#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. The new production became a thread between children and parents, became another link in the chain of understanding. Norilsk teenagers told their mothers about their most intimate things.
Theater actors Evgeniya Kambalina and Alexey Kovrigin say that the performance became possible thanks to the laboratory of director Dmitry Krestyankin, which took place in Norilsk as part of the Theater Seasons festival.
“More than 20 schoolchildren from 11 to 16 years old took part in the revelation performance. This format of the production arose thanks to Dmitry Krestyankin, who came to Norilsk and conducted the laboratory. We liked this format, where the children were able to speak out and at the same time give shape to these revelations. In addition, this is exactly about the theater, where someone said, and someone heard. Poems and dances would not have looked so impressive. A revelational performance, a stand-up performance – it is about ourselves and about all of us. To make it work, we conducted psychological trainings, worked through the problems and listened to the children. It is very important for them to be listened to and heard – this is also heard in the production. At the same time, we not only listened, but also shared our stories. Very talented children came to us, it was a pleasure to work with them”, said Evgeniya Kambalina.
Alexey Kovrigin agrees with her.
“The production is based on real stories from the schoolchildren’s lives, as well as the idea of a drawing on a black wall, which was a little structured. We realized that we have a black wall and there are girls who draw well, and most importantly – a team that is ready to tell what worries them, what they would like to share with the audience. Some shared their sore points, others told funny stories from their lives, and still others wanted to thank their mothers and say how proud they were of them, and tell them what kind of mothers the girls would like to become in the future”, Alexey explained.
The work on the project lasted about three weeks.
“We managed to win over our children only with sincerity and interest. We told them: if you want to be heard, learn to speak”, Alexey said.
“You just have to listen to them. We lived through stories with them, cried and laughed. Our main message was that we should also hear each other. We learned a lot from each other,” Evgeniya added.
They were able to explain the reasons for their actions, and show how important their mother’s love is to them. In parallel with the teenagers’ revelations, the conflict in the relationship between mothers and children was developing on the black canvas of the wall. The conflict between children and adults was played out before our eyes. It seemed that the crack was growing exponentially and the love between the relatives would be lost forever, but the need for each other’s love was great, and the barriers created by mutual grievances were collapsing.
Stories about how the children were hurt were interspersed with humorous sketches. And it seems like little things, but it turns out that it is very important for the child that his mother, despite being busy at work, comes to the matinee, so that she does not blame him for the death of the hamster, does not demand to be perfect and does not rummage through the phone. Funny stories about a mother who is a firecracker; a rocker; a lady who overcame her fear of rats; a mother with nerves of steel, steadfastly meeting any pranks of her daughter, and a mother living in a youth style tip the scales in the other direction. After this, you understand that there is much more good in the relationship between mothers and children, and in order to preserve it, you need to try to hear each other.
After the performance, many mothers left the hall wiping away tears. For them, this production was a revelation. They remembered how they themselves were once teenagers and experienced something similar.
Anastasia Chumak’s mother Kristina was also worried about her daughter.
“I, like my daughter, am delighted with Dmitry Krestyankin. He allowed the children to face their problems, live through them, and process them. Thanks to him, my daughter freed herself from what was preventing her from moving forward. I was very pleased that the artists of our theater continued this tradition. It is worth a lot when a child sees that there are many like him. Thanks to the organizers of the project, our theater for continuing and giving us, mothers, such an atmospheric event, when you sit and tears flow and you understand what a great girl your daughter is”, said Kristina.
The production opened new horizons for young talents, and showed them that it is not scary to be yourself.
“I composed, created and cried. The last verse in the finale is mine, and when I read it, I was overcome with emotions that I am now surrounded by the best people, the best artists. I am grateful to Evgenia Kambalina and Alexey Kovrigin for making the performance the way we wanted to see it. They helped us and supported us. Thanks to them, I realized that it is not scary to open up to people”, says Sofia Goroshkina.
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Text: Maria Sanina, Photo: Nikolay Shchipko
