Students of the Nizhny Novgorod Theater School won the Smolensky Reading Competition.

      April 22, 2026 18:00 Culture and Leisure Students of the Nizhny Novgorod Theater School were among the winners of the XXVIII inter-university reading competition named after Y.M. Smolensky. The competition took place from April 13 to 15 at the Boris Shchukin Theater Institute in Moscow. This was reported by the Ministry of Culture of the Nizhny Novgorod Region. In 2026, the competition was dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Department of Stage Speech at the Boris Shchukin Theater Institute. A total of 64 applications were submitted from specialized educational institutions in Moscow, Saransk, Kazan, Perm, Voronezh, Samara, Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Yekaterinburg, and CIS countries. After selection, 52 students were allowed to audition. Among them were representatives from 27 Russian universities and one participant from the Belarusian State Academy of Arts. The readers were evaluated by a jury, chaired by Pavel Lyubimtsev, a distinguished figure in the arts of Russia, honored artist, laureate of the Government of the Russian Federation award in the field of culture, professor, and head of the actor's mastery department at the Boris Shchukin Theater Institute. Also among the competition experts were Maxim Genesin, chairman of the Y.M. Smolensky Foundation, People's Artist of Russia, laureate of the Government of Moscow award in literature and arts, author and performer of reading programs at the Moscow State Philharmonic, professor at the Russian Academy of Theater Arts Antonina Kuznetsova, honored cultural worker of the Russian Federation, candidate of art studies, professor, head of the stage speech department at the M.S. Shchepkin Higher Theater School (Institute) Natalia Shtoda, honored figure in the arts of the Russian Federation, laureate of the Stanislavsky International Award, honorary professor of GITIS, head of the stage speech department at GITIS, professor Vera Kamyshnikova, candidate of art studies, professor, head of the stage speech department of the acting faculty at VGIK Irina Avtushenko, and associate professor of the stage speech and vocal department at the Moscow Art Theater School Alexander Nikolaev. As a result of the competitive auditions, the Laureate of the III degree was a third-year student under the artistic direction of director and teacher Yuri Filshin from the "Actor of Dramatic Theater and Cinema" department of the Nizhny Novgorod Theater School named after E.A. Evstigneev, Rodion Gonchar. Under the guidance of the school's stage speech teacher Yulia Kosareva, he prepared a fragment from L.N. Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace." A fourth-year student under the guidance of honored artist of the Russian Federation, director Andrei Yarlykov from the "Actor of Dramatic Theater and Cinema" department, Maria Ermakova, who, together with the stage speech teacher of the Nizhny Novgorod School Natalia Ivanova, prepared a reading of the work by Nadezhda Teffi "Will," received a Special Award named after A.I. Genesin. "For us, this is a great honor and a huge responsibility. For several years in a row, we have held leadership positions, and this season is no exception. For example, the special award named after Genesin is equivalent to second place. The Shchukin students are welcoming; we have already become friends, but the excitement does not leave our guys, as such a trip is a significant event, an opportunity to declare themselves, to be heard. These few days are filled with great meaning, communication, the pleasure of listening to each other - all this is about immersing oneself in the profession, about the community of people living it. It is a great gift to be part of such an event, to read works by authors of the highest caliber, to be among people who love and cherish our language," noted the stage speech teacher of the Nizhny Novgorod Theater School Yulia Kosareva. You can view the full list of competition winners on the website of the Boris Shchukin Theater Institute https://www.htvs.ru/news/16-aprelya-2026-g/. In addition to the competitive auditions, the students were able to take a tour of the Boris Shchukin Theater Institute with 2025 graduate Maxim Khritankov, as well as attend master classes by associate professor of the stage speech department at the Boris Shchukin Theater Institute Margarita Radtsig, associate professor of the stage speech department at the Boris Shchukin Theater Institute Sofia Vysokovskaya, and honored figure in the arts of the Russian Federation, associate professor of the stage speech department at the Boris Shchukin Theater Institute Elena Laskova. The gala concert of the winners took place on the main stage of the Educational Theater of the Boris Shchukin Theater Institute. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" has a Telegram channel. Subscribe to stay updated on major events, exclusive materials, and timely information. Copyright © 1999—2025 NIA "Nizhny Novgorod." When reprinting, a hyperlink to NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" is mandatory. This resource may contain materials 18+.