Dear reader, Welcome to our Almanac “Dveri”. We want to introduce ourselves. We are amateurs of theatre from Belarus. We are making theatre festival, we are trying to unite alternative, independent, street, amateur and other types of theatre, we are making small theatre projects, we are writing theatre blog and publishing e-magazine about theatre “Dveri” (means “The Doors”). Our almanac exists 3 years and has 9 issues. The 9th issue is about street theatre. We are very grateful to our translators. Now almost 200 pages are available on English. Street theatre is very important for us. Some of our team are actors of Moustache Street Interactive Theatre, some are organizers of Minsk Street Theatre Festival, and all the team are amateurs of street theatre. We would greatly appreciate your comments and opinions about our magazine. Any feedback will be very useful for us, you can send it to org@dverifest.org For more information visit www.dverifest.org
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[3]
Street Theatre What the street theatre is? 6 Our Thoughts
18 Map of festivals in CIS
The street theatre is an eternal outsider and at the same time a joker in the pack of the theatrical world. 10 Thoughts of doers To know what the street theatre is, how it differs from the traditional theatre and what audience does in it, we talked to actors, directors, critics and thinkers. Dialogues 20 with Jaša Jenull
28 with Mother Meadows
42 with Matteo Spiazzi
52 with Viktor Korovay
director and actor of KUD Ljud form Ljubljana
artistic director of street mask theatre “Mr.Pejo’s Wandering Dolls” from Saint-Petersburg”
acting instructor and actor of commedia dell’arte from Venice
artistic director of “Masterskaya Vpechatleniy” from Minsk
Backstage
Interest
88 Medieval street theatre “DiGrease’s Buffoon Theatre”
96 Floriane Gaber: Street Theatre
In The Spotlight 62 I Minsk Street Theatre Festival and II Minsk Street Theatre Festival
80 IV Street Theatre Festival “Teatralny Dvorik” (Tula)
Shows go on 102 “To Ringfly” by Kryly Halopa
[4]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
112 “Mother Courage” by KUD Ljud
122 “The Streetwalker” by KUD Ljud
130 “The Postmen” by Moustache
September-November 2013 140 Chronicle
5 festivals • 21 premieres • 4 events In The Spotlight
146 Internation Forum of Theatre Art “Teart”
152 X International Student Theatre Festival “Teatralny Koufar” Backstage
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013. Street Theatre Editor in Chief Alena Ivanjushenko
158 Theatre“7 Paverkh”
Editors Katya Karpickaya, Vladimir Galak, Alexey Strelnicov, Nikita Sidorenko Editorial Designer Nikita Sidorenko Cover Design Julia Novikova
Shows go on 164 “Coffee House Owner” by Tatiana Artimovitch
170 Project “Home” by Benno Voorhamom
Proofreaders Elena Gorbachik, Andrey Famitskiy, Olga Kapusta, Sviatlana Haidalionak Authors Vladimir Galak, Alena Ivanjushenko, Olga Litvinyuk, Elena Gorbachik, Veronika Molokova, Floriane Gaber, Katya Karpickaya, Nikita Sidorenko, Viktoriya Belyakova, Ekaterina Solodukha, Kristina Grekova, Katya Azhgirey, Kirill Mazhay, Mariya Shevelenko, Elena Tishevskaya, Olga Koroleva Translators to Russian Danuta Maksimovich, Marianna Saleeva, Viktoriay Severin, Vladimir Galak
10
View
178 thougths of Antonina Rutkovskaya
186 Egor Voinov
The dancer, the choreographer, artistic director of the dance theatre [OTRAZHENIYA]
backstage of “InZhest” Theatre
Translators to English Aliona Guliakevich, Veronica Chernyavskaya, Alesya Malakhovskaya, Yana Tarasevich, Tatsiana Chubarava, Maksim Karpitski, Anastasiya Kastsiushkina, Hanna Kidron, Lidziya Arlouskaya, Alesya Gresko, Marina Galaur, Daria Paramonova, Marina Yaprintseva, Nadzeya Fialkouskaya Photographers Roman Striga, Nikita Sidorenko, Kaja Brezočnik, Kristina Grekova, Viktoriaya Gerasimova, Denis Valyanskiy, Julia Shablovskaya, Lidiya Zinovich, Elena Gorbachik, Alexey Karpeko, Veronica Chernyavskaya, Katya Azhgirey, Julia Malashevich, Egor Voinov, Petr Shchitnikov, Anna Kunakova, Alexandr Sekunov
ISSN 2306-6733 Minsk, Kakhovskaya st. 28а org@dverifest.org www.dverifest.org
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[5]
[6]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
The street theatre is an eternal outsider and at the same time a joker in the pack of the theatrical world. It was both a grandfather of the modern stage art and its crazy relative of whom everyone has always been ashamed and who is hidden from the eyes of strangers. I do not know why it became so interesting for us. Everything started in 2011 when the Slovenian troupe “KUD Ljud” came to Minsk to take part in the festival “Tot samyj festival” (“That very festival”). This theatre and their workshops made us think different. The Slovenians showed us what an artistically formulated freedom of thought and actions really are. They convinced us that a street actor is a real superman, as far as his abilities are beyond the possible behavior of a usual spectator. It is also the history of this kind of art that is breathtaking. The modern street theatre has something of ancient shamanistic rituals, the Dionysiacs, folk merrymaking and rituals, Medieval religious mysteries and square performances, improvisational theatricals of the Italian commedia dell’arte, carnival processions, Dadaistic performances and Russian shows of the revolutionary period…
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[7]
The same ambiguity is typical of the genre palette. In this case the word “theatre” is not a defining one. Contrary to the classic stage variety, the actors in the street theatre can merge in the crowd of spectators and tell them about the most routine reality. A play is acted creating fantastic worlds, using masks, bright costumes, fires and pyrotechnics. Besides, you can see acrobats, clowns, jugglers, street magicians and even musicians! In this context festival arrangers, and their cultural policy, are completely responsible for spectators’ understanding of the street theatre borders. We by no means regard ourselves specialists in this sphere. We decided to look into theatrical dictionaries to understand the essence of the street theatre phenomenon. Nevertheless, an elusive answer was not found. Even the “know-all” Wikipedia provides rather controversial data in English, German, French, while the encyclopedia’s article in Russian consists only of several paragraphs. The paradox is that there IS a phenomenon but NO word to name it. Thus, having held a discussion, we have suggested our own conception. May we take this opportunity and use our status to present our concept as follows (first published! exclusive!).
[8]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
The street theatre is a kind of drama art that possesses the following features: a) From the viewpoint of its form: • Using open and/or unequipped locations (parks, alleys, streets, squares, parking areas, roofs of buildings, etc.) in the function of drama stage and site-specific elements of scenic design; • Action development both at a set site and in the process of route following; • Various degrees of interaction with spectators (verbal, physical, visual); b) From the viewpoint of the performance technique: • Implementation of a director’s aim with the help of traditional acting means combined with the improvisation acting technique; • The possibility to use the elements of extreme sports and circus art; • As a rule, the participants of a show do not have any qualification in drama art;
c) From the viewpoint of the artistic component: • Experimental search of non-traditional means and solutions (plastic, choreographic, imaginative, dramatic); • Freedom from classical emotional theatre model; • Involvement into the play’s artistic reality, both into that of a spectator and into that of a location as a whole; • A partial or complete loss of the artistic value of a play in case it is acted indoors; • Relatedness to a carnival culture; d) From the viewpoint of spectators’ psychology: • Creation of a specific artistic reality as a result of synthesizing a psychological image of a street location, where the action happens, with the reality of a play itself; • The mindset for the liberation of spectators and stimulation of their overcoming social taboos.
Let this definition also be our answer to another question that was directed to Belarusian and foreign masters and critics by Aliona Ivaniushenko, our chief editor. The answers for it can be found in this issue. We do not claim to be the know-alls or braniacs. We simply love the street theatre for the sense of total independence, unbelievable performances and the opportunity to behave like children. Illustrations: Robin Klengel Translation: Aliona Guliakevich
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[9]
The keys to the street theatre
This time Dveri “The Doors” has decided to look for the keys to understanding of the street theatre. We have not found the dictionary definition so the criteria to this one seem to be very fuzzy. To know what the street theatre is, how it differs from the traditional theatre and what audience does in it, we talked to actors, directors, critics and thinkers.
Gennady Fomin Actor, director, teacher (Belarus)
Adrian Schvarzstein An actor, director of “Kamchatka” street theatre (Spain)
[10]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
• A theatre which uses open space above or in any other direction may be defined as a street theatre. A city, a village, a forest, a field, an amphitheatre, a mountain and so on. A special aestetics of the street theatre is in the absence of the possibility of the chamber, intimate, soft and nuanced expression due to a large scale of space and a large number of spectators. The presence of nature and the crowd entails the aggravation and the intensification of the expressive means. Including the scale of visualization tools which are used. Laws of nature and perception of the crowd determine both the method and the aesthetics of the expression. Thus, fully intensified imagery, saturation of emotions, dynamic events, passion, acuteness, broad movements determine the aesthetics of the street theatre. Life and death, tragedy instead of delicate feelings. Sarcasm and parody instead of lambent humor and irony. According to it the topic of the performance is created. It always involves a paradox or something of the kind, everything which captivates the crowd.
• The street theatre is a way to present the theatre to spectators, interacting with them directly in street space. A way to tell a story to the audience, using your body as the main means of expression. • There is a chance to meet a spectator who is not a regular theatre-goer, to provoke him to do something out of the ordinary, to destroy the routine traffic, to create emotions and reactions – this is the power only the street theatre possesses. But the most important thing is the possibility to involve a spectator into a direct contact with an actor. • Audience is the key person of the street performance. They determine the length of the performance, make us listen carefully and appear as the main cha racter of the story we want to tell you.
Alexey “Bekar” Burnosenko Director of the medieval street theatre “DeGreese Rogue Theatre” (Belarus)
• The origins of the street theatre, in my opinion, are very simple, and the answer to the question is simple too. The street theatre is a theatre which performs in the street: in a public place where people just go by. It does not matter why they perform: because of the political reasons or because of the desirable style of theatrical performances or because of life circumstances (no money to rent premises). And after such a superficial answer to the question about the definition the most interesting thing begins – it is what becomes of the street theatre. Due to the peculiarities of a street performance the actors are on the same level with the audience. They are surrounded by the audience so the notions of “backstage” and “side scene” almost lose their meaning. They work for passersby so the plot of their performance should be catching, any moment of the performance should be fascinating (to attract those who came in the middle), the whole performance should be captivating (to keep those who came at the beginning), and it should be interesting till the end (to keep everybody till the whip round). A long elaborated plot with intricate turnings and complicated solutions becomes senseless. The performance becomes shorter because you cannot force the audience to stay for two hours. • The street theatre reduces the number of details and their subtlety. It is simpler, clumsier but at the same time more emotional, more expressive. It is caricatured. I think that this is natural development of the society and simultaneously regress of aesthetic tastes of this society – simple and emotional things become popular. Sex, vulgarity, films about comic book heroes are also smile and plain. Ordinary emotions become stronger and more straightforward in different kinds of modern pop-art: more blood and more detailed murders in action movies, more laughter in comedies, more exposed flesh in everything. The renaissance of the street theatre is just a continuation: people who are used to simplification of emotions and “toughness” of halftones in the performances, expect it from the theatre. So the street theatre is the result. • The story is that I came to the street theatre from the street rather than from the theatre. That’s why my approach is extremely rational and bitterly pragmatic. The main function of the audience in raw, old-school street theatre is to be a sponsor. An actor works for this audience to make living. No intermediaries. The audience is a financial motivation for an actor. The audience is a very clear and evident evolution criterion of the performance and of the actor: if the value of the performance is high, the audience will pay generously. If it is low, the pay will be low as well. There is no other way. Nowadays audience is an indirect measure. Theatre becomes a hobby. In this case audience is no longer an evident “prey” as in an old-school street theatre. According to “Maslow’s hierarchy of needs” it moves from level 1-2 to level 3-4.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[11]
The keys to the street theatre
Victor Korovay Art director of “The workshop of impressions” (Belarus)
Victor Panov Chief executive of the International festival of street theatre in Arkhangelsk, Honoured Artist of Russian Federation (Russia)
[12]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
• In my opinion, a street theatre is a theatre which, from historical point of view, has worked for a huge audience. It reflected the reality, everything, that was happening in the world at that time. The street theatre today is still a theatre, which reflects the present, current processes taking place in the society, and it does not matter how it is connected with culture, politics and anything else. Simultaneously these are the theatres which could work with huge audiences without being confined to a particular place, only with people who just go by. As far as I know we do not have many theatres which fully match these criteria. • There is a question of availability and plainness on the street. For instance, I am confused by such a genre as performance in the street: it is not for everyone. In my view, a street theatre should be able to work for any audience, it means for any level of understanding, perception and education. That’s why lots of people slough over the street theatre – they say, a theatre works in order to please the audience and stop to the audience’s level without improving their stagecraft. They can do something simple for people to be amused but actually it should have an idea. I think, the professional theatre has many more opportunities to make the audience watch in a good sense of the word. A street theatre should find more ways to make people watch something they show, but actually me thods they use are too primitive.
• To my mind, a street theatre is a continuation of street life, which expresses unusual street stories. It may be walkabout, when the audience follows the show along the street, it may be areal, when the audience surrounds the actors all over the perimeter. There also can be a street theatre that works in shop windows. There are no clear borders. It is in the street that the communication between the audience and the actor, involving audience into action, takes place. The street performance should be more dynamic than the performance in the theatre, because in the street a spectator may go away or just go by. You should always attract their attention. You know that in the hall the audience just has to present for some time at least one way or another.
Dmitry Mastyanitsa An actor, art director of the experimental theatre “Еуе” (Belarus)
Alexey Zhdanovich An actor of “Moustache” street theatre (Belarus)
• The street theatre is a theatre which exists due to the space a street can provide. The main criterion for me is that it shouldn’t be a performance staged in the theatre and transferred into the street. If it is specifically created for a random audience, a random place then this is a street theatre. All the rest is the director’s point of view, because you know that a street theatre does not only stage plays, it may work with the audience in any other way. Also you should fully use all facilities of the space: if you do not take into account the peculiarities of the place where you work the performance will be outside the context. It is a basic concept of direction – use all you have. • The most important thing for me is that there is no audience constant in the street theatre – it does not stay in the same place, it does not have to watch over the actors all the time, it can move freely. That’s why there this work is so special for me. • As in all art, the role of the spectator in the street theatre is the most important – otherwise why should we do it if not for people who come to see us? In the classical theatre we work for the audience and the only feedback was applause at the end of the performance or just some comments online, but in the street we have immediate response.
• In the definition of the street theatre I like the thoughts of Anna Shishkina, an art director of “Mr. Pejo’s Wandering Dolls” theatre: “If you move a theatrical performance to the classic stage and it will lose nothing – this is not street theatre”. In my opinion, a street theatre is, first of all, an interaction with the audience. At that, the less the audience is ready for this action the more empowering is the experience that an actor gets. • A street performance without audience participation is a monologue. During this monologue the audience does not receive a response to their emotions. But there is a dialogue in an interactive performance, which makes the work harder and more interesting. • Both the classical and the street theatre, are, primarily, instruments of the emotional state of the audience. But in the classical theatre the audience, for the most part, are just viewers, but a street performance makes the audience voluntary or involuntary participants of this. • The classical theatre makes a spectator seat in soft chairs with armrests, but the street one carries them in its arms and lays them directly on asphalt.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[13]
The keys to the street theatre
Floriane Gaber A historian and street art critic (France)
[14]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
• I’d rather talk about street arts or about art in public space rather than about “the street theatre”. In these terms there are both “art” (music, visual arts, dance, theatre, performance, synthetic forms of expression) and “public space” (a street, a railway station, a park, industrial facilities, in a word locations which are not fitted for presentation of artistic forms). • Speaking about the street theatre alone, the place where the performance takes place determines the style of playing and direction. There is no sun protection, rain protection, noise protection (honks, cries…) in public space. You need to switch street lights off for the place to become dark and to have the possibility to use special light installations. Otherwise, street lights (traffic lights, lampposts, neon signs), noise and traffic (a stream of cars, passers-by) are included in the performance. Thus, every performance is different from the previous one (but not only for these reasons, but because the audience’s and actors’ moods change from evening to evening, as it is in the classical theatre). • In the street the audience has no permanent position which they have in enclosed space. Like actors they stay in the rain or in the sun. They do not seat in comfortable chairs, but they may settle on the ground, stand around, climb anything or just go away when they are bored. Being free of charge in most of cases, street performances can attract the audience who are not theatre-goers and who do not attend traditional cultural institutions. Moreover, some street performances need audience participation, physical (jogging or walking with the actor during the performance) or interactive (actors address the audience, ask them to do some movements, gestures, to answer some questions). To determine the relationship between the audience and street arts there is a term “game” (in the entertainment sense).
