Sergey Zhenovach was born on May 15, 1957. In 1979 he graduated from the directing department of the Krasnodar Institute of Culture and headed the Krasnodar Amateur Youth Theater, where he staged the following performances: «Apropos of the Wet Snow» (the second part of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel «Notes from Underground»), «The Son of the Beautiful Pila» based on the four chapters of «The Master and Margarita» by Mikhail Bulgakov; «One Person’s Notes» based on «Bobok» and «The Dream of a Ridiculous Man», the short stories by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

In 1983 he entered the faculty of directing of the Russian University of Theatre Arts (GITIS) (Pyotr Fomenko’s workshop). He graduated in 1988, having completed an internship (his graduation play was «The Fools from Mayo», based on the play «The Playboy of the Western World» by Irish playwright John Millington Synge, 1987) and began his teaching career at the Department of Directing in Professor Fomenko’s workshop.

In the course of his teaching at the Department of Directing Zhenovach staged «The Order of Vladimir, Third Class», an unfinished play by Nikolai Gogol (1991), «The Sound and the Fury» based on William Faulkner’s novel of the same name (1993), «The Winter's Tale» by William Shakespeare (1996), «An Ardent Heart» by Alexander Ostrovsky (2000).

From 1988 to 1991 Sergey Zhenovach worked at the Theatre-Studio «Chelovek», where he staged the following performances: «Pannochka» by Nina Sadur (based on the novel «Viy» by Nikolai Gogol) (1988); «The Illusion» by Pierre Corneille (1989). Both productions received the First prize of the «Hit of the season» award of the Theatre Union of Russia. From 1991 to 1998 Zhenovach worked as a director at the Malaya Bronnaya Theatre (assuming the position of Chief Director in 1996), where he directed «King Lear» by William Shakespeare (1992) (Moscow city award winner in the field of literature and art, First prize of the «Hit of the season» award of the Theatre Union of Russia); «The Deeep» (1992) based on Alexander Ostrovsky’s drama and the melodrama by Victor du Cange and Prosper Dinaux «Thirty Years of a Gamester's Life»; «The miller who was a wizard, a cheat and a matchmaker», a comic opera by Aleksander Ablesimov (1993); «The Wood Demon» by Anton Chekhov (1993); a theatrical trilogy «The Idiot» (1995), based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel; «Shameless», «Knight Poor», «Russian Light» («The Golden Mask» National Theatre Award ); «Little Comedies» (1996) based on one-act plays by Ivan Turgenev («Breakfast at the Magistrates», «The Provincial Wife», and «A Conversation on the High Road»); «Five Evenings» by Aleksandr Volodin (1997); Theatrical fantasy «The Night Before Christmas» (1998) based on the Nikolai Gogol story of the same name.

With the artists from Pyotr Fomenko Workshop Theatre Sergey staged Ivan Turgenev’s «A Month in the Country» (1996) that received an award at the «Young Talents to the City and the World» festival. In 1994, 1996 and 1997 Zhenovach staged productions of plays by Anton Chekhov, Henrik Ibsen and William Shakespeare in Norway.

In 1997, Sergey Zhenovach was awarded the Stanislavsky prize. In 2000 he put on Alexander Griboedov’s comedy «Woe from Wit» on the stage of the Maly Theatre. And in 2002 he returned to the Maly Theatre to direct Alexander Ostrovsky’s «Truth is Good, but Happiness is Better» that took the Special Jury Prize at the Golden Mask Festival for Best Acting Ensemble and received «Hit of the Season» award as the best performance of the season 2002-2003. In 2004 Sergey Zhenovach was awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation in the field of literature and art for his contribution into directing.

In 2004 Zhenovach staged Mikhail Bulgakov’s «The White Guard» at the Moscow Art Theatre.

From 2001 to the present day Sergey Zhenovach is the artistic director of the workshop of co-education of directors and actors at the Department of Directing at the Russian University of Theatre Arts (GITIS). In the fall of 2004, Sergey Zhenovach became the Head of the Department of Directing of the Dramatic Theatre at the Russian University of Theatre Arts.

In November 2004 together with his students Sergey Zhenovach mounted a production called «The Boys» based on 9 chapters of the novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky «The Brothers Karamazov». This production was included in the non-competition programme of the Golden Mask festival and in the Moscow program of the VI Chekhov International Theatre Festival.In May, at the VI «Rainbow» International Theater Festival «The Boys» were awarded a diploma for the «Best Performance On The Big Stage». In the spring «The Boys» were invited to Krasnoyarsk to take part in the Regional festival «Siberian transit». At the third edition of the International Theatre Schools Festival, in Warsaw the production received a special jury prize. In August «The Boys» travelled to the International Festival of Theatre in Korea.

In 2005 Zhenovach put on «The Imaginary Invalid» after J.-B. Moliere’s play on the stage of the Maly State Academic Theatre of Russia.

In December 2005 the production of «The Boys» took part in the Christmas Festival of Arts, the biggest international cultural forum, held in Novosibirsk. Zhenovach received the Crystal Turandot theatre award for his director’s work on this production. In December 2005 Zhenovach became the winner of the Stanislavsky award «For the studio-spirit revival» in the nomination «For the contribution to the development of theatrical pedagogy». In 2006 «The Boys» were nominated for the Golden Mask award in two categories: for Best Small-Scale Performance and Best Director.

In March 2006 Sergey Zhenovach received the honorary title of the Honored artist of the Russian Federation.

On May 24, 2006, the first production of the Theatre Art Studio took place on the stage of The Meyerhold Theatre Centre. It was Sergey’s staging of «A Family in Decline» after Nikolai Leskov's novella. On April 13, 2007 the Studio released the play «The Gamblers» by Nikolai Gogol, directed by Sergey Zhenovach.

According to materials of the Theatre Art Studio’s website (http://www.sti.ru/index.php)