladislav Golubok began to be engage in theatrical activity in 1906, and in 1920 he opened his own theatre, called "The Living Room of Golubok". The theatre developed, and in 1932 it became the Third Byelorussian State Theater. However, in 1937, with the beginning of the repressions, Vladislav Golubok was also accused of anti-Soviet propaganda and the same year he was shot. And only 20 years later, in 1958, he was completely rehabilitated.

Therefore, the creation of such a museum was almost an impossible task. After the arrest of Vladislav Golubok everything that was connected with his theatre was destroyed. So the exposition has been collected literally bits and pieces.

"The Living Room of Golubok" is located in the Trinity suburb, in Starovilenskaya Street, 14. When you enter the museum, you immediately plunge into the atmosphere of theater, music, and painting. "The Living Room of Golubok" always helps different artists, figures of the theatrical and musical culture to present their works.

Going further, we see Vladislav Golubok himself staring at us from a large oil portrait. In the next room, a small room that is the living room itself, there is the old piano next to the window. It is in this room, near the piano, different guests always gather - masters of stage, screen and television. There are held musical evenings, premiere performances, and different master-classes. The popular meetings of the "Club of Veterans of the Stage" have become traditional. On the walls and in the book-cases of the living room we will see costumes from the theater of Vladislav Golubok, various documents, photographs, theatre bills, and unique historical evidences of the life and work of the true folk artist. These all are a little heritage that was left after the oblivion during the Soviet period.

During the guided tour you can learn many interesting facts about the creative work of Vladislav Golubok. For example, that his theatrical legacy is 40 plays and the play "Ganka" was performed as much as 498 times during the lifetime of Vladislav Golubok!

Another attraction of "The Living Room of Golubok" is Batleika - a Belarusian people's puppet theatre. And it is not a coincidence that it is here - Vladislav Golubok always tried to keep the Belarusian tradition of the puppet theatre in his creative work. Today Batleika is not just an exhibition item, it is a functioning theater. The Museum staff constantly show the audience various performances, and "King Herod" is the most interesting one.

We can say for certain that visitors of the museum are sure to be happy to open another page of the history of theatrical life of Belarus.