Mikhail Zabelin An actor and director of “S’eShosu” theatre on stilts (Russia)
• The street theatre is a collective name for quite different street shows. These are huge performances at the street theatre festivals: giant mechanical giraffes, factory tubes installations, ballerinas, flying in the sky, who are fixed on the crane. These are solos of clowns and mimes. These are juggling and trick performances. The genre and the scale can be diverse. But every such performance, one way or another, uses the peculiarities of the street, its various facets. Any of them will be something totally different if transferred to the stage. The street theatre is a show which takes place in “the settings” of ordinary life: against the background of houses, roads, trees, shops… • The director I’d worked with, Anna Shishkina, often said, that a man with a dramatic actor education is not suitable for the street theatre: too many new things to learn. The classical theatre is associated with beautiful ceremonial building, cultured people, rings before the performances. The lights go out, luxuriant certain rises. In the special space, where there are no excessive sounds and no excessive things, where everything is subordinated to the will of an artist or a director, the actors play, and the audience, seating in soft chairs, watches the performance. In the street theatre everything is the other way round. It blends in the aggressive street space naturally, the audience watches, staying and prying themselves from their affairs. These are people who haven’t planned to go to any performance. They get impressions on the run. The exception is a street theatre festival where the audience comes with the intention to watch the performance, nevertheless it is a festival, commotion; they get destructed by the nearby performance, very close to another person. So the street performance should be exciting, otherwise, you could not keep the audience. It’s controversial, but I think that a performance should be understandable, if not – nobody would understand anything if they come in the middle of the performance and could not follow the line of the performance. So in this case it is closer to buffoonery than to the traditional drama theatre. • Lots of directors work for both street and stage. These are two pieces which complement one another. Anton Adasinsky, an actor and director of DEREVO theatre, said that what you find in the street is transferred to the stage. • In the street theatre a spectator is a partner. Lots of street performances are interactive, we appeal to the public directly, establish eye contact, communicate with gestures, talk to them. A spectator may answer or just go away at any moment. They can even walk out on the stage – especially the homeless and the drunk, but they are still our audience. The audience may create a plot or become a part of the performance. For instance, in the performance-parade the crowd which follow the actors is a part of the picture, which a new audience see and then also inflow this crowd.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[15]
The keys to the street theatre
Viacheslav Inozemtsev Art director of “InZhest” physical theatre (Belarus)
[16]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
• The street theatre is a very broad phenomenon, but the main thing in it is, of course, a return to basics. There is no programmed conventional ritual: buy tickets, go to the theatre, the curtains are drawn, the actors are on the stage. In this case, theatrical context appears only if it is created by actors. To achieve this, all the means are good: grotesque costumes, masks. But a spectator in the street can always go away. If you are a real actor – prove it. To make the audience look in open-mouthed wonder instead of sitting in the theatre till the end because the tickets are bought. • In street theatre expressiveness is a very important thing. It does not matter in what way it is shown: technical facilities, scenography, costumes or masks. Sometimes an actor is enough, if he can stand out from the crowd, if he can let somebody see that he is out of the ordinary. Ancient traditions are behind all this: there are some fools, some idiots and jesters. On the one hand, they are a part of the society, on the other, they are castaways. I think, that when an actor is close to this, he does not just get into a traditional costume like dozens of mimes today – then this is a theatre. Putting on stilts, applying make-up without any skills or techniques gives the impression that you create street art. It is hard to watch. Of course, there is a tradition to have a street performances’ zone in every town, but the mimes and clowns, working there, become a routine. I think, if you have a desire to go beyond the routine, to astonish, then we can say that this is the street theatre. • The street theatre is quite a narrow definition. There is a set expression “openair” in English, a theatre in the open air. This expression is broader and makes the opportunities of the theatre larger. The main idea is that the theatre goes to people instead of people coming to the theatre. It bursts into society. The fact that the action happens right here and right now is the most important thing in the street theatre. • There are different forms of theatres. In the huge performance a spectator, of course, watches most of the time. But there some interactive performances when a spectator takes part in them. “InZhest” in its work does not use a street as it is but considers the peculiarities of the open space. Theatre can perform in some quaint places: on the roof, on the wall, anywhere.
Tatiana Artimovich A director, art critic (Belarus)
• For quite a long time the modern street theatre is a separate kind of theatrical art. Theoreticians distinguish it and study it because actually it has its own laws, genres, aesthetics, historiography. That is why, like it or not, this theatre, in fact, is independent. • The street theatre, which is more spontaneous and which is originated from the folk theatre, and the classical theatre, which is originated from the city, county theatre, are absolutely different in their message and the presence of the spontaneous outset. Bakhtin gives a very good description of this in his analysis of carnival culture, the closeness to the popular language, unintellectualism. Perhaps, in this way the street theatre differs from the classical one: the street theatre is not a snob. • There can be a specific form, purpose and intent in the street theatre. And despite the fact that provocative art is close to me, including a theatre, which intrudes in open street space, tries to work with it, to modify it, tries to create something new, I admit that an artist can have another purpose. As far as Belarusian context is concerned, in my view, we have the substitution of notions: what we pass off as street theatre is actually not. The presence of people on stilts, which the other people watch, does not mean that it is street theatre. Still, it works in the context. Because of different cultural context, a street theatre in Belarus is different from a street theatre in Great Britain. So people, who want to promote street theatre, should explore the place and the conditions. If we know that we have problems with street space, we should work with it instead of walking on stilts and releasing fire. • What “InZhest” theatre makes even on stilts, shooting out flame, can be referred as a street theatre, because Inozemtsev always puts some sense into it. He understands the space in which he works, therefore in his performances there is always spontaneous carnival origin, which, unfortunately, is absent in most other theatres. • Today we are talking about a theatre, which takes place inside of the audience. Why do contemporary theatrical authors refuse to complete theatrical statements? What a spectator sees is a kind of conversation. The form is not rough, open and there is no clearly-worded idea. That is because a spectator should give the answer. Our audience is often passive, they just have fun, but actually they should work, they should experience something. In this case, the classical and the street theatres are the same. They just approach the audience in a different way. The uniqueness of this theatre is in the suddenness. A man can become a spectator, like it or not. That is why the street theatre has much higher potential, from the point of view of a researcher. People can accidentally be in the space of art and some incredible things will happen to them.
Translation: Veronica Chernyavskaya
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[17]
Мапа
We found many street theatre festivals in CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States). There are some new festivals, some festivals with history. The number of such festivals is growing. So we made a map with these festivals that took place in 2013. This isn’t full list of festivals, we think that there is more and we will add more points at our map. These festivals citizens of Belarus can visit without visas.
[18]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
May Minsk: International Street Theatre Festival www.st-fest.org/en/
Kemerovo: Street Theatre Festival “Theatre Square” www.vk.com/club37974196
Moscow: International Street Theatre Festival “Otrkytoe Nebo” (“Open Air”) www.vk.com/club1910253
Ufa: Street Theatre Festival “Endorphin” www.vk.com/club49424819
Dudutki: Street Artist Festival www.vk.com/club50715327 Saint-Petersbourg: International Street Theatre Festival “Elagin Park” www.elaginpark.spb.ru/draft/festival June Moscow: Moscow Street Theatre Festival “International Fire Carnival” www.vk.com/fire.karnaval
Perm: Street Theatre Festival “White Nights” www.permstreetfest.ru Arkhangelsk: Street Theatre Festivsal www.teatrpanova.ru Yaroslavl: International Street Theatre Festival www.vk.com/fest_teatr
Nizhny Novgorod: Street Theatre Festivsal www.vk.com/streettheatrenn Orenburg: International Street Theatre Festival www.vk.com/festivaldobryh Tula: Street Theatre Festival “Teatralny Dvorik” (“Theatre Yard”) www.vk.com/teatr_dvorik August Yekaterinburg: Street Theatre Festival “Litsa” (“Faces”) www.vk.com/event56866889
July Moscow: International Family Art Festival народны сямейны творчы фестываль “Yarkie Lyudi” (“Bright People”) www.bright-people.ru
Grodno: International Street Art Festival “Grand Teatro” www.vk.com/teatrogrodno
September Odessa: International Street Theatre Festival
October Lvov: International Street Theatre Festival “Zolotoy Lev” (“Golden Lion”) www.golden-lion.com.ua
Koktebel: International Street Theatre Festival “My Foot in Koktebel” www.vk.com/fytkoktebel
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[19]
Jaša Jenull in “The Invasion” by KUD 20 Ljud Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013 Photo by Roman Striga
[ ]
Dialogue
Danuta Maximovitch Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[21]
[ ]
Spectators on “The Streetwalker” by KUD Ljud 22 Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013 Photo by Nikita Sidorenko
Jaša Jenull is one of the people who bring interactive street theatre (or theatre in public space) in Belarus. Actor and director of Slovenian interactive street theatre KUD Ljud, godfather of the first Belarus interactive street theatre Moustache shares his thoughts about theatre on the street and its psectators.
— We want to give our readers an answer to the question “what is a street theatre?”. What would you call your group – a street theatre, a street interactive theatre or something else? — Usually in Europe the concept of street theatre is more connected with performances, which are special shows for people with juggling, some kind of acrobatics or other circus elements. Most European theatres of that kind would be associated with street theatres but in recent years theatre in public space has become a very popular phrase. Theatre in public space is a much wider term which also means that a lot of people, a lot of young actors are coming from indoor location theatres – from galleries, studios – to public spaces. So it is a more open term, which is used a lot now. Of course there are a lot of different artistic styles in public spaces. In public space theatre there may be very visible people, who are doing different installations, those, who are using modern technologies like earphones to reconfigure the public space or people just like you, who are the most interesting part of making performances for us. Actions or events in public spaces
are about this interaction with real things and especially with real people. In public spaces we are trying in different ways to break the “fourth wall” between the actors and the spectators. — What are the criteria for determination of public space theatre? What are the differences between this type of theatre and classical dramatic theatre? Is it just open space or something else? — I would say that for us there are so many differences between these types of theatres. The first one, because of which we actually decided to move from a closed theatre to working outside, is that we want to address the audience, that don’t usually even go to see alternative theatre performances. At least in Slovenia where we started working there is a very close circle of people who visit this alternative theatre’s progressive performances. We wanted to communicate with a wider spectrum of people, with those also, who normally don’t go to see classical pieces in theatre and wouldn’t go to gallery, because they believe that they are not appropriate for them. We thought that we would also have a chance to perform for such peo-
ple and make them a bit interested and involved in some artistic event. So for us the first thing was to find the audience. The second element we are interested in is the fact that whatever you do in classical theatre space is determined by the expectations the people have, when they come to the theatre. There is a whole history of theatre or avant-garde performances, or some kind of theatrical experiments, when you realize that you are in this theatre and it brings the strong context in. It’s very difficult then, because even if you try to break this context or this fourth wall, you still feel that you are in the theatre. It is very difficult to break the expectations that people have. The thing that makes us think that it’s a special place is not just having this theatre around us, where people are coming and expecting something to happen, when people know that this is theatre, but it’s when they see it and think that it’s something interesting, an event, that is happening and their reaction may be really spontaneous. They are reacting to the content of our work, to what we are doing. They react without thinking “How I should behave now,
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[23]
Dialogue with Jaša Jenull
because now I’m part of the theatre performance”. Such thoughts like “Now I’m participating in interactive theatre experiment” usually make people tense instead of playful. So for us it’s also escaping from the context and people’s expectations. — What is the esthetics of street theatre? Where is the art: in the content, in the methods? — I think it depends on the type of street theatre we are talking about. There are a lot of groups, especially in France, which are doing theatre using public space, but bring a lot of their own settings to it, their
own esthetics. For example there is a French group, which works on water and makes special installations, where people are walking on the surface of water. There are vehicles driving on it and trees. It looks very esthetic and poetic. They have a lot of visual effects that could look just like Robert Willson’s works, but they are using real water and not the imitation that you would use in the theatre. That’s very esthetic. What we find even more interesting than to bring the elements of scenography to public space in order to have visual representation is to find the border between fiction and reality
and how it is possible to connect them. That is a very interesting detail, which has been lost in the last maybe hundreds of years, since the invention of the gas light. Now we have a very controlled theatre, which is separated. Even in Shakespeare times everybody could see each other, people could comment and there was much more interaction between actors and the audience. There was more communication, connected with contemporary issues. I think that today many classical theatres have lost this connection. So for us it is a way of connecting not only with the content but also with the
If we do theatre in the same way it was fifty years ago it may become a museum thing. People will still go to see it, but it will become the tradition of the past, like folklore dancing
real environment. We use an actual train station to see how we can convert it into a gallery of modern art and use the elements of train station as elements of art, thus changing the prospective of people. Finding the balance between fiction characters, which are interacting with real people, and seeing how things develop from there, adds value to the performance. It can bring a lot of spontaneity. These days if we think what has happened to art for example after the invention of the camera, which
[24]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
could perfectly reproduce reality in a much more detailed way than a painting. People realized that they cannot compete with the camera, its speed and objectivity. So they developed something that the camera couldn’t do, which is to express the inner world. This technological invention allows an artist to explore a more subjective point of view or how he sees the world and people around him. I believe that theatre needs to reinvent itself in the same way. We are living in the time of internet, YouTube, High Definition, 3D projections of big budget pro-
ductions, when the camera is moving every ten seconds to a different part of the world. I suggest that if we do theatre in the same way it was fifty years ago it may become a museum thing. People will still go to see it, but it will become the tradition of the past, like folklore dancing. There is a question how to keep it alive. It is to use really special things, something that other media can’t do. We have a group of living people and performers communicating with each other at the same time. The people gathered here and the feeling that we have today can happen only
“Water fools” by Ilotopie Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) Photo by Duncan Dargie
[25]
“Mati Korajža” by KUD Ljud and Ana Monro 26 Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013 Photo by Kaja Brezočnik
[ ]
once and only today, when we are witnessing it and when we are a part of it. This is a vision of the theatre of the future for us. Each time it is a unique event. We do not believe in premiere and rehearsals. Every time we do it, it’s recreated and it’s different. We always like to incorporate into the elements of reality, because people can in this way believe that it is happening here and now and the reaction of somebody in the street is totally spontaneous. Yet, we still try to keep to the framework of fiction. There are elements of fiction in the performers, characters and their style and manner. They all have their own biography, their missions. It’s a fictional context, but real people can still react to it.
— What is the role of spectators in this kind of theatre? — We don’t even like to speak about it as of a performance or a show. We try to make an event, where people become part of it and we are co-creating. It’s impossible for us to make a show without the audience. So the audience is an integral part of our performance. They may have different roles and we try to simplify these roles for them as we don’t expect them to improvise for half an hour. In this event we create an atmosphere; we make a story together with them. It’s also very interesting to see what’s going on behind the performance and get inspired by it. It’s not just an artistic choice to use the audience as an actor. Actually,
it is not totally different from what the theatre was at its beginning during ritual times. For example there is a ritual that involves the participation of everybody. Of course some people have bigger roles and some have smaller. In European theatre this role has become passive. The only thing the audience has to do is buy a ticket and clap in the end. We are trying to make a system, in which the theatrical ritual involves people more and gives also more to them. When they are involved more, they can take more. In a different way you could say, that it is what Brecht was doing with his alienation effect to make people realize that they are in the theatre and make them think critically, but not
People become the megaphone interpreting real life into art only follow the parts of melodrama. We are not saying that we are better than Brecht, but what is interesting for us is to make people understand that we are creating a fictionalized reality together and people are cocreating with us.
their own concepts and ideas, even their own fictional universes, participating in the art and being the megaphone interpreting real life into art.
In the end I want to mention Shakespeare, who said that theatre is like a mirror of life. Brecht thought that it was not a mirror and he wanted to make it a hammer in order to shake life. Last year we thought that art as a hammer is a good thing, but it could also be a megaphone for life. When we do our projects, we try to give people the voice to express
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[27]
[28]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Dialogue
Alena Ivanjushenko Theatre’s archieve Alesya Malakhovskaya
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[29]
[30]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
We met Mother Meadows aka Anna Shishkina at Slovenian street theatre festival Ana Desetnica. She impressed us with her power and superprofessionalism and simultaneously her amazing delicacy and tenderness in performance “Miniona”. By the way we watched the performance both in the heat and in the rain. Anna is Artistic Director of mask theatre “Mr.Pejo’s Wandering Dolls” from Saint-Petersburg (www.pejo.ru). Together with her company she creates wonderful and wondrous universes, goes all over the world in an orange van and wishes there appeared professional critics of street theatre.
— Which theatre can be defined as street theatre? — Well I usually don’t give straightforward answers like “Pushkin was not only a great poet but a great citizen as well” like in books by Dovlatov. But exactly this question “Which theatre can be defined as street theatre?” has a very unique solution. If a theatrical act when being relocated from street to another environment loses its artistic value then yes, it’s street theatre. The street is not just background. It means special scenography and special rules of interaction with the audience. Damn and you
got the sky! It would be stupid not to take it into account. At the end of performance “Carmen’s Burial” by Polish theatre “Travel Bureau” (“Biuro podrozy”) the characters let go of tiny glowing houses attached to balloons which fly into the night sky. And the audience watches them drift away until the yellow lights fade away high above. People just stand there and look into the sky for a long time according to stage laws. Is that possible under a roof ? I must admit that most theatrical awards our theatre has received for performing on stage. It’s a shame but yeah sometimes we perform
on stage. And by the way it’s way easier. But every time when me and our manager, a very practical man, are watching our performances in stuffy theatre buildings, we both notice that there’s lack of air, sky, block pavement and asphalt, street lamps… And for the spectators as well the difference between the street and the auditorium is enormous! What if on your way to the bakery you bump into a wardrobe standing in the middle of a square? Immediately questions emerge – why is this? Is it just thrown away piece of furniture or something is going to happen? And
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[31]
“The Last Bastion”
[32]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
the opposite when you lie back in an armchair and there’s stage scenery in front of you. It’s no fun. Because, well, so what? It is theatre. Anything can be there – castle, locomotive, flush toilet or guillotine – everything is quite normal. Street theatre is always about breaking down everyday routine. Regular theatre is like sausages at the butcher’s – it’s where it’s supposed to be. — What is the difference between street actor and drama actor? In one interview you stated that street actors can perform on stage while drama actors cannot perform in a street. Why so?
— Well I can’t imagine a drama actor who wouldn’t want to know how to tap dance. But when we speak of street actors we know they just must be many-sided, possess maximum artistic skills (juggling, walking on stilts, stage speech, parkour…). In Peter Brook’s staging of “Midsummer Night’s Dream” the Pack spirit brings in a magical flower, a plate spinning on a stick, while walking on stilts. And so the more skills an actor has the wider are possibilities. The main difference between street actor and drama actor is in thinking. Street actor, even if he or she comes from a classical drama
theatre, has to develop skills like self-direction of performances, analyzing the situation, also knowledge of metaphysical topography of streets, their power lines, architectural accents, people’s movements, some light peculiarities… As well as peripheral sight, syncopation, time-management in performance, manipulation skills, tricks, “internal” acting, phonemes, precisely directed message, knowing when to pause, acrobatics, control of blind spots, understanding of sectors, accuracy of gesture, ergonomics of movement, physical health, physical health, physical health… and the so called talent.
The street is not just background. It means special scenography and special rules of interaction with the audience. Damn and you got the sky!
Long ago I started as a busker – a street performer soliciting money with hat unlike performers who charge fees for their work. And I know it very well that sometimes moving a few meters up or down the street can considerably increase your earnings. The most important thing is that a street actor must react blazingly fast. While recruiting new actors we dealt a lot with drama academy graduates and drama theatre actors. Most of them take it for granted that the audience is engaged in the performance and will not just go away.
