Olga Aleksandrova ‘We want to and will develop!’
In June, 15, it is being a surprise for everyone who likes not only Mithun Chakroborti and Amittabh Batchan. An Indian surprise. The Ob-Ugric peoples’ theatre Sun is preparing the premiere of the performance Legend of Dushianta and Sakuntala on the base of drama Shakuntala by Kalidas and Old Indian epic Mahabharata. About this event and more over we are having an interview with Olga Aleksandrova, a creative manager of the theatre.
- Olga, paraphrasing words of Mikhail Svetlov I have a question for You ’Where do the Khanty have an Indian melancholy from?’ You know the Ob-Ugric peoples’ theatre has always been true to Khanty and Mansi epics’s theme.
- The point is that we don’t strive for standing in one place. We want to develop. In 2004 already, the idea of realizing the Indian epic on a stage occurred to in the laboratory of young directors, where Anna Vishnevskaya participated. And she took an agreement to come to Khanty-Mansiysk and stage this performance here. Indian culture in itself is very multifaceted and interesting. The East, Asia… If we have a wider look at it, we shall see that the Khanty and the Mansi came from the East. There is an Iranian component there and the possibility of an Indian one cannot be ruled out there. If to learn documents with the will one can find even a link between Finno-Ugric peoples and American Indians. And it gives a stimulus for creative work as well.
- So, You are not afraid of experimenting?
- Of course, no. Seven years ago, when I was creating this theatre, all the work was based on the traditional culture of northern peoples in general. And now we depart not a bit from our main tasks and aims at all. But in our first performance we had already set some direction, it is folklore considering present day. I think it must sound in a completely different level in the III millennium. In the process of development of the theatre there were held new concert programmes and performances. And ethnofuturism, a new direction in art, is very close for me. Make a note that now there is a great wave of interest in folklore and ethnography in the world…
- Yes, it is enough to give the names of Peter Gabriel, groups Ivan Kupala and Deep Forest…
- If in Russia folklore songs are not surprise for people, in West recourses of folklore have been appreciated only for the last 20 years. In my opinion, it happened because they had lost some their roots. But we, quite the contrary, are keeping to it. And we are introducing something new to, reforming and transforming it. Especially as there are young people in our theatre, many of them finished Ugra State University, Centre of Arts for Gifted Children of the North, now some of them are studying at Yekaterinburg State Theatre Institute.
- Is that all the actors of the theatre are not only representatives of small-in-number peoples but professional actors by now?
- Quite right. You know, the status of our theatre is national drama theatre. But the word ethnic is closer for me. What is difference between them? There are a lot of national theatres in our country, but we don’t really have ethnic ones. And on the whole, except our theatre there are no professional theatres of aboriginal small-in-number peoples in the territory of Russia. The Governor Alexander Filipenko made a great contribution to it, who had realized the importance of the theatre creating. Many national theatres have not been afraid of staging the plays, for example, by Shakespeare in native Udmurt, Tatar, Kalmyk languages already. I would produce on a stage Romeo and Juliet as well. But regarding to our peculiarities it would be a war not between the Montekkis and the Kapulettis but two kins – the Knahty and the Mansi. And feelings are understandable in any language.
- But again, regarding to our nature it would be possible to stage A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
- Yes, it also would be harmonious.
- Olga, it makes happy that you have no crisis in your creative work.
- But we haven’t it at all. First it was difficult to raise, to seek and to negotiate. The theatre for me is like a child for a mother in literal sense. How I can do something wrong for it? Therefore all my energy is directed to develop the theatre Sun, not to let its breakdown. That is why last year already we began to invite for rehearsals the directors from Moscow and Yekaterinburg. And now it is the time when I can easily give our troupe to another director. And that has happened during the production of the performance Legend of Dushianta and Sakuntala by Anna Vishnevskaya. But I would like to notice that it was not possible first five years.
- Was it impossible or frightful?[
- Almost impossible. Actors were not in the level that they have reached today. Now one can produce the plays by classics with our actors.
- What further plans does the theatre Sun have?
- This season we have already shown the second premiere. And it is a big pleasure for us. As for the next season we want to hold a big national Celebration of Public Merrymakings of Bears. And again in modern style.
- Aren’t there their own playwrights among Khanty and Mansi peoples? Ones who would write plays just about life in nature…
- Unfortunately, no. They have poets, writers and painters but not playwrights. And you know that art always leads by itself. If the theatre has appeared, there will be people who will have a desire to write plays for it. And perhaps very soon we will have the first playwright in the history of indigenous small-in-number peoples. Now we have Raishev, Aipin, Shestalov… So, let us wait for them.
- And now according tradition, Olga, what do you wish your audience?
- Be friendly. Try to understand without condemning.
- Thank You!
- Thank You, too. Welcome to our first night.
Interviewed by Ivan Belousov
From newspaper Gorod.hm
Translated by Natalia Timirbaeva
