The polysemantic word "benefit performance" has taken root in Russia mainly as a theatrical concept. Literature lovers are well aware that in the 19th century this was the name of a play that was staged for the sake of one actor: he not only received income from the play, but he himself could choose a play to stage.
Such a performance became a celebration of your favorite actor, a celebration, an anniversary or a farewell evening. It is this side of the benefit performance that makes it interesting even today. Although not everything went so smoothly in the history of the Russian theater: benefit performances were not always at the mercy of the authorities (not only after the revolution, but even before it).
Let's look into the dictionary
In the explanatory dictionary of V. I. Dahl, the word "benefit performance" has several meanings. The first of these is the concept most familiar to the general public: a spectacle, a performance in favor of one of the participants. The second refers to trade (it is noted that it is foreign): a percentage discount on goods, a concession.
The word "beneficiary" also has two very different meanings. This is the name of the artist, actor, musician, in whose favor is givenperformance. In the feminine gender - "beneficiary". However, according to Dahl, there is another meaning - these are clerics of the Roman Catholic faith who receive income from real estate.
In French, a benefit is a benefit, profit, income.
The theatrical encyclopedia states that the word "benefit performance" in the sense of "a way to reward one of the actors" appeared in France in 1735.
What makes theater alive
This form of distribution of income from the performance quickly took root. It provided for the payment of the entire amount to a certain person or persons, minus the cost of the presentation.
And there were different options: in the theatrical environment there are the concepts of "full benefit performance", "half benefit performance", "quarter benefit performance" and so on. There could be several main characters in one performance, and these are not only actors or singers. The benefit performance could be held in honor of the composer, playwright, theater workers.
A spectator who has paid for a ticket usually does not think about how the funds received by the box office are distributed. To do this, there has always been an entrepreneur, a directorate, an office of the imperial theaters, a ministry of culture, agents and managers of all kinds. By the way, the great Russian playwright A. N. Ostrovsky also took part in the reorganization of the theater management in Russia. His notes "On Award Benefit Performances" have been published.
Russian pre-revolutionary theater is not only the imperial or serf theater. In XIXcentury there was a private theater, where sometimes entrepreneurs shamelessly robbed the actors. V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko testified that he met artists in the provinces who, by the grace of their employer, had to play only for food. The Karabas-Barabas Theater is not such a fantasy.
When the administration of the theater was at its best, then the remuneration of the actors corresponded to their level. Benefits are not only one-time assistance in difficult circumstances. It existed as a certain part of the salary; the actor could agree on it in advance when he was admitted to the theater. "Profitable" performances were divided into contract and award performances.
Benefits and anniversaries
Benefit performances in the Russian theater appeared in 1783. The play was chosen with the expectation of maximum box office. According to the memoirs of the actors, a performance of this kind was received in a special way by the audience. The reward came not only from the sale of tickets (sometimes with a double price), but also from viewers who were ready to contribute additional funds or give gifts to their favorite actor in honor of his anniversary or premiere.
Quite controversial was the question of the impact of the benefit. Does this have a positive effect on the repertoire of the theater or not? On the one hand, many plays by A. N. Ostrovsky were staged in this way, and on the other hand, low-quality works were often chosen as "profitable" ones.
The directorate of the imperial theaters did not welcome the benefit performances too much and canceled them in 1908. However, this practice continued in private theaters. The 1925 ban on this kind of remuneration for actors during the years of nationalization of the theaterseemed quite logical.
One of the forms of benefit performance that exists today is a solemn anniversary concert. The income from it will mainly go to the artist who is honored by his friends, fans, spectators.
There is another non-standard form of performance - the opposite of a benefit performance. This is a benefit concert. A great artist (writer, singer, musician, dancer) performs in front of the general public without receiving a fee for his performance or giving the funds received from the concert to those who suffered in some tragic situation. The cost of organizing the event is covered by the state or public structure. The artist's performance is his gift to the audience.
Synonyms
In our time, the plural of the word "benefit" is "benefits". A. N. Ostrovsky used in his notes the now obsolete form. Namely - "benefit". Performance, performance, spectacle, show, play, staging - these are, of course, synonyms for the word "benefit performance". However, incomplete. The meaning of the word "benefit performance" is determined by the economic side of the festive action. It indicates not only the exclusivity of the event, but also its financial component.
The use of this term to refer to events, schools, performances, programs related to theatrical life, which in the direct sense of the word are not a benefit performance, severalobscures its meaning.