They think they already have the right for the spectator’s attention, the right to slow down, make a pause. They’re not ready to face such rivals as a dog running by, ambulance siren or just simple “why watch this, let’s go somewhere and have a drink”. We work not only with people who came to watch the performance on purpose but also with unprepared audiences – an old woman on her way to bakery, gypsies, tramps etc. And again it’s children of different age. The street is such a motley bouquet of people you wouldn’t find in any classical theatre.
Of course some actors perform merely for self-expression, some play only for “intelligent” people or for kids, or “to make everybody feel happy”. But if we speak about genuine theatre, theatre which really performs for the audience, then there are some must-have features for the actors like concentration, quick thinking and creativity. Without that there’s no quality performance but just a bleak picture in a spectator’s memory. — Which theatres and performances impressed you most as a spectator?
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[33]
Dialogue with Mother Meadows
— I’m a very honest spectator. I mean if a performance is dull and disappointing I’m gonna be bored like a three-year-old at a concert hall. But if a performance has got that something in it even if it’s strange I’m gonna love it. And I’ve seen many performances worth mentioning… they deserve a separate discussion. — Where is the spectator’s place during a street performance? — Once they asked Bernard Shaw “How do you write your plays?”.
“It’s very simple” he said “I just write on the left who says the words and on the right the words themselves”. The place of spectators during a street performance is everywhere they can watch it from: in front of actors, around actors, from windows, from street lamps, from fences and iron grills. Even from behind where nothing can be seen, even there if you squat low enough you can see actors dripping with sweat feverishly changing their clothes. Again kind of a show.
— What specific rules of interaction with the audience are there during street performances? — Street theatre is a sheer provocation. Spectators can find themselves involved in the game but the main idea is for them to watch, to observe. And if you manage to make them understand and sympathize it means you’ve done excellent job. Or maybe you were just lucky. Speaking about interaction with the audience it’s an elaborated system of different techniques. With it you can make people re-
In Pejo theatre we even have a definition suggested by our friend physicists – “lepton” (elementary particle). Lepton is a special spectator, who can be a partner in a sketch, on him or her depends how the story will unfold. ally want to play with you instead of forcing them to interact against their will. You should know how to approach and touch a person. Here you must have accurate acting mechanics, some skills in physical contact, and ability to scan the audience quickly. In circus-themed performance “Mutabor” there’s a traditional episode when a spectator is seated on a monocycle (one wheel bike) and a sketch is acted out with their participation. In a real circus they use a false random spectator which is in fact an actor. Our choice is really accidental and the random person
[34]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
is totally unprepared. To prevent him or her from falling off bike we attach feet to pedals with adhesive tape. It’s a very dangerous situation which can be managed only by professional performers. When choosing someone from audience you need to take into account their height, weight, that they’re not pregnant and without plaster cast on their leg. And last but not the least that person should be relaxed, open and able to really enjoy becoming the center of attention, enjoy being the reason why a crowd are laughing and consider the whole thing an exciting adventure.
In Pejo theatre we even have a definition suggested by our friend physicists – “lepton” (elementary particle). Lepton is a special spectator, who can be a partner in a sketch, on him or her depends how the story will unfold. To interact with such a person you must really be highly skilled. An episode in a performance has its conception and tempo but then there comes free will of lepton-spectator. It’s a complicated but exciting partnership which cannot be reduced to just active performerpassive spectator interaction. It’s a gaming zone which can turn a performance into a great success or total
“Mutabor” Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[35]
[36]
“The Return of Pulcinella” Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
The easiest way to ruin interaction with audience is when random spectator turns out to be a professional performer. They will try to do their best but just because of that everything will collapse. Most likely it will be funny. But no more than that.
failure. It’s a zone of artistic risk and genuineness. By the way the easiest way to ruin interaction with audience is when random spectator turns out to be a professional performer. They will try to do their best but just because of that everything will collapse. Most likely it will be funny. But no more than that. — Do you have your special ways of presenting the rules of the game to the audience? — One boy said “If I may not change the rules I’m not playing”. A performer in a street is an absolute trickster. It’s not just a rule it’s an indispensable condition of the game. And to explain this to the audience a performer has to be a real professional. This may sound too primitive but it’s a very precise definition. — Do professional critics pay enough attention to street theatres? — We don’t have an institute of theatrical criticism yet. And concerning
street theatre the situation is dramatically bad. But there are ways to solve the problem like separating amateur and professional theatres, raising the status of street art, setting up a professional union. This is the way that puppet theatre had gone. For a long time it hadn’t been considered an independent sphere of art. Theatrical criticism is important for the audiences, the theatres, actors. We all need professional critics even if they’re prejudiced – because anyway it is analysis, search, selfreflection… — Every phenomenon is entailed by a number of related stereotypes. Which myth about street theatre do you personally wish to see debunked? — For the countries of the former USSR it is typical that the embodiment of street theatre is a girl performing in subway for tips. And also that people engaged in street arts are poor and not talented enough to enroll Drama Academy. I can’t say
it’s totally false. But people like that don’t stay in street theatre for a long time. Because this is real art. Nonprofessionals will enjoy a lot what they’re doing but will not be able to make living out of it. Over the last years in Russia and Belarus there’s been a kind of Renaissance of street theatre. Different festivals spring up and famous performers come from abroad. We can observe some shifts in people’s minds. There’s a dangerous side of it though. If, God forbid, street theatre becomes trendy it will automatically start working on chargeable basis. I don’t want that. Street theatre is not just an outsider in its own league; it is also itself kind of art for outsiders. For every street performance there will be at least 10% of spectators who will never by any means go to theatre… And they’re our real audience! I wouldn’t want to perform for just theatre-lovers.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[37]
People who are interested in street theatre long ago noticed that there’s lack of information on the subject. Mother Meadows brings to your attention a list of related books.
“Way of Theatre” by Marcel Marechal Marcel Marechal is a French director. Although he did a lot of drama work, of much interest is his experience in creating peculiar mysteries in working districts where he collaborated with ordinary people who were not theatre-goers. It’s him who delivered the idea that theatre starts with an ordinary carton pipe which you blow in the street and lasts for as long as you can hold attention of passers-by. This is how long your personal theatre lasts. This quote may be inaccurate and is more related to theory, but the principle is very true and a good test of your skills as a performer. I often recommend that actors conduct this test and gain such an experience. It deprives you of superfluous illusions.
“Reflections for the Future” by Jean-Louis Barrault Actually the future the outstanding mime was writing for is already here. So this is just about the right time to learn about his intense experience in creating a new (for that time) artistic language which evolved from theatrical tradition. Apart from being a book about constant work on body and mind this is also a document about a very special period in French art from 1930ies to 1960ies.
[38]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
“The Paper Canoe: a Guide to Theatre Anthropology” by Eugenio Barba Some believe it’s a shame not to read this book especially if you’re working in sphere of physical theatre. I must admit I was a bit puzzled by this famous work as many of things which were explained in detail seemed to be too simple to require explanation. But nevertheless is it worth reading. Italians appreciate Barba’s work a lot which became clear to me while I was holding a workshop in University of Venice. I wish I hadn’t made such blunt statements about Mr. Barba back then. I just hope he himself wasn’t among the people in the audience. “History of Western European Theatre” by Stephan Mokulsky We must admit that the tradition of street theatre had started long ago. And knowing this tradition, understanding of how European theatre evolved is very important. We perform in squares which retain the sounds of Christian medieval performances and mysteries. Unfortunately I cannot read some books in original and this is where Mokulsky provides authoritative translations of some old texts and descriptions which are directly related to our art.
Also of practical use are different artistic methods and devices which can be learned from the sources. A kind of metaphysics of theatrical processions and debunking of many myths. Like you might think it was this way but it was in fact the other way round. You can find descriptions of street processions and carnivals as well in diaries of Albrecht Dürer or Göthe and many others… But this book gives a lot of useful information carefully collected and presented on a silver platter.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[39]
“Chantecler” by Edmond Rostand This play created by the author of the immortal Cyrano de Bergerac has an“ideologically” right message. It’s a brilliant work of art which in grotesque and poetical form speaks about the essense of artistic activity. Are you absolutely convinced that the Sun will not rise if you don’t perform? You’re not? Than why on Earth do you perform at all?
“Tales for the Theatre” by Carlo Gozzi It’s everything you wanted to know about commedia dell’arte. Well it’s a joke of course. But this aristocratic creator of theatrical fairy-tale aka fiabe genre created his plays based on the rules of the genre while constantly improvising. He wrote for a real theatrical company of comedians who had a hard time back then. Unlike Carlo Goldoni’s works he created fairy-tales which were closer to the real street stage. Goldoni is also worth reading though...
[40]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
“From Mystery to Carnival” by V. Kolyazin The subtitle is “Theatrical performances on German religious and street stage of early and late Middle Ages. “Street stage” means it’s just about us! It’s a very profound analysis of the subject, given in a simple language and accompanied by wonderful illustrations! I would also recommend reading books on Japanese theatre, theatre Noh. In Till Eulenspiegel by Charles de Coster you can get to know better the trickster character. You can look through the “Tricks of Sly Fellows” book – a bright collection of adventures of Australian, European, Asian comedians and buffoons.
But books should not only be read. You should learn to understand the pictures. They can tell a lot about buffoonery, grotesque, performing, carnival, interaction and the logic of characters. Many illustrations should be given a closer look. For example, Jacques Callot in a series of Baroque engravings “Gobbi” (hunchbacks and midgets) and his famous Balli di Sfessania (dances of the boneless and the bottomless). It’s a special anthology of commedia dell’arte characters and besides they’re depicted in motion! Some scenes from Carnival in Venice by Francesco Guardi are also worth close examining. A vivid tutorial on stage movement are Japanese engravings showing actors of Kabuki theatre. Still you have to be able to “read” them.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[41]
Dialogue
Alena Ivanjushenko Marianna Saleeva Viktoriya Severin Yana Tarasevich Kristina Grekova
[42]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[43]
[44]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Matteo Spiazzi is an acting instructor and actor of commedia dell’arte from Venice. He came to Minsk to make a workshop session for the students of the Academy of Art. As a result a play called ‘Pantalone in Belarus’, which we described in our blog, was performed. The cooperation and, at times, struggle of two spirits – a Belarusian and an Italian one – was worth watching. Indeed, we do not possess the Italian sensibility, rapidity and quick temper. Matteo, who is so involved and devoted to his ideas, spoke about the inside of commedia dell’arte which was created in Italy and then spread worldwide.
— Matteo, are you a commedia dell’arte representative? — I am one of them. There isn’t one definition of commedia, and there isn’t one way to perform it. What I can show is my personal experience in commedia dell’arte, and my study of masks which, for sure, differs from other studies. I suppose some subjectivity could be very important here. There exists some common basis: it is about a set design, characters and so on. But the thing is that Pantalone doesn’t need to be the same every time. Of course, Pantalone is a man who performs certain ac-
tions and speaks in a certain manner. Yet, I strongly believe that every actor who compares himself to Pantalone, Arlecchino, Brighella, Zanni, or Innamorati, should find his own manner, his own way to perform them. There were lots of interpretations of these characters throughout the history. For instance, a classical Arlecchino is a slim man who tumbles a lot. But there was an Arlecchino who was 2 meters tall and was looking more like Il Dottore, so never say never. Thus, yes, I am not the only representative of commedia dell’arte, but I know what it should look like.
— How commedia dell’arte exist today? What is interesting about it? — It seems to me, the most interesting about it is not something exotic or archeological that one can see in museums. I am not interested in it this way, I’m not a necrophile. The far more important thing about it is that it can still talk to us, and it has something to say. The language of masks and masks themselves are actually modern archetypes. There are several subjects that always existed, and we will never get tired of them, like parents-children relationship, our attitude to money, power, or sex. Surely, these are fundamental
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[45]
Dialogue with Matteo Spiazzi
topics. With commedia dell’arte you can clearly see how many primitive instincts a man has. We often forget that we are all animals with instincts influencing our lives. Commedia dell’arte, therefore, gets us back to some kind of our animal, physical nature which we slowly lost living in the modern society. Maybe, it can teach us to keep balance. — The first stages for commedia dell’arte performances were in public squares as it was supposed to be a street art. Where does it exist now? — In Italian there is a word which means a street performer and, unfortunately, it is very often used in a
negative sense. It is a word ‘saltimbanco’. You see, they used to call these performers ‘bench jum pers’ because they jumped from one street bench to another. For sure, this only word is enough to understand that commedia dell’arte has a lot of physical or, as you call it, plastic about it. Yet, it developed, and soon became more than just a street art. At some point commedia dell’arte changed and, though it didn’t enter theatres, it appeared in court rooms. In fact, it fascinated the greatest courts in Europe. Today, due to this way of development, commedia can be performed both in the street and in closed space, such as theatres.
The most important thing about being in the street which is an essential part of commedia dell’arte is the connection with audience, a dialog with it. When such a play is performed, the ‘forth wall’ is very unstable, and actors often break it by asides to express their feelings to the audience. It is a theatre of superexpressivity, when everything is told and there are no psychological tricks. If actor wants to use them, if he thinks of something to tell with his mask, I see an actor with a piece of leather on his face. But what I should see is a mask that lives, and an actor who makes it a part of his face. To do that, masks must tell everything. There should be no secrets.
The most important thing about being in the street which is an essential part of commedia dell’arte is the connection with audience, a dialog with it Even a simple lie or a wrong deed is given to the audience at once. That is what remains from a street theatre – an open dialog with an audience, the feeling that it’s a character as well, that it speaks to you. — Can commedia dell’arte exist without improvisation? — I suppose, it can. But it depends on what improvisation means here. If it is about text, well, indeed, the text can be fully written and prepared in advance. But as for what an actor does, improvisation is absolutely necessary for him to be alive in a play. When an actor is on the stage, he must live and hear. So
[46]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
every time a performance won’t be the same. If an actor tries to repeat what happened between him and the audience yesterday, a performance will be dead, it will be senseless. As I said earlier, it will be like dealing with a corpse. Even with the text written an actor should stay active and open. The main thing here is to respond to everything that happens on the stage, and even, which is often the case, to respond to some unexpected situations out of it. Drama serves history, but an actor doesn’t serve drama. He must become a new author; after all, he translates a text in some way, using his acting abilities. The word ‘trans-
lation’ in Italian etymologically goes back to a word ‘betray’, and the fact fascinates me a lot. It may mean that such a translation is in a way a betrayal of a text. So, yes, a text can appear beforehand. But an actor should be ready for improvisation. In Italy they say that an actor should have a 360 degrees range of vision. When he comes to the stage, the sense perception should be the most accurate. He must fully understand his position on the stage, what is going on there, he should be flexible to feel other actors and audience’s mood for him to know how to make a performance. There
“Pantalone in Belarus” Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[47]
Dialogue with Matteo Spiazzi
are too many things to control, one can’t think rationally of them all. So any kind of intellect should be at work – physical, emotional and instinctive one. With masks it is particularly important as an instinct is often a rescue. Perhaps, I should make it clear what improvisation actually is. It is not about doing what you want. Improvisation is to be free and to be responsible for the performance at the same time. — Could you give some tips about how to work with the audience? — The only advice here is to be ready for anything. It is clear that
ble. A paper mask breaks fast, and a leather one can keep its form, it is solid but flexible, and it doesn’t damage skin. Commedia dell’arte masks are made for a special purpose, so they are very functional. They are not esthetic or beautiful – no glowing colours, no spangles. When you look at this kind of masks you immediately see the importance of physical characteristics. It is because a mask should change its form when an actor moves, only this way it will be expressive.
[48]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
when I think of something in advance and then try to perform it on the stage, it’s no good. On the other hand, when I know what I want to get from the audience but don’t make any certain mindsets, I will be ready to play with it. If I come down from the stage and see a young girl, I will make a performance in a certain manner, but if I see an old lady or a child, it will be totally different. The way people respond to what I am doing determines the way I should build a connection with them. — What is a mask: is it a character or just some stuff ?
For actors mask is a strange thing. There is nothing mystical or religious about it, but there is certainly some kind of magic. The reason for it is that anyone can put it on, hide his face and say it is not him who is performing on the stage. No one can see him, so it’s someone else. Thus an actor gets more freedom. I believe that a mask is an incredible instrument. On the other hand, there are strange things about masks that happen sometimes. If I want to command
— When people see masks, they usually say: ‘OK, it is a nice stuff, I shall put it on the wall at my bedroom and so it will be there, so ele gant’. That is what generally happens to masks from Venice. Tourists buy them and put them on shelves to admire. Masks used in commedia dell’arte are not exactly the same. Gift masks are usually made of papiermâché, and the ones used by professionals are made of leather. You are to wear a mask during the whole performance which is about an hour, so it must be comforta-
masks or do what I want with them, a mask will be against me. So it is me who should follow mask’s advice. It is really hard to explain... Mask is more about experience, than about explanations. I should be ready to hear the advice a mask gives me to follow it. Another important thing is that not every mask always fits. Everybody has their own special features which are good for some masks and bad for others. The fact that I can’t give it an explanation interests me a lot. So, masks are not just stuff for me.
They are probably not instruments either. I don’t have some exact definition... But for me there is something sacral about them.
basic rule is to create a connection between head and body which allows to make a mask precise and to work on rhythm.
