This year, the State Russian Drama Theater named after Alexander Pushkin, which opened in Ashgabat on October 1, 1926, celebrated the 95th anniversary of its foundation. In different periods, outstanding actors and directors worked in the creative team, whose names are firmly inscribed in the history of the Russian-language theater of Turkmenistan. One of them belongs to a native of the Novosibirsk region, Mikhail Alexandrovich Kirillov.
When he first arrived in Ashgabat as part of a group of artists, the year was 1937 - the days of the 100th anniversary of the death of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. In honor of this historical event, the Ashgabat theater was named after the great Russian poet, and in the everyday life of the townspeople it began to be called the Pushkin Theater.
By that time, Mikhail Kirillov had already graduated from the Tomsk Polytechnic School, having received the specialty of a metallurgical technician. Behind him was military service in the ranks of the Red Army. He was also the organizer of the army theater, who tried himself not only as an actor, but also as a director.
From the memoirs of Lydia Nikolaevna Kotovshchikova, actress and wife of Mikhail Kirillov:
«Turkmenistan conquered us with its unusual national color, beauty of characters, its special novelty, original, sunny hospitality of people, warmth of their hearts. Nobody thought that we would stay here for life. We stayed».
Ashgabat theatrical life literally captured the newly arrived artists. New high-profile performances appeared on the stage. «The Taming of the Shrew» by Shakespeare, «Three Sisters» by Chekhov, «Forest» by Ostrovsky, «Jahan» Kara Seytlieva, «Family Allan «by Husein Mukhtarov,» Ded Taymaz Kerim Kurbannepesov and many others.
Mikhail Kirillov tried on various character images. He easily managed to transform into charming characters in Shakespeare's plays and transform his very Russian nature into heroes of Turkmen literature. The Russian Siberian played the Turkmen yashuli so that no one could find fault with any inaccuracies.
In 1963, the comedy film «Rooster» was filmed at «Turkmenfilm», where Mikhail Kirillov played the guard of Berdy-aga. He so reincarnated as his character, endowing him with colorful features inherent in the eastern people, that from the first minutes of his appearance on the screen, the audience was imbued with great sympathy for the hero.
Mikhail Alexandrovich lived a life full of creative work, for which he managed to embody more than 300 roles on stage. The actor was awarded several awards and prizes, including the State Prize named after Makhtumkuli and the title of People's Artist of the USSR.
Once Mikhail Alexandrovich was asked what roles became the most memorable for him, to which he replied:
«The roles played in the plays of the Turkmen playwrights are especially dear to me. These include the bakhshi from the play «Jahan», the chauffeur Khaitov in the «Merry Guest», the grandfather of Taimaz Kerim Kurbannepesov. From my Turkmen heroes, I learned not only to understand, but to feel with all my being the essence of the national character. And, probably, that is why the spectators of Russian cities, where we brought our «Taymaz», did not want to believe that this role was played by the Russian. For me, this is the best assessment of my work».
