and some others appeared. Political changes brought to life new trends of artistic theatrical satire. During the Civil War propaganda theatrical groups performed before the Red Army soldiers to motivate their fight against the enemies of the Soviet Russia. In 1919 V. Mayakovsky designed fantastic and humorous costumes for the production of his play "Mysteria-Buff".

V. Meyerhold, the director of that performance, made attempts to simplify the idea of the performance , and to make it understandable for ordinary people; he turned to absurd and grotesque. In 1920s S. Yutkevich presented his ironic works, extraordinary scene-designs, and unusual caricatures; in his works he connected folk tomfoolery with intellectually refined theatrical culture.

Thanks to the "Krokodil" magazine Moscow Theatre of Satire was established in 1925; next year a company of actors "Zhivoi Begemot" ("Alive Hippo") began its activities with the help of the "Begemot"("Hippo") magazine. They participated in the campaign against the "survivals" of the past and negative sides of life of that time.

There were various caricatures: of some theatres' repertory, of "groggy" companies, of V. Meyerhold's incomprehensible methods, and of F. Shalyapin, who "moonlighted abroad". Those were times of banning performances, firing directors, and closing some theatres.

In 1924 V. Meyerhold used a large caricature in the scenery of his performance "Trest D.E." after the novel by I. Erenburg. After the first night of Meyerhold's "Inspector" by Gogol, the critics wrote that the director succeeded in showing fantastic caricatures in O. Daumier's style.

The artists were not only chroniclers of theatrical caricature, but they also helped much in decorative designs. On the eve of the arrival of Papanin expedition in Moscow, the caricaturists created an exciting humorous picture "How some art workers felt on the drifting ice-floe".

Leningrad Theatre of Comedy is always associated with the name of

N. Akimov, a director, an artist, a writer, and a man with extraordinary sense of humour. His portraits of some art workers are like caricatures. Some art critics attributed his artistic works to surrealism of R. Magritte.

N. Akimov was convinced that satire is the inalienable part of any genre.

Igin and Kukriniksi drew a lot of art and theatre workers. Kukriniksi designed costumes for the performance after M. Saltikov-Tchedrin's "Gorod Glupov" in1932. Theatrical caricatures were published in numerous magazines. Later the subjects of caricatures have not changed much - they remain the same: no audience, praised criticism, unsuccessful directors-"innovators", etc.