— Are there any special ways of how to work with an audience in a mask? — Surely, there are several rules. In the first place they are about speed and rhythm, as the later is a basis of commedia dell’arte. Also, an actor should understand the language of masks. Putting a mask on my face, I realize that the theatre I am going to work with is not real, it is synthetical and has its own code. The most
Peter Brook once said, hold on and let yourself walk light. ‘Hold on’ here means holding on a mask, at least for me. Mask is a fixed point for an actor from which he starts working. In any other sphere he should let himself go, or, to be more precise, give himself freedom in his work. To make it possible a mask should be well fixed, steady. If I try to make a mask do something for me, it will be wrong, because I can’t just make
a piece of leather do anything. But as I am an actor, I am more flexible than a mask, I can respond, can see what is going on around, and I know what feeling this new face gives me. To my mind, that makes it more interesting. Actor can respond to certain things and make a mask free. If he does, one can clearly see it – mask always works better, when an actor is ready to respond to it. — And what’s about ‘don’t put on a mask in public’? — Yes, there is such a custom. Maybe it means something, maybe not. Once I happened to watch a per-
For actors mask is a strange thing. There is nothing mystical or religious about it, but there is certainly some kind of magic
formance when Il Capitano lost his mask. The audiences reacted as if we killed a lamb on the stage: everyone was thrilled. And it was really weird. As if I walk along the street and watch someone losing a part of his face. That means that the mask started to work. Maybe the fact that one doesn’t put it on in public is due to a desire to keep a secret, create some mystery.
interesting as it is actually the first form of theatre where women came to the stage. It was a big scandal, on the one hand, and a huge success, on the other. I think that the very fact of a woman performing on the stage was something extraordinary. So, perhaps, it would be silly to mask her face. Historically, as far as I know, there was only one female mask – a mask of Zanni.
— Would you tell us something about female masks? — The connection between women and commedia dell’arte is quite
In 1970s-1980s Carlo Boso started working on commedia dell’arte in T.A.G. in Venice. What he did is quite fascinating. In fact he said:
‘Let’s see what we’ll have if we create a new character, a new mask’. And he made a mask of Nera, a witch. Then another female character, the Nurse, has appeared, and it is also an interesting one. It means that commedia dell’arte is not dead, and it is curious to watch how it’s developing. — What is the nature of laughter in commedia dell’arte? — I happened to see an audience which at a performance was laughing at one spot, next time at the same performance it was laughing
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[49]
“Pantalone in Belarus”
[50]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
at another spot, and then it laughed at both of them. Laughter is about the experience a spectator has. He will laugh at the acts and things in commedia that are closer to him. For instance, an old Pantalone happens to be in a ridiculous situation when he tries to woo a beautiful Innamorata but doesn’t succeed. Who will laugh at it? A young man or someone who is more like Pantalone? It seems to me, the later. Everyone sees himself in this or that mask or character. So they laugh at this mask and love it more. Perhaps, it shows them how fragile and complicated a man is, but at the same time it shows a stupidity of such a character or an archetype. An
audience usually distinguishes one character or another with laughter. That is why a performance changes with an audience. So this way commedia is a public theatre. It is not a chamber theatre for 20 people or so. Commedia dell’arte works better when an audience is big. It needs to have lots of responses of various types, it needs a lot of spectators, from children to elderly people. — Would you continue your cooperation with the Belarusian theatre? — After the workshop experience I can definitely say that I am interested in it. Of course, if I had to make a performance, the first thing
I would do would be setting some time to get more information about Belarus and its culture. I have to study more in-depth the Belarusian society to make the mechanism described above work so that people of any social class could see themselves in the characters. In this way commedia dell’arte can be of interest for the theatre of Belarus as well. The audience will watch a performance not as an exotic one but as a play about their own culture. In my opinion, that would be really exciting. I can also say that commedia dell’arte would be a great challenge for Belarusian actors.
Laughter is about the experience a spectator has. He will laugh at the acts and things in commedia that are closer to him
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[51]
[52]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Dialogue
Olga Litvinyuk Viktoriya Gerasimova Theatre archieve Tatsiana Chubarava
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[53]
[54]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
In order to understand the ins and outs of the street theatre, it’s not enough to watch it from an audience place. You need to know all the disadvantages and advantages from experience. That’s why, in a search for answers, I turned to the man who has first-hand knowledge of the street theatre, who lives and breathes it – to the Viktor Korovay. This man has been taking on all the possible roles – from an actor to a theatre director. Now he together with his actors looks for a werewolf in Minsk streets, tells people about Belarusian history and mimes his actions with noble szlachta’s conceit, of course. A master of improvisation, one of the first actors-animators in our country.
— Tell us about “Masterskaya Vpechatleniy” (“Impression workshop”). What is a distinguishing feature of it as a theatre and why was such a name chosen? — We chose the name together. There are a lot of event management companies to entertain the public here, but we first of all want to leave impressions (translator’s note: “vpechatleniye” is the Russian for “an impression”). Even if a man has a car, money, a house, this may sooner or later disappear, but impressions stay with people for the whole life. Our goal is to be engraved upon audiences’ hearts. Initially this
project was organized as an animation one for tourists to tell them about Belarus. it may be pompous a bit but that’s what it was. We are not the first who started working on it but we must have been the first who decided to be grounded on theoretical and rehearsal base. We started with long rehearsals mainly, began with an idea; half a year passed from writing the first programme to acting it out. But now it sometimes takes only a week to make a new performance. We will be five years old in 2014, and for these five years we must have performed for more than 300 times.
I’m there during all the performances, watch my actors act, but first of all I’m interested in the audience reaction. We always work on our mistakes. Audiences don’t notice them in general, but this creates some inconvenience for perception. When you work in the street, you work without a microphone; wind blows your speech off, audiences stay around you, that’s why some particular moments are missing. So in such cases actors do their level best. In these circumstances I have a principle: if you cannot get something through to all the people, nevertheless go on doing your job and
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[55]
Dialogue with Viktor Korovay
get it through at least to one person. Well, yes, something will be lost for the rest of the audience, but they will see that person’s reaction. And this will evoke some emotional response in them. — So often you turn to Belarusian history in your programmes. Why is it your thematic choice and how important is it today to show our national heritage, what for do we need it? — We underestimate our history. We distribute it among others. The biggest part is used by Lithuania, Poland, and Russia. But the thing is that our history is rich in interesting persons, there are no less of them, at times even more, than in any other country. Such a simple example: Adam Maldis, a historian, wrote in one of his articles that he alone has a list of 10 000 Belarusians, who went abroad and not just went abroad but influenced the countries, where they lived in. For example, the first principal of a gymnasium in New York was a Belarusian. People ought to know their history, where they come from. For us it is important. We show history in a humoristic way mainly. Here, again, it is important to keep on the razor-edge of such a presentation. When to give information and when to entertain people. Because if you give bare facts – for this thing a guide exists, who mentions particular dates, numbers, but I know it from my own experience – you hear them and they slip your memory. But when these facts are put in a game, a person understands them, and a bit of them is imprinted on his mind.
[56]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
— Do you use folklore in your performances? — We don’t use folklore entirely, we take mythology from it. Bestiary, a list of otherworldly creatures in Belarus, numbers more than 400 of them. There are a lot of characters who don’t have their counterparts in the Russian mythology, for example. Nobody knows how Zasovka looked, and what really she used to do. They say, she lured men into going to the forest with the help of her songs, but nobody knows what she did with those men there. Having this information, we create her image — Costumes are a bright distinguishing feature of your theatre. How do you work on them? — We have a lot of ideas, but they hinge on the high cost of making costumes. The most expensive ones are costumes of nobility – szlachta. Our dresses differ from stage ones – they are less bright. The costumes, which are used on the stage, take the ones of “Khoroshki” (TN: a Belarusian state dance group), for example, do not satisfy us, because
szlachta didn’t wear bright spangles and synthetic materials. We cannot use modern materials, because we work among audiences. But when we were doing a performance on Ostap Bender (TN a fictional con man) surely, we had no costumes sewn, we took already-made ones. To make a performance on a cult film (TN: The Twelve Chairs), where you can fib, is easier. But when you make a theatrical presentation on history, lies are not acceptable; costumes must be true to the epoch. — What do you think of the future of street theatres in Belarus and what should be done for the development of this culture and for its popularity among people? — There is future for street theatres. Natural selection will take place; somebody will sooner or later get bored with waiting for recognition and that’s why leave, while somebody will move on. Here a lot depends on progress. The audience needs accustoming; like people are accustomed to arthouse, to good literature. The audience cannot
Our dresses differ from stage ones – they are less bright. The costumes, which are used on the stage, take the ones of “Khoroshki”, for example, do not satisfy us, because szlachta didn’t wear bright spangles and synthetic materials understand the performance from the scratch, if they have never seen anything of that kind before. In my opinion, a theatre can be based on one of three strategies. Either a theatre overdoes, so nobody can understand its performances, or lowers its standards so much that it’s ready to show anything what the audience demands. Or (the third strategy) it works in the way the audience can understand and gradually raises the audience’s level. The theatre grows and the audience grows. It’s necessary to respect the audience, to help them, and to try to draw the audience into a dialogue. A street theatre, to my mind, is the only one who can do it. This kind of art is an ideal way to carry on a
dialogue with the audience, and you don’t just offer them to watch you, but you’re a partner. You should fulfill the potential not only yours, as an actor, but of the audience, too. — What does a street theatre need? — A street theatre needs performing, needs support. The First Minsk Street Theatres Festival went off very chaotically, but this was just a beginning. I’d hold not only such festivals, but also various skits, parties, and carnivals. To spend time there, to talk with each other – anyway that’s something. To go somewhere abroad together is difficult, but to meet here isn’t so difficult, but an enthusiast’s required. And,
frankly speaking, I see no one except for “Dveri” here, who could manage it. — The street theatre has become an indispensable part of a cultural and festival life abroad. Have you seen foreign street theatres and is the level of our ones lower? — I haven’t visited festivals of street theatres abroad, but I’ve seen street actors showing their performances. It’s easier for them there – they have total freedom of actions, nobody stops them from doing what they want. But I haven’t been impressed by what I’ve seen. For instance, I was in the Baltic States last year, visited six or seven cities, where there was a street like our pe-
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[57]
Dialogue with Viktor Korovay
destrian Karl Marx Street, but, to be honest, nothing useful or sensible I saw. The same was in Italy. Very little was interesting. For example, Rome shocked me by its very low level of street culture – street sculptures were dirty and ragged, gladiators and warriors extorted money from tourists overtly. I was greatly shocked by the same in Vienna and Florence. Everything was too much simple. No stage directions or a scenario; and again, primitive feelings were the target of everything. In Karl Marx Street we have difficulties more with organization, because I understand it’s not easy to cope with so many people here. I’d say there is an excess of intensity here. The format of this street (TN: it becomes pedestrian for weekends in spring and summer) has existed for two years, an influx of actors of various kinds is enormous here, but you cannot claim that it has become a brand. That means something’s missing. The only difference between European theatres and ours is that the former work in a very interesting atmosphere. To work in splendid interiors of those streets, where there are a lot of cafes, and people, more or less, go to those streets is one matter. And a totally different matter is to work in an empty street, where there’s nothing interesting but actors. But if to compare the mastery of our theatres and foreign ones, then we have a great number of worthy examples. Another matter is that we stew in our own juice. If we had a possibility to go abroad, to watch, to learn… It’d do a lot of good to the development here. You always need learning, no matter how long you do something.
[58]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
— Which techniques can a street actor use to grab audiences’ attention, to make an impression on them? How is difficult to work with our audience? — One of the first methods is an interactive one, when the audience becomes engaged if not in the performance itself, than at least in the feedback. In a traditional theatre comments on what’s going on the stage are inappropriate, because the atmosphere itself doesn’t allow. But in street art it is normal and even good. Any street theatre should have skills of improvisation. In our country it is more difficult to work with audience, first of all, because of our mentality. You are working with audiences, but they’re afraid
of you. We had interesting experience. We came to the village, but people reacted as if they had had such performances every day. And it’s not because they were not surprised, but because they were afraid to show their interest. The matter is not even in the culture, but in the temperament, the character, in the inner barrier. — How can you encourage Belarusian audience to get involved in the performance? How can you help them not to be afraid? — Sometimes we have to pay a lot of efforts. Our principle is that we don’t force a person, when he or she doesn’t want to get engaged, but we persistently offer to do it. Some-
20% of the audience never, by no means, take part in the performance, and the other 80 % are quite willing to do it
times a person wants to take part in it, and we notice it, but he feels shy. Do you know what our audience likes most of all? To laugh at their neighbor! So we, in order to win audiences’ interest and make them more active, choose one person, put him into an untypical situation, and then all the others laugh boisterously at him. So the audience becomes lit up and starts doing something. When more people become centres of attention, more their friends become interested in the performance. Surely, it is important not to overdo with an untypical situation. The person oughtn’t to be humiliated. The person shouldn’t be put into an idiotic situation, just into an unusual one. My experience has shown that 20% of the audience never, by no means, take part in the performance, and the other 80 % are quite willing to do it. When we interact with audience, we dance, play games, use some phrases and everything always happens differently. Often you don’t
expect involvement from a person, since it seems he’s not eager, but then, when he finds something very to his taste, he gets engaged. When it comes to audiences’ involvement, it’s easier for us in comparison with other theatrical groups who position themselves as actors straight away. They start acting and the person understands: “O.K. These are the actors and I don’t want to interfere in”. But our atmosphere is different. We draw audience into the performance right away, as if we were not actors, but ordinary people, just from other times. — What is professionalism for you and what are your criteria for it? — To my mind, there are some things which any actor should have – a body, a voice, a skill of transformation. Concerning street theatres and the work with audience there, professionalism doesn’t play such a big role, charisma is much more important. We cannot say that the actors of the 18th and
19th centuries, who didn’t study in academies, but worked for a great number of years and so could do anything, were not actors. In a street the audience decides who is a professional. If they like you, you are a professional. If not, you lack something. What is the difference between professional actors and actors-amateurs? In my opinion, it is in the thing that a professional actor is able to come to the feeling of ardour during his performance, while an amateur may come to it or he may not. In the theatre professionalism is what matters, while at the street theatre it is charisma. In the theatre an actor can be not charismatic, though, in demand, while in any street charisma is obligatory, otherwise you’d fail to win audiences’ interest. — Does everybody have a craving for playing, a desire for being an actor? — Any person plays, moreover, he plays every second. Actually, a per-
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[59]
Dialogue with Viktor Korovay
son is never frank even with himself. The other questions are what for he plays and how he plays. We have an element in our programme when we create a theatre inside our theatre. We give roles to audiences; somebody plays the curtain, someone does a part of Panie Kochanku. Sometimes there are such audiences, that you watch them act and become amazed – this man plays this role even better than the actor does. The percentage of talented people is much higher than we think; another matter is why people need it; everyone sets his own priorities. A street itself can be uninteresting, but if it’s enlivened by a theatre and a talented actors’ play, it changes for better. Real street art, a true street theatre is born only if a sum of all these three summands
[60]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
is found. A street theatre, using its magic power, leads the audience to the undiscovered world. It carries on a dialog with people about the very essence of life in the language clear to anyone. It helps to explore hidden possibilities inside you, to become more uninhibited and to feel yourself being a part of a magical world. A part of theatre.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[61]
[62]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
In the spotlight
Vladimir Galak Denis Valyansky Julia Shablovskaya Lidiya Zinovitch Nikita Sidorenko Maksim Karpitski
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[63]
– “Taburetotchnik” [Carnavalcthik 64] Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013 (Russia)
Atman-Tantu – “The Life of Chess” (Belarus)
14 to 15 September 2013 the First Minsk Street Theatre Festival took place on pedestrian K. Marx Street. By the way, that’s a landmark event not only for the city but for the country itself, as never in the history of Belarus there was such a cultural event. Its idea was in the air somewhere for some years but it was not until November 2012 that it took a real shape. This occurred, surprisingly, owing to an injection from Russia, when Marina Akishina, an activist from Yaroslavl visited Minsk. She came with a desire to repeat V. Polunin’s initiative “Caravan of world’s street theatre festivals” in 1989. According to the plan, through the summer 2013 a series of street theatre festivals was to take place in the largest possible number of cities in Russia and Ukraine (Odessa, Koktebel and Kyyiv), and then street theatre festivals were to come to Minsk. These festivals were to be conducted one after one, in a row; they were united by the cause of charity and a common selection of participants. Moreover, Minsk was a planned final of this Caravan. The idea
itself is truly interesting and ambitious, but alas, Marina, as a truly creative person, couldn’t deal properly with the organizational issues, the questions of funding and probable international cooperation were left unanswered. That’s what she went away with, having resolved almost nothing. But dear Marina accomplished a lot more than she herself expected, without even knowing. She brought together about twenty representatives of Belarusian street theatres, independent creative unions and Marx Street supervisor Oxana Nikitsina for one meeting. This way, all the people who wanted and actually could organize the first street theatre festival in the country were assumed in one place! That is why, after our Russian friend left it was decided not to abandon the idea but to realize it fully. Then came a lengthy period of discussions and searching for a proper format for the event. There were long winter talks with a cup of tea and fantastic but improbable ideas like hosting a hockey match on a salt field with participation of
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[65]
“In The Space!” (Belarus) [EYE 66] –Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
actors and spectators, and plans of a large-scale carnival procession through almost half a city, and other phantasmagoric ideas that I cannot recall now. As time went by, the organizing committee became almost three times smaller (in comparison with the original meeting). It was not an easy task to create and approve a unified and appropriate Statute of the festival. But thanks to good will and enthusiasm of city authorities in April 2013 the festival was officially entitled to live. That’s when the whirligig began – searching for participants, sponsors, name for the festival. It was all going on in fast-motion mode for the time was not waiting. In the end we reached a decision to remain without a name, as neither the organizing committee nor the public had come up with a suitable variant that would satisfy the majority. Foreign participants were mostly invited through personal acquaintance. By the way, we were expecting “Mr. Pejo’s Wandering Dolls”, a theatre from Saint-Petersburg, as a headliner. But in August one of their actors tore the
Achilles tendon, so all of their tours were cancelled. Still, they promised to come next year, so we’ll be looking forward to it. The selection of theatres went through three stages. First, the leaders of national street movement were invited to participate; they became the program’s main part. These theatres were also the founders of the festival – plastic theatre “InZhest”, experimental theatre “EYE”, interactive theatre “Moustache”, creative circle “Masterskaya Vpechatleniy” (“Impression workshop”), adequate theatre “vKube”, puppet theatre “House of the Sun”, Jean Melnikau and “Sixth sense” studio, the medieval theatre “Degrease Buffon Theatre” etc. We had no reason to doubt the quality of their performances for they had already been participants to many national and international festivals and events. For other Belarusians who were willing to participate but were yet unknown to the coordinators a competition was set up. Throughout the summer any company that
Moustache – “Chairs” (Belarus)
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[67]
– “Shortforms” [IMPROV 68] Almanac “Dveri” №3(Ukraine) (9) 2013
Theatre “Miniature” – “Nevsky Prospect” (Russia)
wanted to participate could prove itself worthy at pedestrian Marx Street, where we would appreciate them and take a decision as to their participation in the program. I must say there weren’t many such attempts – the novelty and singularity of the festival were obviously playing their part. The selection showed that the format of street theatre is not quite clear to our companies as there were several performances that looked as if they were taken from the stage to the pavement with no understanding of street theatre’s specific esthetics. Nevertheless, three troupes were selected for participation in the festival. The third stage consisted of searching for foreign participants. Again the novelty of the festival and absence of established reputation did not allow us gather a lot of companies; but those who agreed were not disappointed. These were two troupes from Russia (creative circle “Carnavalcthik” and “The Theatre of Miniatures” from Saint-Petersburg) and improvisational theatre “IMPRO” from Lvov.
