Irina Dmitriyevna Kostrina (March 14, 1938 – October 26, 2026) was a theater designer and set designer and an animation artist, an Honored Worker of Culture of Russia, who tied a significant part of her creative career to the Nizhny Novgorod Academic Puppet Theater. She died in her 89th year.[1]
Biography and early career
She was born in the Sormovo District of Gorky. After school she entered an art college, from which she graduated in 1960; during her studies she became passionate about illustration and planned to continue her education at VGIK, but these plans were not destined to come true.[2] In 1960 Kostrina came to work at the Gorky Puppet Theater, to which most of her career came to be tied.[1] At the theater she collaborated with the directors Yuri Yeliseyev and Alexander Mishin.[1]
Theater work
Over her creative life Kostrina designed more than 150 productions at puppet theaters in Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Vladimir, Saransk, Izhevsk, and other cities.[2] Her paintings and graphic works have entered the collections of the Bakhrushin Theater Museum and of the Nizhny Novgorod State History and Architecture Museum-Reserve.[3]
Kostrina's best-known theatrical work was the design of the production "The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights," created on the basis of Palekh lacquer miniature painting: in 1976 this production opened the UNIMA World Puppet Theatre Festival.[1] Other notable productions include "Josef Švejk versus Franz Joseph" and "The Wild Swans."[2]
From 2006 to 2022, Kostrina served as chief artist of the Nizhny Novgorod Puppet Theatre.[1] During this period, she contributed to the creation of "The Snow Queen," "The Tale of Tsar Saltan," "Khanuma," "The Divine Comedy," and "The Tale of the Town of Lebedinets" — the last of which was counted among the best productions in the country.[1][3]
Work in animation
In the 1980s, Kostrina worked as a production designer at the Soyuzmultfilm studio in Moscow. There she created the character designs for the animated films "How the Wolf Was a Mother to the Calf," "The Little Gnome," "Karpusha," and others.[1] The film "How the Wolf Was a Mother to the Calf" was awarded the Silver Elephant Prize at the 4th International Children's Film Festival.[3] While working in Moscow, the artist maintained her ties with Nizhny Novgorod.[1]
Death
The death of Irina Kostrina on October 26, 2026, was announced by the staff of the Nizhny Novgorod Academic Puppet Theatre.[1] She was 88 years old.[2]
Sources
- NIA Nizhny Novgorod — Nizhny Novgorod puppet theatre artist Irina Kostrina has died. Nizhny Novgorod News
- Zhivyom v Nizhnem — Artist and animator from Nizhny Novgorod Irina Kostrina has died — Zhivyom v Nizhnem
- Newsroom24 — Chief artist of the puppet theatre Irina Kostrina has died in Nizhny Novgorod — Society