Nikolay Pavlovich Akimov (April 16, 1901, – September 16, 1968) was an experimental theatre director and scenic designer noted for his work with the Leningrad Comedy Theatre. His most notorious production was the cynical version of Hamlet

Hamlet

The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...

(1932), with Ophelia as a drunken prostitute and the king's ghost as a clever mystification arranged by Hamlet. Akimov, who was the Comedy Theater director in 1935-1949 and 1956-1968, wrote several books, among them About Theater (О театре, 1962) and Not Just About Theater (Не только о театре, 1966), and was designated a People's Artist of the USSR

People's Artist of the USSR

People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to citizens of the Soviet Union.- Nomenclature and significance :...

 in 1960.

The Saint Petersburg Comedy Theatre

Saint Petersburg Comedy Theatre

The Nikolay Akimov Saint Petersburg Comedy Theatre is a theatre at 56 Nevsky Prospect, Saint Petersburg....

is named in his honour.

External links

• Page of Nikolay Akimov on the site of Saint Petersburg Comedy Theatre
• Akimov in the Encyclopedia Britannica