Working with sponsors was also interesting. Frankly speaking, there was not a large number of people who wanted to help street theatres. And even those who decided to become part of it all, were all of a sudden refusing at the 11th hour, which added to the coordinators’ stress. So, our forum was in the end funded by Minsk city executive committee and our own money. I want to say how grateful I am to the friends who agreed to give roof to the actors of “Carnavalcthik” troupe for a couple of nights. And finally came the long awaited September, 14. Three sleepless nights were just behind and there was a feeling of being in outer space, and we had no idea of what was coming. But pretty soon we were able to relax. Surprisingly, everything went on well, almost with no complications. Spectators were satisfied, artists were all set, the sites were fully equipped according to participants’ wishes. I myself even performed two times with “Moustache” theatre. Two days went by in a flash, numerous people came for night shows, especially for the performance of “The
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[69]
– “The Smiles of Hel” (Belarus) [vKube 70] Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Golden Age” by “InZhest” theatre, which gathered, I think, about a thousand viewers. The festival was a good place to evaluate the state of national street theatre. So, several of its specific traits can be pointed out. First of all, the similarity to performance art. This means that in their esthetic and creative qualities theatre performances were closer to performance art than to full-fledged street theatre. Secondly, we noted that theatres tend to use the themes of history a lot. Thirdly, there was an obvious aspiration to use elements of carnival esthetics – stilts, masks and fire which especially gained after dusk. Belarusian street theatre is obviously still young, not big, comfortable and still searching for its own core, means of expression and examples to follow. Overall, I was quite satisfied with what we got in the end. There were, of course, difficulties and some slips in the program but all that was not even noticed by the common attendee. We will have to pay more attention to relations with the theatres, volunteers, sponsors and all other
organizational aspects. We already have ambitious plans for 2014. That is, we would like to extend festival to four days, increase the number of locations, get more funding to invite new and interesting participants, organize master classes and discussions. All that would make our Minsk festival closer to the most outstanding European examples and let us make connections with them, exchange experience and opinions. So far, these are only ideas, but I’m sure the city was made sure that it needs a suchlike event, that has the effect on mass media and viewers. To reach complete satisfaction we only need to engage professional theatre experts who don’t see street theatre as a mature form of theatre. But this is something that can be changed. Festival’s web site: www.st-fest.org
InZhest – “The Golden Age” (Belarus)
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[71]
II Minsk Street Theatre Festival 2014
The II Minsk Street Theatre Festival was held in 10-11 of May 2014. The were 24 participants with 28 performances from Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Slovenia, Poland. Photos by: Petr Shchitnikov, Julia Malashevich, Anna Kunakova, Julia Shablovskaya, Alexandr Sekunov, Elena Gorbachik, Nikita Sidorenko.
[72]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[73]
II Minsk Street Theatre Festival 2014
[74]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[75]
II Minsk Street Theatre Festival 2014
[76]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[77]
II Minsk Street Theatre Festival 2014
[78]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[79]
[80]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
In The Spotlight
You will get your breakfast in the dormitory Dinner you will have in the café Supper will be shared with the auditory At the place you’re spending your workday. It was this no banal and cute poem that street actors were met with when they arrive in Tula. In the end this poem turned to be completely false, but let us see the whole picture.
Elena Gorbachik Anastasiya Kastsiushkina
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[81]
“Photophrenia” by “Moustache” (Belarus)
[82]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
The Festival The 4th International festival of street theatres “Teatralny Dvorik” took place in Tula, from 2 till 7 July, 2013. As far as I managed to know, this festival has been growing by leaps and bounds from year to year and from season to season. The first festival, that took place in the autumn of 2011, was a one-day event, and there were so few participants that they could be counted on the fingers of one hand. But the second festival took two days and the fingers of both hands. Then the organizers got a taste for it: the amount of the third festival participants exceeded the normal amount of the man’s fingers, while the event was kept within one day and spread geographically – occupied two platforms simultaneously. It seemed the festival became important, and it was noticed by the right sort of people, who made everything to let the forth festival to resound with all its force. I can’t even imagine how the organizers managed to cope with it and find participants for a six-day extravaganza that took eight platforms. However the festival raged and shook the whole Tula up. But by force of some circumstances the response was not as strong, as it could be. Thus the majority of the audience consists of children and people over forty. There were really few representatives of the youth, young men as well, in comparison with other theatку festivals, where I had been. In those festivals the youth used to be in the absolute majority. Probably the main reason of this specific phenomenon is Moscow that took the great part of the able-bodied men. I can speak a lot about afterwar architecture, the great amount
of wires over Tula, the plenty of road holes around Tula, etc. But it will hardly have any influence upon players’ preparation for the tour. That’s why let us turn to the hospitality of the Festival hosts. The organisation To begin with I’d like to express sincere and warm gratitude to the organizers of the festival. Moreover I am professionally jealous to some extent. I can hardly imagine how it is possible today to arrange the festival where the organizers take all the costs including transportation, housing and meal. I don’t know who got all that money but I want to thank them on behalf of all the participants. And I also want this “kind fairies” to take the following as a constructive suggestions not my critics. Because for most of the participants it was a free-of-cost system that compensated numerous disadvantages. I will start with the housing. People who play in theatres especially street ones are used to living in any conditions. But Tula surprised us. We lived in the State technical school. It’s difficult to forget this place “facilities”: closed bathrooms, cold water, mice in the corridor, etc. The meal we waited for after the optimistic verse was also notorious. It was delivered already cold without our curriculum taken into account, a dinner was delivered while actors were performing at the platforms. So we had to find a place to dine by ourselves. It was a good way of organizers’ to cut their expanses as we couldn’t live without hot meal. Dear organizers! Even free meal and housing should be of a good quality.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[83]
Parade of theatres
[84]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
But despite all the factors, these inconveniences left us a number of good memories. Theatre adventures in all their glory! From the forgoing comes my request to the organizers offer something different next time. It would be nice of you to let the participants be aware of the living conditions. They should have the ability to choose: whether they would live in this hazardous, but free conditions, or they should pay in addition to live in a hostel or a hotel. It is also required to provide the participants with qualitative meal, even if it would cost the actors some extra money. And a few more words about the organization. It was very hard to understand how the program was scheduled: the theatre groups I was interested in always performed at the time we also played at the platforms. So I failed to be presented at any of their shows. That’s why it should be great to organize the program in more convenient for the actors way as most of them would prefer to watch other team’s performances. One more request is to give the actors some time for rehearsal. It is necessary for a few theatres to think over their performance in a new place. And of course we would be so much glad to have the ability to share our thoughts and ideas with other actors. Workshops and discussions were extremely required too. Yep, there was a kind of a theatre representatives’ gathering on July, 6. But as far as I know they were not able to make a dialogue, they just had a few separate presentations. Of course there was a final feast with drumming and people applauding. But that revelry disappointed us even more as we failed
to communicate with each other. So we left the festival afflicted, with the unsatisfied need of communication. The Participants As I’ve already mentioned, we failed to get acquainted to all the actors, to watch their performances. But we were lucky to attend some of them. “Mr. Pejo’s Wandering Dolls”, the theatre company from SaintPetersburg, was gorgeous as usual. This group can create their own world, magic, kind and very lively. I have never before seen adults watching a performance openmouthed. They looked just as their children. For those, who haven’t already know about this theatre I will explain. This company uses masks in their performances. For the sake of this the characters completely lose their mimics but acquire a unique ability that only dolls can have – the ability to concentrate their emotions. So they can show their feelings in a very accurate and touching way by only one movement. The play “Decadence” was presented by them in Tula. To my mind this play showed us all the skills of the art they created. The theatre company promised to come to Minsk this summer, and I strongly recommend you to visit their performance. The puppet show “Tuki-Luki” (Perm) took wonderful dolls to Tula. Puppeteers on stilts operated big marionettes. That was a very successful adaptation of a puppet show to street conditions as puppets were so big that they could be seen even from a distance. Moreover the puppeteers were tall and it helped their puppets to fly in a very natural way. But as far as my attitude is concerned
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[85]
“Titanic” by “The Theatre of Miniatures” (Russia)
[86]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
this play was a little bit primitive, they failed to do their best. Our next performers – the group “44 Drums” – were by all accounts familiar to the Tula audience. They had a great success, their spectators followed them from platform to platform. Even though, their performance didn’t seem to be a theatre one. Their drum play was really impressive, but that show had no plot at all. The Swiss street performer Samuelito could keep the audience attention even despite language barrier. He could quickly react to unpredictable situations; moreover, he created such situations by himself. Not knowing a translation of a word, he asked the audience to help him and tried to repeat that word. When he saw a girl entering the bank, he decided to get acquainted with her. And we all were absolutely sure it was an improvisation. Unfortunately, I could hardly see the performance of the interactive theatre “SuZhet”. Actors asked the citizens to tell them about latest news and events, and then turned those events into funny miniatures. Independent clownery DOJ (Moscow) used traditional circus techniques: distinctive makeup, comic situations and kindly tricks. This group is quite similar to “The Theatre of Miniatures” (Saint-Petersburg). They followed each other at the platform, and I couldn’t catch
when the first performance ended and the second began. The Moscow theatre “Outlines in space” turned to be a real surprise. I could hardly see their performance “Giraffe’s coffin”. The only things I noticed were a giraffe’s head and burdensome music. I thought it was something existential and allegoric and decided not to consider it carefully. But I regretted that a lot, when I saw the group show at the Minsk festival “Teatralny Koufar”. That theatre is really great in allegoric play and has created their own style. To sum it up, I’d like to point out that despite all difficulties I was very happy to participate in “Teatralny Dvoric”. That theatre festival gave a field to the creativity realization, inspired everyone and filled people with impressions. I am very grateful to the organizers for the festival was really grandiose. For those who is reading this article: I strongly recom mend you to visit Tula! Moreover you can apply now for the fifth festival. You will certainly get a lot of impressions and test your endurance! P.S. The Tula gingerbread is really delicious =).
Festival page: www.vk.com/teatr_dvorik Our video impression: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8qpC1oW8M4
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[87]
Backstage
Veronika Molokova Theatre’s Archieve Alesya Malakhovskaya
[88]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[89]
Backstage: DiGrease’s Buffoon Theatre
Their performances immerse you into the atmosphere of old Bremen streets packed with jugglers, acrobats, musicians and jesters. They make you believe you travelled back to XIV or even XII century. One of a kind, spectacular and always innovative. They are medieval street theatre “DiGrease’s Buffoon Theatre”
Who they are The only existing in Belarus medieval street theatre, one of the first fire show performers in the country. The theatre company includes 12 performers. Their average age is 25-27 y.o. All of them mastered their disciplines by themselves that’s why they prefer to call themselves “self-made men”. The only people remaining from the initial troupe formed in 2005 are Aleksey Burnosenko, Theatre Director, and his wife Anna Nesterova who is Art Director of the theatre. How it all began It all started in 1999 when I became fascinated by knight clubs and took up medieval dances, travelled to Saint Petersburg to advance in technique and study the subject – begins Aleksey Burnosenko. In a 3-year time I became the most advanced teacher of medieval dances. Then I got bored with dances but wanted to develop my skills in the same field. That’s when the idea to set up a medieval theatre came because it was something new and nobody
[90]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
did that at the time. In 2003 I met “Mr.Pejo’s Wandering Dolls” theatre. They were conducting a workshop at one of medieval dances festivals where I also was engaged. Then I found them behind the stage and asked about the peculiarities of this sphere. They influenced a lot my desires and plans. Then at one of reconstruction festivals I watched a performance by Musica Radicum theatre from Vyborg. They are a very vivid example of musicians performing medieval music. They also did fire show which was the first time in my life that I watched a fire show. I wanted to find out more about it and to find people who could share their experience with me. My friends engaged in dancing found me a teacher from Moscow. A person named Isen in emails revealed to me all the secrets of fire shows which were not known to Russian speaking community back then. And until now we’ve never met in person. Thanks to him, to my own persistence and knowledge of English I quickly became a fire show performer, as they call it now, and gathered a company around me. In 2004 we started doing our own shows.
DiGrease’s actors mastered their disciplines by themselves that’s why they prefer to call themselves “self-made men”
The concept After 8 years of travel and research the theatre has collected about 13-14 performances. All of them are made in such a way so that people coming across it in a street would get interested. That’s why normally performances last for about half an hour. – Among our works only 3 or 4 are medieval – explains the Director. But these performances are very popular at European Medieval festivals. Sometimes we get invited simultaneously to 3 different places for one weekend. That’s because what we do is an proficient high-quality reconstruction of a travelling theatre of the time before Shakespeare era began. I rarely come across such theatres myself. Once I watched it in “The Reckoning” directed by Paul McGuigan. In the movie political events are beautifully entangled around a travelling theatre. I adore that film because it’s about us. But in the movie they are artists of Shakespeare theatre while our theatre is related to an earlier period. It’s the period when actors haven’t yet changed the street for stage and haven’t detached themselves from the audience with the help of backstage and lights. It’s a theatre combined with circus. The second time was a performance by theatrical company Mr.Pejo’s Wandering Dolls “Moresquierres”. There the historical aspect was very well presented.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[91]
Backstage: DiGrease’s Buffoon Theatre
“DiGrease’s Buffoon Theatre” shows allegorical drama and farce that most people can learn about only from books on theatre history. Our fire shows “Witch” based on “Viy” by N.Gogol or “The Alchemist” based on the “Erl King” by Goethe have already long ago given rise to talks in the whole Europe. – Fire show drama is a very rare event on a global scale, – says Aleksey. – Of course we do common performances for weddings or other events where beautiful men and women do tricks with fire to make the guests feel happy. But much more interesting is to try and convey an idea, to share emotions, to make the audience reflect on some subjects. That’s why we do performances like “The Alchemist” which was presented at Kiev Fire Festival in 2009. Since then they want us to perform it wherever we go. Particularly the Germans because it’s based on Goethe. Its simple plot moves you as deep as the shortest story by Ernest Hemingway “For sale: baby shoes, never worn” Constant development Apart from doing street theatre actors of “DiGrease’s Buffoon Theatre” do any stuff that they find interesting and wonder themselves how they manage to find time for everything. – I like to learn about Belarusian traditional culture, – Aleksey says. During our first tours abroad as medieval theatre they asked us whether what we perform is derived from Belarusian or European culture. For the first several years we would blush and say it comes from Europe. Then we got more interested and did some research on the subject, studies about our own ethnography. Now we do per-
[92]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
formances about which we can say that they show the way it was in our country. And we’re proud of it. – We do staged fantasy rituals, – adds Aleksey. – Now we work on amazing Russian project for Sajman which is more commonly known as Halloween. In the movies you often come across a scene where secret society members wearing clocks murmur some strange words in a circle. We do this sort of stuff but as a theatre. – We also admire steam punk. We begin to show up at events in wonderful costumes we do ourselves. – One of our favourite themes is Chicago in 30s. We learn how to swing and do lindy hop and similar dances. We have a wonderful 30 minute performance named “Chicago. The 30s” with dances and bootleggers, staged fights and poker. We presented it 2 years ago. Such performances are usually created when you feel inspiration when the whole crew wants to make an awesome performance. Who is welcome – In Belarus “DiGrease’s Buffoon Theatre” rarely does classical street theatre performances, – says Aleksey. – We prefer to go to places where people are looking forward to watch our shows and the audiences are prepared. From the middle of spring till the middle of autumn theatrical company is almost always outside Belarus. It’s only in October that the theatre starts its activities in the homeland. They recruit new people to share experience and help the students master the art of fire shows, street performances, acrobatics, stilts, juggling, ethno plastics as well as medieval, Belarusian and Baltic dances.
There are no age or professional limitations but mostly it’s students who come. Those who already understand they have a lack of knowledge in some spheres and want to fill the gap. The actors of the theatre make jokes on how they themselves teach their future rivals.
Now we do performances about which we can say that they show the way it was in our country. And we’re proud of it
– It’s very stimulating, – Aleksey believes. – Being the only company who does performances with fire would finally make them too lazy to advance in this field. But the students remind of how competitive this sphere can be. As we share everything we know with our students after a year of studying with us and then 1-2 years of their own practice they reach approximately our level and we just have to advance. We charge fee for the classes because we have to pay the rent for premises (room at school # 35). And again you shouldn’t teach this for free because the knowledge is pretty much in demand. It means too many people would want to visit our classes even if they actually don’t intend to put it into practice. But we are interested only in those who are serious about this. Where find them The theatre itself is constantly on the move. The routes they go when on tour would make up a colourful net on the map. They have travelled from from Northern Norway to Southern France and from Western Ireland to Yaroslavl in Russia. – We particularly love to perform in Germany at Festival Medieval – festival of medieval music. They have a very packed schedule and the Germans are very pedantical like “you have only 50 seconds left till the beginning of your performance”. This is of course a bit oppressive for our Baltic-Slavic souls. We also like Norwegian festivals,
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[93]
Backstage: DiGrease’s Buffoon Theatre
mainly Viking festivals. They rarely have medieval ones. This country of fjords, rocks, ocean and fresh air evokes childhood memories. Very often we are invited to Belgium on very favourable conditions. Earlier we were convinced conditions are not that important if you really love what you do. We used to hitchhike a lot and it means dragging all the props along in backpacks and it was ok. But I can hardly imagine something like that now. We really appreciate it when we are offered good conditions for work. At least 3 star hotel, full-board meal plan. This creates favourable conditions where you can concentrate on work instead of thinking what to eat and where to sleep. Why this sphere In street theatre you need interaction with the audience. Actors want to touch spectators, look into their eyes. They want to improvise and to read by the faces whether the performance is good. You have to be your own playwright and director. And by looking at the amount of money in the hat you are motivated to do even better performances. – Art must be paid, – says Aleksey Burnosenko. When people do their work they must be paid for that. The professionalism of street theatre can be measured at once. If you do your work well your hat will be full and you will not be hungry in the evening. If you were bad your hat will be empty. If you can earn enough to continue doing what you do it means your art is important. But you are always on the edge trying not to degrade to doing what people want to pay for. You always have to leave space for what nobody will pay you for. That will be your own art, true art.
