Igor Nikolaev was a student at the Sсhukin Theatre School as he took his first steps in stage directing. From the very beginning he sought for two goals: to establish his own theatre and to develop a unique system of training in acting technique.
In 1970-1984 he worked as stage-director in Astrakhan’, Ordjonikidze, Minsk, Vilnius etc.
Working with professional actors Nikolaev developed his system, based on the latest studies in the field of psychology, on the achievements of the leading theatre teachers as well as on the ideas of his own. The most prominent examples of Nikolaev’s performances are ‘Arena’ after I. Fridberg’s piece and ‘Phenomena’ after Grigoriy Gorin’s play, staged at the State Russian Dramatic Theatre, Vilnius. But in spite of all the opportunities and advantages of professional theatre, Nikolaev never forgot the dream of his own theatre, which resulted in theatre studios in Daugavpils, Kaluga, Vinius and Kiev. Performances ‘The Dragon’ after Shvart’s play, ‘Spanish amusements’ after works of Tirso de Molina, ‘Why don’t we live in Wittenberg’ after Shakespear’s ‘Hamlet’, produced in these studios, can be really called the Theatre of Igor Nikolaev.
The most significant plays directed by Igor Kalinauskas (Nikolaev):
E. Schwartz's “Dragon”
I. Fridberg's “Arena”
“Yurodiya,” based upon the novel “Crime and Punishment” by F. Dostoevsky
N. Ostrovskii's “Any Wise Man Has Enough Simplicity”
“Spanish Games,” based upon the play by Tirso de Molina: “Don Gil of the Green Pants” and intermediaries of Cervantes
G. Gorin's “Phenomena”
G. Gelman's “Alone with Everyone”
“Nowhere in Thirty Kingdoms,” based upon tales by Alexander Pushkin
A. Dudar's “Choice”
Ion Drutse's “By the Name of the Earth and the Sun”
E. Schwartz's “Shadow”
Arno's “Look Who is Here”
“So, Why Are We Not in Wittenberg?” based on the tragedy “ Hamlet” by William Shakespeare
G. Mamlin's “Hey, You, Hello!”
“Robin Hood,” staged by I. Kalinauskas
Paul Rummo's “Cinderella's Games”
Lesya Ukrainka's “Love Thy Neighbor”
E. Braginski's “Divorce after the Wedding”
A. Gaidar's “Bumbarash”
A.N. Arbuzov's “City at Dawn”
“The Night before the Duel,” staged by I. Kalinauskas
A.G. Khmelik's “Here Lived Timurovets Laptev”
“Tales of A.S. Pushkin,” staged by I. Kalinauskas
V.S. Rozov's “Abcde ...”
“A Fairy Tale for All,” based on tales by Hans Christian Andersen, staged by I. Kalinauskas
“The Song of Solomon,” staged by I. Kalinauskas