Artistic Director of the Alexandrinsky theater Valery Fokin told how aesthetically change the theatre after the pandemic. And reported that the oldest national dramatic theatre of Russia – Alexandrinsky – opens a new virtual “Another scene”. Where will be the theatrical project about information hygiene, and detective interactive trial “drama on shosse”. The premiere will take place on may 26. Witnesses and participants in the trial taking place in St. Petersburg at the beginning of the twentieth century, will become the audience and the jury will include famous figures of science and culture.
Valery Fokin: online we are almost two months so live… the Season was difficult, of course, strange. Extraordinary because never before have not experienced this in previous practice. The last such epidemic, when it was closed the theater, happened a hundred years ago, in the late 19th century during a cholera epidemic. By the way, this all happened during lent. And then post the same story…
We performed all their plans, but faced with the fact that our first premiere of this year – “revolver”, which puts Terzopoulos Theodoros, was held for the online broadcast, when we were forced to play without spectators. It was a tense spectacle, although the experience is interesting and I think successful. I’m not talking about the number of viewers is another. Compare the online stream all the Internet and live theatre can not be – fundamentally different things. The next Prime Minister was scheduled just a few days, but we are unable to give a performance of “Nana” by Andriy Zholdak, because barely had time to put the Director on the last plane to Berlin. And he flew away. I think that we will open next season premiere Zholdak, but again, all depends on the Director and his arrival.
Internet-existence of a theatre is not a forced situation. That is, it occurred as necessary, but we thought about it for several years. We came into this reality – the Internet, and we have to master it artistically. Informative because we have mastered the online space is length and breadth, but artistically not. The new program, which has been the main producer of the New stage of Alexander Malich, Director of Alexandrinsky theater Anton Okoneshnikov and I was just willing to experiment and search for new forms and moves in the Internet space. When we called the third art television, and now seek to be able to assume that the Internet will become the fourth. The Internet those opportunities, which has neither the theatre nor the cinema nor TV. It wants to use, but from an artistic point of view. Just have to be very careful not to cross the line between the living, as I call it, theatre, not to get too carried away.
I many years ago talked about the need to experiment on the territory of the Internet. That is where we went and where we will not leave, apparently. But in any case should not be confused with the living theatre, as I call it, and an online interactive theatre. When will this whole situation and we will return to live theater, it will not be easy. The public, I think, just will not run headlong into auditoriums, and there are many different psychological reasons. But live theater, a theater with a live actor, with a live contact is for us is inviolable. Although the Internet will compete with live theater, it is one hundred percent, not only creatively – he will compete on the part of the audience. And it is also now necessary to consider.
of Course, after release from quarantine in theaters, there will be difficulties with the audience. Convenient, especially at first, to watch the broadcast. First, it’s cheaper to sit at home and watch and in the theatre we need a ticket to buy. And secondly, there is the danger of psychological, people will think: who will sit next to me, and how we – through the chair we sit? The psychological fear will be present for some time. Issues that must be addressed: what are we going to play crawling? We will limit the ticket sales?.. But this is a new reality in which we live.
What is the task of the national theatre? Just don’t be afraid of a new reality, actively learn and interact with. But never forget that wise, intelligent, deep traditionalism. Those living and eternal traditions, which need to be preserved especially at the national theatre. So the combination of innovation and traditionalism – it seems to me, the most important and immutable.
And, of course, I very much hope on international relations. Changes have occurred and there are significant. I’m sure we have different way to live can not. Cost not be able, financially, aesthetically, much will turn. But the world as if startled, and realized that dying everywhere – in America, and we… We the people. We will not change inside, they were, and will remain, unfortunately. But we still want to be with each other. It’s an inner need, which has exposed the crisis. And our international contacts will be of great value in the future. I have always said that politics burn bridges, and in the culture we restored them. And culture should be completely new, I think, to interact. Moreover, St. Petersburg is a city which has always opened a window of art in Europe.
with regard to online broadcasts, we actually first came out with the premiere due to the “Mauser”, and quite active during the entire time of the program associated with the demonstration of our performances online. We opened our video archives. Interesting retrospectivesand because I was seeing the program for many years and the direction of the theater: what happened, what didn’t, evolved as artists over the years, as we moved what we wanted. In addition, there was a special program made by May 9 and beyond.
Today we face a new professional challenge. “Other” interactive scene we have long wanted to do, surf the Internet, to learn his art, that the broadcast was not only technically very artistically done, but try to make original plays, original projects specifically for the Internet. That could go in the interactive dialogue, the audience participated in the action. This is a major challenge, because the Internet just has, in contrast to television, from theatre here this ability to engage, to dialogue directly here and now.
the First premiere of “the Other stage” is a proposal that was made exclusive for us, the writer Boris Akunin. It is based on a detective story, the trial of a crime. In the group of jury will include known media people. The first group has the jury been formed: Maria Mironova, Konstantin Bogomolov, Nikolay Svanidze, Tatyana Tolstaya, Polina Osetinskaya, Alexei Pivovarov – that is, people of different professions.
the Actress Maria Mironova is one of the main actors in the charity Fund “the Actor”, and it is important for us, because the whole thing has charitable character: all the money from the project will be divided in equal shares between the Fund “Children’s hospice” and the Fund “Actor”.
I think it is interesting the dramatic play. We want to deliver it professionally and with dignity. Because we see today how many zoom readings, zoom productions and is discarded. I have nothing bad to say about the attempts of our colleagues, this is a natural reaction and a natural desire to exist today, yet there are no other opportunities. But often I see how bad it is, is unconvincing from the point of view of professional level oriented. We wouldn’t like. I don’t know whether we will have time, will we, but we will try. “Another scene” opens with a premiere by Akunin, and then prepares a program, which gives us great hope.
Artistic and technical support of projects of the “Other scene” provides visual Studio solutions SmartLight. The Director of the program Anton Okoneshnikov preparing it as multi-genre: “Another scene is created with the help of young artists, Directors, choreographers, musicians and organically, we hope, poured into our art direction of the Alexandrinsky theatre. There is a Main stage where we have great performances, there are N��Wai the scene of the search area. Another scene is a fundamentally new interaction with the audience, unknown to us until the space that we are trying to learn and not just study a new language. It is important that the work was an artistic act, an act of art experience. It is our goal”.
In August 2020 poster of “the Other scene”:
is an interactive performance directed by Anton Okoneshnikovo and playwright Alina Szklarska “Theatre apparatus”, where every viewer will be able to communicate with one of the coryphaeus of the Alexandrinsky theatre (author Anna Sokolova);
– online performance by contemporary choreographer and dancer Vladimir Varnava “Why this dance?”
– a documentary social forum theatre “hour”, Director Alexei Eosin, playwright Ksenia Savelyeva;
– an online concert for home kitchen from composer Daniel Koronkevich “Rave on the city”
– performance in the format of online consultation in the genre of mocumentary delivery Information, the idea and the media Maria Blinova, Director Dmitri krestiankin;
– online reading plays, playwrights graduate RGISI from Directors Roman Kaganovich, Oleg Khristolyubova, Yaroslav Morozov, Mikhail Smirnov;
experimental audio-visual performance by composer Andrew Bundina “Microbiome”
– the play live Instagram “Radio “Freedom” from the Director of Seeds Serina;
– play in Instagram from young Directors-graduate LISI Bluebeard.