[94]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
You always have to leave space for what nobody will pay you for. That will be your own art, true art
“Theatre of The Sun” (“Théâtre du Soleil”) during manifestation on May 1st 2012, Paris Photo by Pierre Haski/Rue89
Interest
Floriane Gaber is the world’s only professional critic and historian of street arts. Author of numerous articles and two monographs: “Comment ça commença. Les arts de la rue dans le contexte des années 70” (“How it started. Street arts in the context of the 70’s”, 2009) and “Quarante ans d’arts de la rue” (“Forty years of street arts”, 2009). She graduated from the Royal Conservatory in Belgium Brussels, where she received her diploma in animation. Then she received a master’s degree in theatre studies at the Institute of Theatre Research and a degree in philology at the University of Paris III. She established there a Research Center of street arts (CRAR, 1992-1998), in which she taught. With her personal approval and agreement we translate this article about the history and the present of European street theatre. The original can be found here: www.lamaisonducirque.be/fr/article/26/Floriane-GABER
Floriane Gaber Vladimir Galak Hanna Kidron Lidziya Arlouskaya
Floriane Gaber’s Interest: Street Theatre
“Bread and puppet theater” during anti-war, New York, 1965 / Penn State Special Collections Library
How and why do street festivals come into being? How did it all begin? This is precisely the title of one of my books “Comment ça commença. Les arts de la rue dans le contexte des années 70”, which I have devoted to the history of street arts! I believe this form of artistic expression, the re-birth of which has happened in our times in the 60’s, takes origin in activism, experiment and fair spectacle. The traces of these three origins can be seen even today. Although if then street performances weren’t engaging in active political or social criticisms, such passive position begun to change after the events that took place in 1968 [a deep social crisis in May of 1968 in France developed into student demonstrations, riots, a national strike and the change of leadership in the country] Street performances that accompanied marches for the civil rights and demonstrations against the Vietnam War in America have become common in France as well. Artists visually reflected demonstrations or strikes in a conclusive and activist way. Usually artists worked in the public space, where their art would encourage people to reunite in the light of common cause. The street theatre followed the new creative wave of experimentation that begun to develop in the visual arts. The street theatre tried to compete with the “white canvas”, to conquer space and environment and to find new creative expression, which made them to go public in aim to outreach the wider population. This was also the time of land art and global art – the era in which galleries and museums have become outdated except those that were able to prove themselves relevant to the new social and
[98]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
political movements. This rejection of traditional schemes of art representation (tied to fixed locations) forced artists to look for the audience “where it is”, i.e. on the streets. So, in this rather competitive environment, a third source of street arts emerges– travelling performances. After 1968 a period of national euphoria is challenged by difficult times of fuel, economic and social crisis. Nostalgia for traditions changes to desire and necessity for holidays. Again the body gets all the attention and is meticulously studied through various practices: from yoga and bodily expressiveness, to “Sea, Sex and Drugs” and circus, which principles of freedom and travelling correspond with the spirit of times. At once it becomes possible for ordinary people to be jugglers or acrobats: these disciplines were taught even to young children at that time. Also specialized schools were opened. (Such as school of Ani Fratelini www.academie-fratellini.com or Alexis Grouse www.alexis-gruss.com) In France the first festival fully devoted to street arts occurred in 1973; it was “Aix, a city opened to artists” [Aix, a city in southern France]. Before this, numerous festivals, such as Montparnasse Festival, already included street performances as well as performances of other artists. These four days of celebration were a strong point of the developed program, which has led the organizers during one year of their tours to the distant quarters of the city. The purpose of this event was to unite all the participants and to create a common celebration in its all social diversity. Many festivals appeared during the late 70’s and 80’s.
They were dedicated to street arts and were included into the routine of holidays, local municipality and civil associations, since official cultural institutions treated (and treat nowadays) these forms of artistic expression as part of cultural events. The heyday of the 90’s didn’t conflict with this statement: raised by such “big machines” as Aurillac or Chalon [Aurillac, Chalon – names of French cities, where some of the largest festivals of street arts in the world take place] street arts have developed a private field, a specific working system that takes care of the residence, production and distribution of the arts, a system where the festival is always in the centre of the city-life. Aurillac and Chalon, where most of the theatres are not included in the official program, function as a (super) markets, offering artists of their troupes to pros visiting the towns. The majority of time is occupied by theatre program performances, which are organized specifically for a certain time and a certain place, giving visited cities – different from their daily appearance – festive look.
This form of artistic expression, the re-birth of which has happened in our times in the 60’s, takes origin in activism, experiment and fair spectacle
What problems does the street festival have today? Some actors and directors, who want to restore the relationship between street arts and the audience, try to schedule them in the program during the whole event. Often they conduct “residences for expansion”, it means, actors spend some time on place in order to adapt to it and to adapt their offer to local peculiarities. It can take from several days to several weeks, but in this case we are talking about creative residence. Usually the main goal of such events is to maintain the coexistence of the art and local people. It is far from the idea of a complete domination of street arts; instead more and more artists merge with society. On the other hand, we are talking about cultural “animation” of daily life on territories that originally were not adopted for performances: for example during a tour through some isolated regions of France. As a consequence of this, the goal to reach geographically inaccessible population, that was typical for postwar culture, becomes relevant in France once again. Later the focus of these performances was aimed on people that lived on the margins of society. However, in both cases it is the actors and their voluntary and dynamic work on the streets that keeps the street arts alive. It’s important to point out, that the phenomenon of the modern street art doesn’t conflict with official cultural
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[99]
Floriane Gaber Interest: Street Theatre
Photo from Aurillac festivals
“Compagnie des humains gauche” by Marie Bourgois
“Bébé Charli” by La Petite Française policy (at least in France). The year 1968 can be seen as a (first) death knell for the cultural democratization, which had been implemented since Malraux’s [André Malraux (1901-1976) – French writer, was the Minister of Culture from 1958 to 1969] literary works became widespread in intellectual circles. Therefore, it should be noted that even if some workers do cross the threshold of the theatres, like it was desired by Vilar [Jean Vilar (1912-1971) – French theatre director and actor, creator of Avignon Festival, a supporter of the theory of the creation of the national democratic theatre], they still remain in the minority compared to the general population. And this situation has only got worse because of the usage of technology that underlies modern cultural values and provides means for maintaining our consumerist society. But while the Creators are taking charge of leading homes and cultural centers, animators still come to the stagnant population, to persuade it and to focus on the proposed cultural programs. They do through the prism of their own experience, trying to stimulate the creativity of the viewers. In this movement, artists, who have chosen to appeal the public “where it can be found”, are persistently associated with cultural or sociocultural animation. There is no question of including them in the official playbills. Their purpose is to excite public conscience and its cultural appetite. Today, more than thirty years after that, even if society has changed, the question remains the same and street artists have the same problems, when they want to get to the so-called “Major League”, to be competitive with “hall” theatres and to be recognized by the colleagues who still hold street artists for “alien” to the world of traditional theatre.
[100]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
For many artists it is one of the major battles of the new millennium, but for the others it is just a continuation of the old story: in the late 60’s cultural democratization wasn’t fulfilled (maybe because the question was put in a wrong way from the very beginning and, first of all, there was a need to revise the concept of “culture” itself). The same applies to street arts – what does “art” mean in this particular expression? A creative power or ability, a chance to stir up a society or a foundation of social relations (and how street arts can become this)? More and more festivals aren’t free anymore. Why? What consequences should artists and audience expect because of it? I am absolutely against it, at least what concerns France. Typically, only a few performances are paid for, and prices aren’t very high at all. A system of free tickets is introduced sometimes too. This practice comes from the large festivals of the late 90’s that was used by organizers to deal with the problem of crowd-control. Even artists themselves wanted to work with a much smaller audience, to maintain a sense of intimacy. Real weakness of this system (and its paradox) is that places often are booked in very quickly, and all the seats are sold out even before the beginning of festival. Near the ticket offices often stands a crowd of fans. People want to get a desired ticket at any price like to the opera! It’s far from “the public, which is suddenly surprised in its everyday life”. Of course, this option also exists. I mean the audience, who walks through the festival streets and
“Amuse gueule” by Jacques Labas
that comes, at best, upon a free theatre, and at worst – upon a clown with balloons (who makes beautiful photos for local newspapers). Obviously, street art festivals are organized in levels: great performances for thousands of people are seen from afar; smaller, more intimate, that require a fixed number of viewers (tickets are for free, without a reservation required or any charge) are located near the entrance; and the rest are stationery or mobile. Who, do you think, are the audience of the street festivals? Organizers and artists are proud of their large and diverse audience, for example of such that comes during the major festive gatherings (New Year, World Cup Soccer) on the Champs Elysees. We all are brothers and sisters during these evenings, but on the next day everyone is already at home. It all depends on the event: is this festival planed just for one time or for a long term. There are cities where residents try to escape the town during such events, and are those cities that become populous, thanks to festivals. A study conducted by the European Network “Eunetstar” has shown that the majority of spectators, which were surveyed in nine festive streets in eight countries, is connected with cultural activity, has a relatively high level of education and is pretty young. Some of them were even supporters of street arts movement (the festival with a high concentration of proposals is a “dream” for such kind of audience). The research allows us to divide the public into two types: those, who were there by chance and were interest-
“Duo aérien” by Marie Bourgois
ed not in performances, but in festive atmosphere as the whole, and those who haven’t followed the program of the events, and chosen performances on the spot, guided by desire to move freely and free in the public space. However, figures remain just figures. In my opinion, every event creates its own particular audience and particular relationships with it. How do you think, what will be the evolution of festivals and street arts in general? Will they return indoors? There’s no reason for street arts to become “hall arts”! Even if the ticket and planning systems remind more of the “pig in a poke” than of the joy of free public space. I am not a prophet and have no idea what street arts will become. But I state, that the desire to work in the midst of society and in public places excites the hearts of many street performers. This desire is even shared by many international curators, who work with visual or performing arts. However, these two universes are yet to find their common ground, because the majority still considers street arts as a form of animation.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[101]
[102]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Shows go on
All all all trees bang All all all stones bang All all all nature pow. All all all girls bang All all all men bang All all all marriage pow. All all all the Slav bang All all all the Jew bang All all all Russia pow. D. Harms October 1929 Katya Karpitskaya Denis Valyansky Alesya Gresko
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[103]
To Ringfly
[104]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
“To Ringfly” is a street performance of the theatre, which was at first walkabout performance, but then the troupe realized, that this movement won’t work in this case. After a year of search, modification and attempts they stopped at a street version – a performance at a single point. The audience saw this version at the intersection of Karl Marx street and Volodarskii street during the First Minsk Street Theatre Festival. The “Kryly Halopa” theatre (from 2001 to 2011 “Free theatre”) – is an independent alternative Brest theatre. Was created in 2001 as a group of people joined by political and creative views. The fundamental reason of the origin of the theatre was a critical view on the reality, reaction to the political situation and desire to unite art and activism. The theatre started with artistic campaign and happenings and later passed on to the creation of plays. The stylistics of the performances unites the elements of the German expressionism and features the Brecht’s theatre, traditional oriental theatre and clownery, pantomime and Dadaist humor. “Kryly Halopa” is a participant of numerous national and foreign festivals.
“To Ringfly” reminds us of the surrealistic world of Daniil Harms’ works, in which through all mythology, fantasy and absurdity real and burning thoughts infiltrate into – not farfetched. It is symbolic, that from Harms’ play “Elisabeth Bam” “Kryly Halopa” started their activity. Now the actors turned once again to this resource-consuming and complicated author. It is obvious, that Harms’ heritage is the bottomless fount of creative endeavour. Besides the fate of the writer, his world outlook and behavior are close to the theatre, for which one of the main principles is to express one’s social stand. They emerged on Karl Marx Street, having walked the whole footpath on the stilts, as if it was a catwalk, and lead the audience to the performing place. A yardman, who suddenly turned into a policeman, a lady born in the 30s and a watchman. Together with them an imperceptible character filtered into the crowd, resembling a plainclothed person. “Kryly Halopa” define him as a low ranker. Harms extensively uses the image of this man. He is neither a hero, nor a traitor. He is considered to be a subman. Immediately, the theatre shows its powerful interactive aspect. They interact with the photographers, actively posing to them and with a pedestrian sign, and with traffic lights and even with the waving flag of Minsk city executive committee.
“To Ringfly reminds us of the surrealistic world of Daniil Harms’ works, in which through all mythology, fantasy and absurdity real and burning thoughts infiltrate into – not farfetched
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[105]
To Ringfly
[106]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
They all are jokers and ruffians, because where else except in the street or in the theatre, they can afford much more. But playing with a cucumber or cracking jokes, they not just make puns and amuse the audience, they again get into a dialogue. In this particular performance the director Oksana Gaiko wanted to demonstrate coarse, aggressive and even brutal male energy towards a woman. By the way, there is no strongly marked line. The yardman transforms into the policeman and later into Adam. The whole process of disguise takes place right before the audience’s eyes and this together with live music, adds to the performance more dynamics. One of the most impressive scenes is the Fall of Adam and Eve, in which the audience take part, playing football with apples. In a few moments everybody becomes sinful. Or to be exact, they recollect that all of us are sinful. Harms had complicated relationship with the authorities. To avoid execution, he had to play the madman. Of course, the theatre couldn’t but touch upon this part of the grievous biography of the writer. Hundreds and hundreds of people became the victims of the Soviet regime. Recant fun and hooliganism are replaced with the rostrum, from
which the judge reads out pitiless verdicts. The system is concerned with those, who are able to have fun and express themselves freely. 10 years, 25 years, exile, execution for the slightest fault in the authorities’ eyes. While the father is in prison, his children are born. The red rolls with “babies”, as symbols of the necessity of revolution, at the same time as a symbol of bloody regime, are handed to the audience. But they have their own problems, because as soon as they start to applaud, they hear “it is forbidden” out of people in painclothes. The disobedient spectators are distracted far and for a long. This generation has its own spots and warts, which should be cured. Otherwise bang-bang-pow and silence. I am glad that this performance wasn’t banned, as they have done with “Pants” (“Трусы”) by Pavel Priazhko, also put on the stage by “Kryly Halopa”. Although this play is politically inoffensive. In Brest Priazhko’s dramaturgy was considered dirty and obscene. Fortunately, the director of the Brest Centre of Culture likes Harms. It means, that many a spectator will see the performance “To Ringfly”, and that’s worth the effort.
They all are jokers and ruffians, because where else except in the street or in the theatre, they can afford much more
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[107]
To Ringfly: spectators’ comments
Andrei, designer-programmer: The performance is cool and very unexpected. Actually I have never come across the street theatre before and I had no idea what it was. It is amazing, how actors can be transformed and hold your attention. I like Harms and the events that happened in the USSR are presented in a modern tone. The Sovet Union no longer exists but exists the same ruthless power and control. We live in a patriarchal society.
[108]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Alexey, a student of the Institute of Journalism: Harms’ perfect intellectual madness, including the times starting from the creation of man and his expulsion from Eden and ending in our reality. The actors, despite the stilts, changed their appearance, becoming an angel or the devil, Adam or gendarme, a judge, a shaman and many others. They introduce the audience to the spiritual world, as if you were befuddled like the shaman, inhale the bonfire and tastes the toadstool. There is the fantastic action on the wet asphalt under the rain and the biting autumn wind.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[109]
To Ringfly: spectators’ comments
Vladimir, master of art history: The performance, produced by the troupe, is made in the traditional street manner with the elements of carnival aesthetics and carnival grotesque. Openly and publicly the theatre took up the topic of correlation between the government instructions and common people. Referring to the uncompromising USSR epoch, the actors gently inweave contemporary Belarusian reality carried to a grotesque into the performance. The scenes with the judge, standing behind a rostrum, somehow reminded me of the show of the unforgettable Marilyn Manson of the era of the
[110]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
“Antichrist superstar” album, who loved to confuse the public behind a rostrum. The performance was watched in one breath, and after it I felt an incredible pride for the Belarusian school of the street theatre.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[111]
[112]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Shows go on.sl
[KUD Ljud] Alena Ivanjushenko Kaja Brezočnik Veronica Chernyavskaya
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[113]
KUD Ljud: Mati Korajža
Who are they? KUD Ljud is a street theatre from Slovenia. The actors visited Minsk several times. They participated in “Belaja Vezha” festival (Brest, 2010), in “The Very Festival” (Minsk, 2011), in “М.@rt contact” forum (Mogilev, 2012). They showed variations of the performance “INVASION”. They were intruding into city space as “pink aliens”, were “meeting” residents. During the “Mother Courage” project a lot of new actors entered the cast. Under the guidance of the experienced members of KUD Ljud and the actors of Ana Monro the troop of about 30 actors with different street theatre experience participated in performances. Besides this, KUD Ljud organizes open air interactive galleries in different countries, recruiting local actors and volunteers.
[114]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
What? “Mother Courage And Her Children” is a famous play written by Bertolt Brecht about the survival in difficult times.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[115]
KUD Ljud: Mati Korajža
Where? I saw this performance in the July 2013 on the seaside of a small Slovenian town of Izola. The peculiarity of this town was its small size and very narrow streets. And the most specific feature was the audience: most of them were tourists. Of course, these facts affected the performance. The relaxed audience wanted to get through the “difficult” moments as soon as possible and to have more fun. The end of the performance was the dance of both the audience and the actors. The actors said that in Izola this dance was longest.
