The "House of Veteran Stage Performers" in St. Petersburg has by now for more than one hundred years been the final domicile for stage performers who have devoted their entire lives to the theatre and who have here found a place where they are taken care of and are still held in esteem as artistes. The administration of the house pays a pianist to be present at daily rehearsals and in-house concerts, the bedrooms, with their memorabilia and work utensils, are more like studios than functional bedrooms. Currently there are 95 men and women living here: actors, opera singers, dancers, painters and directors from all parts of the erstwhile Soviet Union; here they create their own theatre world and continue to play out their roles Ð both in everyday life as well as on their own in-house stage. In competition with his artiste colleagues, each of them strives to stand once again in the glare of the limelight. They will give their last, great performance in the "House of Veteran Stage ...