Issue No. 29 of the Petersburg Theatre Journal opens, as always, with an editorial by the chief editor M. Dmitrevskaya, entitled «To readers and colleagues». One of the central themes of the current issue is the theme of «masculine and feminine beginnings in the theatre». Theatre practitioners and critics express their views on this theme; the issue also contains some of its traditional questionnaires. The texts of the first section are grouped around this central theme. The section is opened by A. Nekrylova’s article about the masculine and feminine in folklore and G. Brandt’s essay «About femininity».

There follow M. Dmitrevskaya’s interviews with the popular actors M. Sukhanov (Moscow) and K. Khabensky (St. Petersburg), A. Kasumova’s and S. Samoilenko’s reviews of premieres of A. Vampilov’s play «Duck Hunting» at the MKhAT and in Novosibirsk, M. Timasheva’s article about «The Lady with the Lapdog» by K. Ginkas at the Moscow TYuZ. The theme «masculine and feminine» is continued in an original manner in the section «Petersburg premieres». M. Dmitrevskaya writes about A. Galibin’s production «Don’t Leave the Loved Ones» based on A. Volodin’s play, O. Skorochkina explores the production of «The Rhythm Teacher» (director V. Tumanov), T. Dzhurova reviews «The Dance of Death» based on A. Strindberg (director A. Prikhotenko), O. Tokranova discusses Jonas Vaitkus’ production of «The Master and Margarita».

The most recent Shakespeare productions are examined in the articles by E. Tropp about «Hamlet» and by T. Dzhurova about «The Merry Wives of Windsor». The version of «Macbett» (E. Ionesco’s play directed by Yu. Butusov) is considered in L. Zaks’s article.

The heading «Nora» is devoted to most recent premieres in puppet theatres.

M. Smirnova-Nesvitskaja talks to the philosopher A. Pjatigorsky. B. Beumers investigates the production of «Amphitryon» by director Anatoly Vasil’ev, and the diary which A. Vasil’ev kept during rehearsals of this production at the Comedie Francaise follows.

In the section «To be or to not be» the readers’ attention is drawn to E. Tropp’s material about the catastrophic situation of the tenants of the Savina House of Stage Veterans.

Several articles follow, which are devoted to musical theatre.

A large section of the journal is devoted to theatre designers. Here we can find M. Dmitrevskaya’s interview with L. Lazarev and some material about S. Yunovich’s exhibition. The section continues with the selection «All light», containing interviews with representatives of lighting designers from different generations, including A. Gorelik, G. Fil’shtinsky, E. Ganzburg. The set designers E. Kochergin, A. Orlov, and I. Kutiansky, as well as the director O. Rybkin talk about their work with light designers.

The issue also contains articles in memory of B. Freindlikh, E. Panfilov, E. Kogan, A. Os’minin, M. Sokolova. On last pages you may read the daily chronicle of theatre life, and the usual sections about «our authors» and «our photographers».