Biography

Galina Volchek was a daughter of the cameraman and director Boris Volchek.

Volchek directed over thirty productions. Among them were Russian and world classics, works of contemporary domestic and foreign authors.

After graduation from a theater school, Volchek in 1956 co-founded the Sovremennik together with Igor Kvasha, Oleg Tabakov, Oleg Yefremov and Yevgeny Yevstigneyev. The theater's cutting edge performances shaped the Soviet theater scene in the 1960s, becoming a symbol of a short-lived liberal "thaw.".

Volchek made her debut as a theater director in 1962. In 1972, she became the chief director of the Sovremennik, a job she held until her death.

She was repeatedly invited to productions in theaters in Germany, Finland, Ireland, the US, Hungary, Poland and other countries.