[116]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
What did it look like? People dressed in khaki clothes walked along the street, calling to join them. There was much noise, shouts and music by an improvised orchestra. Also in the parade there was a large cart driven by Mother Courage. Having gathered a large crowd on the central square, the actors began the main part of the performance. The performance moved from one point to another. The death of each of Mother Courage’s three children was a separate conceptual block in a particular area of the city. There was a lot of music and sounds in the performance. The final interactive part of the performance is of especially interesting. There they split the audience into two groups and allocated them in two narrow streets where they have “a training”: a small sheet of paper of the color of your “army” was stuck to each person’s face. The captain said: “We are for peace, but we have to fight for
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[117]
KUD Ljud: Mati Korajža
it”. The teams had funny and childish way, something like “flowers” and “ducks”. At the same time the teams were having drills: learned funny motions and sounds with the help of which they “could” be victorious. Eventually, the two armies faced each other on a large square. In the heat of the battle the speechless Katherine appeared, a younger daughter of Mother Courage, she mumbled, tried to tackle everybody. People were still having fun funny, so they shouted “Boo”. Someone run out of the crowed and… shot her. In that moment, sure, there came a pause. And there was astonishment (most sensitive were shocked) and even shame in the air.
[118]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
After that moment of silence Mother Courage entered the square and begun to sing a sad song, which soon became faster. The orchestra joined in. And now the actors suggested moving on to the audience: mass dance began, they wined everybody.
Almanac “Dveri� №3 (9)
[119]
KUD Ljud: Mati Korajža
Audience’s feelings. The impression was very challenging. The performance began with light blab, dalliance with the audience. It was difficult to imagine how that cheerful buffoonery could become a gruesome story. It was impossible to picture a harmonious performance with death and severity in that summer town. But the theatre succeeded. We were fun, but at some time “oh, dear” slipped out. One of sons of Mother Courage died on the gibbet publicly. After that, both the death of the second son and the feeling of being forced into the narrow street were specific. During the training program and, all the more, during the opposition of the two armies the audience had fun and were piddling. The actors instigated them as best they could. As for me, it was totally weird. On the one hand, I wanted to feel as a part of a public game, but on the other, the internal stop valve was switched on. Why should we be in the army and obey? I felt as if I was in “The Third Wave” reproducing “the very” regime experiment, which was filmed as “DieWelle”.
[120]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
It was right that the actors tried to help to step forth instead of leaving the audience at the most frightful moment. Then I absolutely did not want to dance, but the wine came in handy. Later, Vida Cerkvenik Bren, one of the founders of this theatre, told a story, which happened in Lublin, the capital of Slovenia. There during the performance she saw an old woman, who was very uneasy about the performance. Vida came closer to her to explain that was a street theatre. An old woman said that during World War II she stayed right there in the center of Lublin and real troops entered the city. And she added that everything looked exactly like that. The same place, much noise and people dressed in military uniforms. After that she thanked for the performance.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[121]
[122]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Shows go on.sl
[KUD Ljud] Nikita Sidorenko Marina Galaur
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[123]
KUD Ljud: Streetwalker Gallery
What? It is an interactive Museum of Modern Art in any public place. The main idea the Slovenian actors would like to share with is the Beauty around us which we don’t want to notice. It presents in ordinary things (a flowerbed with grass, fire hydrant, empty stand, buttons on a wall, missing balloon under ceiling and etc.), technical constructions (safety nets under the windows of railway stations, a strained cable) and people around us (passengers with suitcases, a military patrol, bored travelers in a waiting room).
[124]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Where? The railway station in Marseilles (France). Marseilles was a cultural capital of Europe in 2013. The European network of creative initiatives IN SITU has been organizing a number of creative plans in public places; among them the joint work with KUD Ljud Theatre has taken place.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[125]
KUD Ljud: Streetwalker Gallery
How does it look like? A guide, 10 assistants and one security guard dressed in black and red suits invite audience at the improvised gallery entry and guide them from one work of art to another one. Every exhibit has its own artist, idea and origin. There are real artists among imaginary ones: beautifully splashed yoghurt belongs to Jackson Pollock, orange circles and squares pasted on the floor are attributed to Kazimir Malevich, a warm Mediterranean day outdoors – Antonin Artaud. One part of exhibits is designed for contemplation and another one becomes open only during interaction. The audience takes part in an auction, purchases the pictures of modern conceptual artist – Rexie who is a follower of Pierro Manzoni; has a good look at passersby using “portable devices for observations”, moves to the “The Equatorial Jungle”, goes straight down to social scale and etc.
[126]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
At the “gallery” entrance a viewer may take a printed plan on which all exhibits are marked, pass the route, read a plate with the name of artist and origin of the work of art which helps to open its beauty without the help of the Slovenian actors.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[127]
KUD Ljud: Streetwalker Gallery
Viewer’s impression. Humor, unexpected finds, familiar things using a new pitch, interactions with public, improvisation, use of architectural and environmental peculiarities – everything takes you out of the reality and puts above it. You see a daily railway station with different eyes and start to be a part of the game; and when the performance is over you begin to notice an unusually crumpled newspaper near a bin, stained hook sticked out from a wall, puddle of an unusual form, mess of wires over crossings. Then you try to imagine an artist, idea, origin and finally you may see the beauty where you have previously failed to notice. This is the aim of the Slovenian actors. A good injection against the drab existence.
[128]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Theatre Website: www.ljud.si Project Website: www.streetwalker.si Facebook: www.facebook.com/kudljud
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[129]
[130]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Shows go on
[Moustache] Alena Ivanjushenko Julia Malashevich
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[131]
Moustache: “The Postmen”
Who? Interactive theatre “Moustache”. The theatre was found in 2011 in Minsk. For its creation the actors were inspired by the experience of Slovenian theatre KUD Ljud. First Moustache performance ‘Photophrenia’ was a result of workshops and team work with friends from Slovenia. All Moustache performances are based on interaction with people: those who come for performance on purpose and those who are just passing by. This theatre gives spectators an opportunity to feel open and free, forget those serious masks we wear every day. By the way, it is Moustache theatre enthusiasts who started the development of street theatres in Minsk and supported street theatre festivals.
[132]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
What? Performance «The Postmen». Unusual mustached mail service remind how important and pleasant letters are. 5 mustached postmen deliver letters and parcels to spectators in different ways, involving them in their play. Some are lucky to receive a love letter, some get friendly notes and for some it’s a surprise! However, to receive their mail spectators have to help the postmen. Some will become a Superman, and some…a parcel! And of course, every spectator has an opportunity to write a real postcard, attach a stamp to it and put it into a mailbox. Where? Svoboda square near Minsk Townhouse, one of II Minsk street theatre festival sites.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[133]
Spectators’ impressions: “The Postmen”
Tatyana, teacher: To receive a real, handwritten letter, see words carefully scrawled by friendly, dear hand – it is so much more pleasant than electronic text. Many of us have forgotten, and some haven’t even known the joy you feel when you get a real letter, a special trembling you have inside when you are waiting for it, and how you hurry to open it to find a miracle, a piece of news from one of your dearest. From the very beginning attracted spectators get more and more involved in the performance, and its atmosphere becomes more and more heated due to lottery principle: nobody knows who is next to receive awaited letter or parcel and participate in the performance. Many of us don’t usually think of the way a letter needs to come
[134]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Photo by Petr Shchitnikov through to get to the addressee, and naughty Postmen propose people to become postmen themselves and help to deliver letters completing various demanding tasks. During the performance I was supporting other spectators, and then suddenly I was lucky to become a Superman! In a moment my shoulders were wrapped in bright red cape, and there I was, flying in someone’s hands to the other side of the round with my arm ahead to deliver a precious letter to the other addressee. I am used to scene and spectators’ attention from childhood, but when you are in the center of a round involved in the performance, you feel enormous delight and joy, and also adrenalin as you don’t know what trick the Postmen have prepared for you. In short time letters, parcels and funny Postmen’s jokes have made people so close that nobody left even when heavy rain started, and actors who really love what they do inspired people with their naughty games and made this cold and rainy evening much warmer.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[135]
Spectators’ impressions: “The Postmen”
Julia, student: The performance was really memorable. Everything from the beginning to the end was great. Actors are very friendly, open, positive and played their roles perfectly. During the performance actors and spectators became very close to each other. There was an impression that you were with people you know for many years, as if everybody were your buddies. And that is the atmosphere which is not for everyone to create.
[136]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Ekaterina, consultant: I remember that day perfectly. And the happy letter is still on my shelf at home. I was just delighted by such cute postmen! We have really forgotten what it is to receive real letters. It is such a great feeling! And with all that vigor you have I was ready to watch till the very evening how the Postmen were delivering letters.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[137]
Spectators’ impressions: “The Postmen”
Polina, actress: They are amazing, touching, romantic and funny! With all this, by their simplicity in images and idea they in some way reach and touch every string in the heart. And every time when the Postmen were passing, flying, running or jumping by, the heart sank and inside your head there was “maybe it’s a letter for me”. It’s as when you come up to a mailbox and open it with hope there is a long-awaited envelope from someone dear there.
[138]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Alesya, actress: The performance “Postmen” was so lively and funny that it at once made the centre of Svoboda square. The spectators made a close round around the actors and didn’t leave even after the rain started. It was pouring, but it seemed that nobody paid attention to it, and it just added adrenalin and made the performance even more interactive. Moustache guys are very positive, they attract kids as well as adults, so everyone wants to participate. But anyway those who were willing to be involved and those who were struggling with their shyness every time couldn’t guess what tricks the actors would play. It is nice that Belarus has such professional street theatre.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[139]
5
21
festivals
4
premieres
events
Chronicle 2013
August 27
August 31
Publishing of Almanac “Dveri” #8
September 7−14
Grodno International Street Art Festival Photo by Leonid Scheglov
September 11
International Theatre Festival “White Tower” in Brest Illustration: Anna Redko Premiere of performance “The soft rustle of recessive steps” by Republican Belarusian Drama Theatre
[140]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
September 13−28
September 14-15
Performance “House”
Minsk Street Theatre Festival
September 14
September 15
Premiere of performance “Caught in the Net, or Too married taxi driver” by Gomel Drama Theatre
September 21
Premiere of performance “Square Monologue” by “Barefooted Student Theatre”
September 21
Premiere of performance “Karlsson-on-the-Roof” by Belarus State Puppet Theatre
September 22−28
Premiere of performance “Our Town” by Grodno Drama Theatre
September 28 − October 21
International Theatre Festival “Teatralny Kufar”
International Theatre Forum “Teart” Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[141]
September 28
September 28
Premiere of performance “Patris” by Visual and Performing Arts Centre
Forum theatre performance “Topic” by “Koleso”
September 29
September 30
Premiere of performance “Kratkovremennaya” by Visual and Performing Arts Centre
October 2
Premiere of performance “The mournful hockey-player” by Visual and Performing Arts Centre
October 5
Premiere of performance “Remont” (“Maintenance”) by InZhest
Reading through “Vneshnie pobochnye”
October 6
October 10
Premiere of performance “Red, White, Black” by Brest Puppet Theatre Photo by Milana Kharitonova, Belapan
[142]
Premiere of performance “Dogs” by Pollessky Drama Theatre Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
October 19
October 19
Premiere of performance “Prima donnas” by Dunin-Martinkevitch Theatre Photo by Alexandr Chuguev Forum Theatre performance “I Don’t Want to Decide” by “EYE” Theatre
October 19
October 25
Music and Theatre project “Dream Dance”
Premiere of performance “Incredible Drama” by Mogilev Puppet Theatre
October 25
October 25
Skvo’s Dance Company Show
October 27
Forum Theatre performance “Wager” by “Koleso”
October 30
Premiere of performance “Adventure in the Mystery Magic Wood” by PuppetTheatre “House of the Sun” Premiere of performance “I’m not ashamed” by Republican Belarusian Drama Theatre Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[143]
October 30
November 1
Premiere of performance “Prophecy rise like the stars...” by Belarusian State Youth Theatre Concert “Look for Yourself in the Reflections” by Dance Theatre “Otrazheniya” Photo by Alexey Komashko
November 9
Premiere of performance “Sophie Galshanskaya” by Belarussian State Music Theatre / Photo by Angelika Grakovitch
November 18
Publishing of Almanac “Dveri” #9
[144]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
September-November 2013
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[145]
[146]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
In The Spotlight
Viktoriya Belyakova Имя той девушки Alexey Karpeko Veronika Chernyavskaya Julia Shablovskaya Daria Paramonova
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[147]
“PATRIS”
[148]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
The interlacing of the fragments of real interviews and fabricated stories, made up for linking, is united by the main theme, which is the search for an answer to what the patriotism is
This year the festival “Teart” has appeared to be as important as never before. Three of the five performances, represented in the main programme of Belarusian plays, have been put on the stage thanks to the organizational support of the Centre of visual and performing arts. And on September, 30 a round table discussion “The Phenomenon of Belarusian Dramatic Art” was carried out in the context of the festival. During the festival the plays, written by Dmitriy Bogoslavskiy, were included into the programme of Belarusian premieres three times. The caliber and intensity of the dramaturgic message of his play “The soft rustle of recessive steps” (“Тихий шорох уходящих шагов”) (directed by Shamil Dyiykanbaev) is highly competitive with “The Cherry Orchard” by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. The send, which is an artistic leitmotif of the whole performance, appears to be soft and fragile, just like our inner world is. The starling-house with baby birds is a symbol of a family. The leading character of the performance, Alexander (performed by Maksim Braginets), loses it with the death of his father, but doesn’t learn to live differently, without him. In the play “PATRIS” by Dmitriy Bogoslavskiy, Viktor Krasovskiy and Sergey Antselevich the technique of the documental theatre is used, which gives us a dramatical piece of a completely new level (directed by Sergey Antselevich). The interlacing of the fragments of real interviews and fabricated stories, made up for linking, is united by the main theme, which is the search for an answer to what the patriotism is. The performance about the shooting of a documental film actually plays with the audience for recognizing Belarusian present-day reality. The two characters appear and start their dialogue straight in the auditorium, preserving the direct massage to audience. Also, in the context of the additional programme of the festival, a reading of the play “Vneshnie Pobochnye” went off. With the support of the Centre of visual and performing arts (Minsk, Belarus), Adam Mickiewicz University (Warsaw, Poland), the Centre of Belarusian dramatic art (Minsk, Belarus), and Belarusian State Youth Theatre (Minsk, Belarus), a Polish director Wojciech Urbański represented one of the most poetical masterpieces created by the playwright. The text is about the feeling of the absolute soundlessness that is hidden inside of us and that is begirt by noises of outward things. The sound producer Dominik Stryiharski created a complicated sound score of the reading and thus turned the chaotic character of noises into the music of everyday life, which is heard by the main character.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[149]
“The soft rustle of recessive steps”
[150]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
The important feature of the project is in its insistent message: modern plays require freedom of the usage of different artistic means of the theatre; they make it broaden directors’ fantasy and search for new opportunities
An offbeat approach to Belarusian dramatic art was represented by a Russian director Semen Aleksandrovskiy. The staging, which engages no actors, in letter and spirit is a performance. The play “Kratkovremennaya” by Konstantin Steshik was read by actual sons and their fathers, and the recordings of the dialogues were perceived through the head-phones installed in the décor (art-director is Aleksey Lobanov). Everything in the play was on hand – you could glance through the old magazines on the bookshelves or find childhood photos in a drawer. The play by another Russian director Dmitriy Volkostrelov “The mournful hockey-player” (“Печальный хок кеист”), which is based on the play by Pavel Pryazhko, is also aimed at searching for original theatrical effects. The same play is going on simultaneously in two adjacent rooms. The effect of presence is achieved due to the fact that the voices of the actresses (Natalya Slascheva and Veronika Plyashkevich) are heard in each part of the stage. At the same time the great role is played by video. All is all, the project arouses a feeling of the sincere message of the confused mind, which was caught out of reality and arranged into a complete performance. Nevertheless, the main accent of the Belarusian festival programme was focused on the introduction of the modern national dramatic art. The important feature of the project is in its insistent message: modern plays require freedom of the usage of different artistic means of the theatre; they make it broaden directors’ fantasy and search for new opportunities.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[151]
In The Spotlight
The Xth anniversary edition of International Student Theatre Festival “Teatralny Koufar” was held on September 22-28 in Minsk and gathered twenty five theatres and guests from eighteen countries. Eighteen countries! While it all started with only four countries and eleven theatres in 2004. So today, after ten years passed, what does “Teatralny Koufar” embody? Ekaterina Solodukha Director of festival “Teatralny Koufar”, Vice president of International Association of University Theatres (AITU-IUTA) Tatsiana Chubarava
[152]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
The festival motto is “Tradition. Quest. Experiment ”. According to it, the organisers make the Festival programme. Moreover, this motto encourages student theatres to multiply worthy traditional quality by conducting research and experiments. With the help of the theatre, students, performing in it, try to find answers to the crucial questions of life. And “Teatralny Koufar”, to my mind, is a most important source of pleasant and helpful discoveries. During these ten years, one hundred and thirty student theatres from fifty counties in the world have been joining the Festival on its way, what proved that student societies have no boundaries of a national, geographical or political identity. It is the students who are the world citizens, who are open-minded, whose outlook is equally based on the national and universe identity. There is no division between actors and audience at “Teatralny Koufar”. Like it was in the ancient theatre. Actors, playwrights, directors, judges, volunteers, admirers – they are enthusiastic audiences and strict judges at the same time. IXth World Congress of the International University Theatre Association (AITU-IUTA) 2012 was a prominent event in the Festival history. It was the first time when such a congress was held in Belarus, gathering three hundred participants from sixty one organizations from thirty three counties. The noble guests to the Festival were To-
bias Biancone, The General Secretary of International Theatre Institute-UNESCO, Jean-Marc Larrue, President of International University Theatre Association, Prof. Corneliu Dumitriu, Chief of the ITI/UNESCO Chair “Theatre and Culture of Civilisations”, and famous Russian theatre critic Pavel Rudnev. The scientists and professors, creators, theorists and practitioners shared their discoveries and discussed the general problems. The Congress theme “Traditions. Research. Experimentation”: The Essential Elements of Contemporary University Theatre became a ground for theoretical comprehension of what was earlier carried out at Teatralny Koufar. The fact that professionals, representatives of various theatrical areas came together under the aegis of the student theatre shows that today, no doubts, such a theatre is in the forefront of a theatrical movement. The student theatre, in contrast to the academic theatre, has a certain freedom of choice in a repertoire. That’s why it fearlessly tries out something new, looks for what is urgent for young people, arising genuine interest and response. See you in 2014, but in a renewed format! ;) www.theatre-fest.bsu.by www.facebook.com/koufar www.vk.com/koufar
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[153]
[154]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
In The Spotlight
The Xth edition of International Student Theatre Festival “Teatralny Koufar” was held on September 22-28 in Minsk. To my mind, it was the event which finally opened a new theatrical season in Belarus. And this fact seems symbolic. We can argue as much as we want about the role of amateur theatres, nevertheless, they often anticipate which tendencies will take place in theatre art.
