Biography

Adolf Shapiro was born on July 4, 1939 in Kharkov.

He graduated from the directing department of the Kharkiv Theater Institute of Arts named after I.P. Kotlyarevsky (today the Kharkiv National I. P. Kotlyarevsky University of Arts). Then he continued his studies in Moscow at Maria Klebel’s creative workshop.

From 1962 to 1992 Shapiro worked in Latvia, where he headed the Riga’s Youth Theater. Among his most significant works are: «Ivanov» and «The Wood Demon» by Anton Chekhov, «The City at Dawn» by Alexei Arbuzov, «The Forest» by Alexander Ostrovsky, «The Golden Horse» by Rainis (Jānis Pliekšāns), «Peer Gynt» by Henrik Ibsen, «The Prince of Homburg» by Heinrich von Kleist, «Fear and Misery of the Third Reich» by Bertolt Brecht, «Tomorrow There Came War» by Boris Vasilyev, «Democracy» by Joseph Brodsky and other performances.

This theatre has a unique structure - it has two buildings and two troupes (Russian and Latvian), along with a unique organizational structure and was widely known both within the country and abroad. Shapiro is the winner of multiple international festivals and competitions, and major Russian playwrights wrote plays specially for him.

In Rome, at the «The Theater on the Screen» European festival Shapiro received the Grand Prix and Gold Medal for his film «The Waltz Invention» by Vladimir Nabokov.

Adolf Shapiro taught at the Riga State Conservatory, where he and prepared two acting and one directing classes.

In 1990 Shapiro was elected president of International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People (ASSITEJ), and since 1994 he is the president of the Russian Center of ASSITEJ.

Since 1993 Adolf Shapiro works as an independent director and drama teacher.

Honoured Artist of Latvia, Laureate of the State Prize of Latvia, Laureate of the Stanislavsky Award, Moscow city award winner in the field of literature and art (for the staging of «The Last Ones» by Maxim Gorky, the Oleg Tabakov Studio Theatre), Laureate of the Baltic House Theatre Festival Award, (best director's work, «The Threepenny Opera» by Bertolt Brecht, Tallinna Linnateater), The Grand prize winner of Moscow annual theatre award of the Theatre Union of Russia «Hit of the Season» (Maly Theatre’s production of «The Children of the Sun» by Maxim Gorky), Literary Prize of «Peoples’ Friendship» magazine for the best publication of the year (for his book «The Curtain Falls»).

Honours and awards

The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana for his contribution to Estonian culture (2002)

«The Golden Mask» National Theatre Award (2010) - opera «Lucia di Lammermoor» by Gaetano Donizetti (The Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Music Theatre) - best opera performance

The Order of Friendship of the Russian Federation (2011)

Order of the Three Stars of the 3rd class for his contribution to culture in Latvia (2011)

Spīdola Award

Winner of the «Live Theatre» award in the «Director: Maitre» nomination (2012)

Performances

Riga

• «Twenty Years Later» by Mikhail Svetlov (1964)

• «The City at Dawn» by Alexei Arbuzov (1970)

• «Chukokkala» (based on the works by Korney Chukovsky, 1971)

• «The Prince of Homburg» by Heinrich von Kleist (1980)

• «The Winner» by Alexei Arbuzov (1982)

• «The Ragged Cape» by Sem Benelli (1984)

• «The Forest» by Alexander Ostrovsky (1984)

• «Tomorrow There Came War» by Boris Vasilyev (1986)

• «Ivanov» by Anton Chekhov

• «The Wood Demon» by Anton Chekhov

• «Democracy!» by Joseph Brodsky (1991)


In the Latvian language:

• «The Golden Horse» by Rainis (Jānis Pliekšāns)

• «Snowy Mountains» by Gunārs Priede

• «Peer Gynt» by Henrik Ibsen

• «Living Water» by Māra Zālīte

• «Fear and Misery of the Third Reich» by Bertolt Brecht


Moscow

The Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre

• 1988 – «The Cabal of Hypocrites» by Mikhail Bulgakov

• 2004 – «The Cherry Orchard» by Anton Chekhov

• 2010 – «The Precipice» by Ivan Goncharov (the production «The Golden Mask» National Theatre Award, Olga Yakovleva (as the Grandmother) won the «The Golden Mask» for best drama actress)


The Vakhtangov Theatre

• «The Boar Pig» by Victor Rozov

• 1994 – «Dear Liar» by Jerome Kilty


Russian Academic Youth Theatre (RAMT)

• «The Princess Far-Away» by Edmond Rostand

• 2011 – «Rock`n`roll» by Tom Stoppard


The Moscow Theater "Et Cetera"

• 2007 - «Fahrenheit 451» by Ray Bradbury



Other theaters

• «The Last Ones» by Maxim Gorky (The Oleg Tabakov Studio Theatre, 1995) - the performance was nominated for the Golden Mask Award – Best Drama Actress - Olga Yakovleva (as Sofya Kolomiytseva), Jury`s Special Award - Oleg Tabakov (for the role of Ivan Kolomiytsev).

• «In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel» by Tennessee Williams (Mayakovsky Theater, 1996)

• «The Lower Depths» by Maxim Gorky (The Oleg Tabakov Studio Theatre, 2000) - the performance was nominated for the Golden Mask Award

• «The Children of the Sun» by Maxim Gorky (Maly State Academic Theatre of Russia, 2008) - The Grand prize winner of Moscow annual theatre award of the Theatre Union of Russia «Hit of the Season»

• «Lucia di Lammermoor» by Gaetano Donizetti (The Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Music Theatre, 2009) – «The Golden Mask» award for the best opera performance


Samara

• «Bumbarash» musical by Yuliy Kim, Vladimir Dashkevich (Samara Theater for Young Spectators “SAMART”, 1997), the performance was nominated for the Golden Mask Award- Yuri Kharikov – Best Designer

• «Mother Courage» by Bertolt Brecht (Samara Theater for Young Spectators “SAMART”, 2001), the performance was nominated for the Golden Mask Award- Yuri Kharikov – Best Designer


St. Petersburg

• «The Cherry Orchard» by Anton Chekhov (Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater)

• «The Forest» by Alexander Ostrovsky (Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater)

• «King Lear» by William Shakespeare (The A. Bryantsev Youth Theatre) – «Golden Soffit» theatre award for Best Actor - Sergey Dreiden as King Lear


Tallinn

• «The Cherry Orchard» by Anton Chekhov (Vene Norsooteater)

• «Three Sisters» by Anton Chekhov (Kingisepp National Theater)

• «The Living Corpse» by Leo Tolstoy (Kingisepp National Theater)

• «Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf» by Edward Albee (Pärnu City Theater)

• «The Threepenny Opera» by Bertolt Brecht (Tallinna Linnateater)- Laureate of the Baltic House Theatre Festival Award for the best director's work

• «Fathers and Sons» by Ivan Turgenev, (Tallinna Linnateater)- the prize of the Estonian Culture Foundation for the best performance

• «Right You Are (If You Think So)» by Luigi Pirandello (Tallinna Linnateater)