Mikhail Mikhailovich Butkevich (Russian: Михаил Михайлович Буткевич; 10 December 1926 – 7 October 1995)[1] was a Soviet theatre director and professor of drama at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts (GITIS).
Born in Derbent, Butkevich spent the first decade of his life in Prokhladny, North Caucasus.
His mother, Maria Rafailovna Butkevich, was born into an aristocratic Russian family.
In 1937, his parents were arrested as part of the Great Purge; Mikhail was sent to an orphanage and then a "colony" where the "children of the enemies of the people would be re-educated."
As a theorist of theatrical production, Butkevich advocated respect for the author, clear identification of the central conflict, nuanced interpretation of the author's intentions, while striving for a new, fresh imagining of the work.