Elena Gorbachik Dverifest blog and
“Teatralny Koufar” web archieve Tatsiana Chubarava
Koufar (from Belarussian) – chest
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[155]
[156]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
According to the audience voting Belarusian theatres got 7,97 points out of 10, and foreign ones – 7,43 points
The theatrical diversity, being presented to Minsk audience within the framework of another “Teatralny Koufar”, has catered for all the tastes: from unquestionable classic to modern drama, from obvious amateurishness to cogent professionalism. That’s why it’s quite challenging to systematize it all and to understand what was seen. This year all the participants have been divided into two groups: the out-of-competition participants and those who were competing for the prize. Although more than half of the Belarusian theatres were not competing for the prize, they got eventually higher regard for their performances. By the way, according to the audience voting Belarusian theatres got 7,97 points out of 10, and foreign ones – 7,43 points. The ratio between Belarusian and foreign theatres noticeably shifted to the majority of the former (thirteen Belarusian theatres to eleven foreign ones), increasing the number of participants as well. According to the participants, the way the staying in Minsk was organized was decent. Except for the numerous requests to make subtitles for the foreign performances, there were no complaints from the audience and me personally as one of that audience. The presence of experimental theatres made me glad. In particular, the Moscow theatre Eskizy v Prostranstve showed a decent lab-theatrical work “Raw and Proud”. In general, the audience was ready for experiments – the discussion about this performance was still relevant for a few days after it was shown. The same was with the Karniag Theatre performance “Latent Men and” with the festival winner – the experimental laboratory Teatralnyi Kvadrat. Both performances of “Mensch” received a broad response from the audience, getting finally the Grand Prix. That is the reason why I consider that Teatralnyi Kvadrat worthily won at the festival. Other distribution of prizes seemed unjust at times, but the decision of a competent judge can’t be argued on, can it?
Impressions in Russian and photos of all performances you can find on Dverifest blog: www.dverifest.org/tag/koufar2013
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[157]
Backstage
Katya Karpitskaya Katya Azhgirey Daria Paramonova
[158]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[159]
Backstage of “7 Paverkh” theatre
We came to see the members of the theatre “7 Paverkh”, while they were rehearsing, traditionally gathered together in the room of the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts. The theatre owes its name to the place where they all gather – it is situated on the se venth floor. There is not difference between freshmen and seniors of the performing arts department when they sit together in a semicircle there in the room. “7 Paverkh” is a course ruled by Zinaida Pasjutina, and it consists of people, who join this course after their successful university entrance. They are going
[160]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
to qualify as directors, therefor trying themselves as actors will come in handy for their future profession. “7 Paverkh” and Anton Chekhov The guys are analyzing “The Seagull” by Chekhov. Anton Chekhov is оne of Zinaida Pasjutina’s favorite writers. Thanks to this fact, the theatre members aren’t indif ferent to his works either. The repertory is mostly selected by the leadership. But the members are free to suggest, for they are fu-
ture directors. That’s why it is often hard to compromise during the rehearsals. Even for one single miniature everyone has their own director’s decision. They act out plays. Even when the guys see the text for the first time, they do not just read it out aloud sitting at the table, they try to act. Zinaida Pasjutina comments on their attempts now and then: “You are reading well enough, but I want more” or “Not bad, but simplish”.
“7 Paverkh” and the rehearsals We can’t call them amateurs – they are getting a professional education, after all. They have acting technique classes as well as stage speech classes and choreography in their curriculum. But the classes on stage movement are being reduced now as not wanted. The guys can develop their skills during master classes. The idyllic schedule is to gather every day. The training goes first, and then there is work on the material. They get prepared, for example, by the strategy reflected in the work
“Exercises on stage movement” by Karpov. During the years of teaching Zinaida Pasjutina collected lots of her own materials on that subject. She often plays Sergei Rachmaninoff piano works, and the guys dance to the rhythm, feel the music and get accustomed to each other. “7 Paverkh” and the beginning of all The studio-theatre was founded 12 years ago happy-go-luckily, so to say. Zinaida Pasjutina recalls, that there was one outstanding student Nikolay Rud-
kovskiy, who was a sophomore back then and now is a famous playwriter. She says: “He wrote the first play of his future trilogy “MechtaniYA” (“DreaMErs”). I entered the room once and saw that the floors had been mopped, the lamps were alight, an interesting atmosphere’s around. The guys had closed like that before and rehearsed, saying they were preparing some spectacle. That was “Slepaya Zvezda” (“The Blind Star”) by Rudkovskiy. They showed me the first act and I joined them in their work. Later we were recommended for participating in the Global March for Peace and Unity in the Netherlands. That’s how it all started”.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[161]
Backstage of “7 Paverkh” theatre
“7 Paverkh” and the modern theatre The contemporary drama is not very popular among the members of the theatre. For example, young actors didn’t get through the play “Trusy” (“The Panties”) by Pavel Pryazhko. Or the contemporary Belarusian plastic theatre. We have been discussing the latest play “Latent Men” by Evgeniy Kornyag with an actor called Vanya. I was favorably impressed by it, but Vanya thought it came out to be “a rather banal story”. Vanya says: “There is a lot out
[162]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
there in the streets. If you will excuse the expression, you can step on shit in the street, but this does not mean that the theatre shouldn’t spread the ideas of something infinitely kind. It’s fashionable to be delighted nowadays. Everyone tries to impress, to be original in one way or another. You may show real life on the stage but thus you may lose the theatre itself ”. Other members agree with that. This is kind of good that our ideas of the theatre differ, because the theatre must be diverse. Creative work of “7 Paverkh” comes out relevant now, and start-
ing here helps to work as a director in future without any shame and uncertainty. Students of the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts love their director. While admiring this great love, their gratitude, you understand how essential it is to be in the right place under the right leadership.
[164]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Shows go on
About “Coffee House Owner” performance by Tatiana Artimovitch Kristina Grekova Alesya Malakhovskaya
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[165]
Coffee House Owner
[166]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
To read other people’s minds is always thrilling. Like you get on a bus and observe a person and wonder whether they think about death or salmon sandwich. This is probably why going to a theatrical performance and unwrapping playwrights’ thoughts is zestful. And while watching a performance you cannot avoid being for it or against it. Very often what you see on stage is polished drafts. So to say dressed up and combed for the other people’s minds, eyes, and ears. It’s way too rare that you come across some sort of “naked” thoughts aloud and not only on stage but in life as well. A play by Pavel Pryazhko “Coffee House Owner” is just about that kind of revelation. But it’s way too far from the idea of a classical theatrical play. I would call it a “live” self-reflection or “stream of consciousness” where the main character is the author himself. His “nude” thoughts you can hear not on theatrical stage but in a coffee house. In 2012 the play was staged by Ekaterina Averkova in Mogilev and performed within the framework of “М.@rt.kontakt” festival. That time it was performed in a night club where the spectators had to gather around an imaginary stage. Tatiana Artimovich, who directed another production of the play in Minsk, has made a happier chose. It was a local pub where you couldn’t make out where the stage space ends and auditorium begins. In fact you couldn’t even distinguish whether the actor is in auditorium or the spectators are on stage as Pavel Gorodnitsky moved all over the pub. And like in real life revelations the atmosphere was so intimate like nothing stood between the actor and the audience. Pavel was on the same level as the spectators by which he certainly succeeded in getting through to them and making them unconsciously trust him. Although the pub was fully packed we managed to catch the personal thoughts of the playwright as if addressed to each and every one of us personally.
“My name is Pavel Pryazhko. I was lying and thinking” this is the opening line of the play. In course of the performance you could hear many other revelations by the author. In the pub there was a projector so that the audience could read some paragraphs of the text. Because revelations need to be read. The author reflects on many subjects one of which is his own mistakes while writing texts. He believes that mistakes are not shameful. If you fingers outrun your thoughts it’s ok. “Say you wrote “mstakes” instead of “mistakes”. You missed letter “i”. But this kind of mistake is not because you’re illiterate. I know how the word should be spelled. This kind of mistake happens when you’re hasty. I believe it’s ok to correct them. But it happens that I really don’t know how to spell a word or the Grammar Check green underlines the whole sentence. And you’re like what’s the fucking difference whether there is a comma or not?! And this is when you try to be better than you are”. In a very special and convincing way the playwright proves to us that to write about a normal person is only possible in the way he did it. Otherwise it would be too immature. These honest suggestions make you want to reflect on them together with Pavel. You can either reject them or accept them. It’s not what matters. The idea is to percept what is being said to you and try to comprehend. I believe that Tatsiana Artimovitch succeeded in that.
In a very special and convincing way the playwright proves to us that to write about a normal person is only possible in the way he did it
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[167]
Coffee House Owner: spectators’ comments
Irina Goroshko, spectator: The main character reflects on what the difference between immature and normal behavior is and what’s wrong with him himself. He tries to understand where the root of his immaturity lies and how to manage it. I believe this subject is very relevant to people engaged in culture and art because they think out of box.
[168]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Katerina Savitskaya, designer: This performance makes you want to debate with the author. Now and again you want to object to him or add to his words when he says something which sounds controversial to you. Or say “you’re right, man!” when you feel as if he just read out loud your own thoughts…
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[169]
[170]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Shows go on
Elena Gorbachik Denis Valyansky Marina Yaprinceva
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[171]
Home
[172]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Home came to Minsk on September 23 and 24. The international group of choreographers led by Benno Voorhamom (Sweden) worked for three weeks with children from the Lida orphanage, and the result of this work was shown in Lida, Gomel, Mozyr, Vitebsk, Minsk, Brest, Grodno and Shchuchyn . Before having come to Belarus, Home had already been shown in Moldova and Ukraine. The professional team was represented by dancers from the three participating countries; our country was represented by Inna Aslamova, artistic director of the Gomel modern dance group “Quadro”. The aim of the project is to understand what home is. It is not only the “box”; it is the setting, your nearest and dearest and your family. The project is about trying to understand yourself and others.
An important part of Benno Voorhama’s projects is the discussion with the audience. My skepticism quickly gave way to admiration and keen interest. All the participants gave candid answers to the questions that revealed their feelings, and the audience felt free and ready to make contact. Most of all I was afraid of the question: “What next?” I was afraid that the children would get upset and reserved. But I saw their smiles. Their live does not end with the end of the project. There are still a lot of bright events in front of them, and one of the most important is finding their own home.
Many details of staging surprised by its simplicity. Cardboard boxes served as wonderful live decoration. The light and the sound created onstage by sound designer from Romania Ion Cora complemented the movements of the actors. The dancers expressed their feelings through the plastic. They were shouting without words about the need for freedom, misunderstanding, and regrets about the past. Everyone was deeply touched by the children’s questions sounding from the stage: “What do you feel when you look at the sky?”, “Do you remember what the color of your mother’s eyes was?”, “Are you afraid of loneliness?”
Everyone was deeply touched by the children’s questions sounding from the stage: “Do you remember what the color of your mother’s eyes was?”
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[173]
Home: spectators’ comments
Arina Karpovich, schoolgirl: It was the first time when I could not tear myself away from the play. It filled the entire space. Everything I could think of were the actors, their movements and feelings. It turned out that dance could tell much more than words. You can think out any movement and give it your own meaning. It seemed as if decorations, music and lyrics were inside of me, and suddenly someone told it everyone.
[174]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Elena Sanyuk, amateur dancer: I was impressed by the performance. It was interesting to follow the actors’ movements, although I was surprised that one of the professional choreographers was a little tense. I liked the idea. But I cannot say that I have understood all the scenes. Also, sometimes I had a feeling that the show could impress much more, because the involvement of children from an orphanage makes the performance deeper, more touching. It is a pity that so few children have been given opportunities to express themselves.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[175]
Home: spectators’ comments
Ekaterina Pavlenko, student: The performance struck me with its sincerity. They had much to say, and they “talked” openly, with the language of dance. Perhaps most of all I liked the fact that the play was not one-sided. I remembered children’s words. About the family, children, life, loneliness, friends and feelings... They are simple, but mean so much. After such performances you understand how important it is to get better, help your relatives, understand them, have your own home and fill it with warmth and kindness.
[176]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Yegor Voinov, photographer, photography teacher: It was nice to watch the producer: open, sincere and friendly guy, willing to explain and discuss the action at any time, to listen and to hear his partner. But there is no one to talk to. Why? What has happened to Minsk? The culture is not a frozen plaster cast. The culture is formed by both the creator and the viewer. And our audience is not interested in participating in the process of creation. As for the play, it is honest, beautiful, and rich in meaning and imagery. Belarus needs more social projects. They need more money to spend for than the slogans of the good life. Simple and close to every man concepts are revealed in new perspectives and views. It enriches you! It is culture, psychology and philosophy in action.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[177]
The dancer, the choreographer, the artistic director of the dance theatre [OTRAZHENIYA] ([REFLECTIONS]).
Katya Azhgirey Julia Malashevich Daria Paramonova
[178]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[179]
I love men. Strong ones. They are easy to cooperate with. Easier than it is with ladies. Ladies in collectives are like hens in the hen house, where everyone goes “blah blah blah”. It’s neither good, nor bad, it’s just a fact. It’s marvelous and wonderful to be independent; it does not spoil a woman. But sometimes you gotta unfasten you inner artificial “penis”.
[180]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
I can put up a tent, pack my rucksack, make a fire. I’m in charge of a collective and I do rock climbing. I can press up more than one time. But at the same time I’m still a woman, a “girly girl” even, and frequently I don’t want to decide on anything, I want to be held in someone’s arms. When I cut in Marilyn Manson’s songs, my Mom used to run into my room and say: “Tonya, turn it up!” I’ve got a damn cool chick for a Mom.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[181]
Creative work helps me a lot. An outspoken problem is already half solved. Everyone in the world can dance. But the question is, how they understand and feel their bodies. Nothing can possibly be wrong in a dance. It’s much more fascinating to discover good dancers than get ones right away. Many people are afraid of looking foolish. And I hold the opinion that it’s simpler to look foolish collectively. To feel awkward in a goop of 10 while trying to imitate fallen leaves on the ground is still better than to feel this way on you own while trying to do that alone.
[182]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[183]
I know a guy who joined my theatre on a bet. And he stayed. If you want to dance, you will dance.
[184]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Even if you are already falling down, you need to find a good way to fall. You may fall making noise with your own bones, but you may just as well fall as if the floor was your partner, that was going to help you. That’s how it is in the real life.
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[185]
[186]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
InZhest theatre before the performance “DC dance” “The Theatre performance is interesting to shoot. The play focuses on the viewer but the viewer can’t see all the work that goes into the performance, it is not even on the stage. Photos from the performance itself are not very interesting, but, seeing the play, seeing the “augmented reality” is tempting. The photographer is always interested in penetrating into the closed system and showing its inside images; photography is great for this. Working with InZhest was very good, they are like a big family; experiencing with each other, and rejoicing. What a magical atmosphere backstage after the performance. And before it is all configured together – it’s inspiring”. Yegor Voinov, photographer, photography teacher
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[187]
[188]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[189]
[190]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[191]
[192]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[193]
[194]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[195]
[196]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[197]
translators
[198]
Aliona Guliakevich
Veronica Chernyavskaya
Alesya Malakhovskaya
Yana Tarasevich
Intro
The keys to the street theatre Mother Courage
Mother Meadows about street art rules and the importance of being quick-witted Tricky Tricksters Freaky Pryazhko
The interview about living commedia
Lidziya Arlouskaya
Alesya Gresko
Marina Galaur
Daria Paramonova
Street Theatre: French view
To Ringfly
The Streetwalker
The pulse of present. Belarusian Dramatic Art 7 paverkh Antonina Rutkovskaya
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Tatsiana Chubarava
Maksim Karpitski
Anastasiya Kastsiushkina
Anna Kidron
Theatre. Street. Actor. Koufar
The First. In Minsk.
Carrot and Stick
Street Theatre: French view
Marina Yaprintseva
Nadzeya Fialkouskaya
Project “Home”
Backstage of InZhest Theatre
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[199]
photographers and illustrators
Roman Striga www.romanstriga.com
[200]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Robin Klengel
Kaja Brezočnik
Kristina Grekova
www.kajazmajevska. wordpress.com
www.facebook.com/umkadv
Viktoriya Gerasimova
Denis Valyansky
Julia Shablovskaya
Alexey Karpeko
www.500px.com/gerasimovavika
www.valyansky.livejournal.com
www.vk.com/julie__ch
www.500px.com/Djafi
Petr Shchitnikov www.vk.com/fotobar_by
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[201]
photographers and illustrators
Viktoriya Chernyavskaya
Katerina Azhgirey
Julia Malashevitch
Egor Voinov
www.vk.com/v_chernyavskaya
www.500px.com/katya_a
www.jm-photo.by
www.ega.photoclub.by/ portfolio
Alexandr Sekunov www.500px.com/s110
[202]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
content found on the internet
Almanac “Dveri” is publishing in internet freely available under license AttributionShareAlike (by-sa)
Attribution – You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. ShareAlike – If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. This license covers only content created by Dveri’s authors and photographers and doesn’t cover the following content found on the internet:
Photo by Manel Sala
Photo by Duncan Dargie
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[203]
content found on the internet
Illustration by Anna Redko
Photo by Alexandr Chuguev
Photo by Marie Bourgois
Photo by Alexey Komashko
Photo by Jacques Labas
Photo by Marie Bourgois
Photo by Pierre Haski/Rue89
[204]
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9) 2013
Photo by Leonid Scheglov
Фото: Милана Харитонова
Photo by Angelika Grekovitch
Almanac “Dveri” №3 (9)
[205]
2014