ART
Back in the USSR. The day before us, the
Kolyada Theatre performed The Queen of
Spades. It was not an experiment like The
Snow Maiden, nevertheless, the audience
reacted to the play as a retrograde. Andrey
asked us not to be nervous if the reaction
will be ambivalent…he asked just to
understand and accept.
I mention the name of Alexander
Manotskov quite often. Next to this
master I’m learning to be strong in art, be
responsible for what I do. Yes, I may create
an informal theater, but I do love this
child, and I bow to you because you come
and watch this. Sasha is not a coward in
any sense. He is a man who promotes
something serious – in music, in theater…
I warned the actors that an unpredictable
reaction is possible, but they showed their
willingness to participate and act anyway.
The Novosibirsk people are hardened, after
all; they know how to defend themselves.
The play attracts a full house, even more
than a full house. They have to put in extra
chairs.
People came and expected to hear the
Ostrovskiy’s texts, which are absent in
the performance, although the story line
is absolutely identical. And I realized that
the situation is a bit unnerving. There
were no fights or open conflicts. But
there was a feeling that the audience
experienced disagreement and splits.
People turned to each other, started to
discuss the