#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Bad weather delayed theater critics at various airports, and only Oleg Loyevsky broke through to the Polyarka theatrical laboratory in January 2015. The presence of the curator of all Russian laboratories was enough for not a single spectator to leave the discussion of the sketches after they were shown.
There were also some changes in the program: instead of the Italian Alessandra Giuntini, the French play Two Ladies Towards the North was staged by the Norilsk theatre director Anna Babanova. Perhaps the success of the sketch influenced the further choice of the drama with a French accent by the chief director of the Norilsk drama. Demonstrating the wonders of ingenuity from the artist Themistocles Atmazas and the director, the leading actresses Nina Valenskaya and Larisa Potekhina managed to make their incredible journey on a sad occasion even in a small hall. Thanks to the ‘indomitable energy of wonderful clownwomen’ (Loyevsky’s definition), the performance remained on the playbill of the theater until Larisa Potekhina left Norilsk.
Another choice of critics and viewers – Purple Clouds staged by Vladimir Smirnov – was removed when the leading actress Elena Kuzmenko said goodbye to Norilsk. This season, Vladimir Smirnov, who made his debut in 2015 as a director, brilliantly staged Gogol’s Players on the Norilsk stage.
The Finnish play Foxtrot was playing in the boot of my grandmother with Sergey and Larisa Rebry in the lead roles was chosen by the most venerable, but young director Dmitry Egorov. The story of a Finnish family, in which parents are hiding from children’s problems, did not receive a residence permit in the Norilsk drama. This was unexpected, since the sketch received a high professional assessment from the audience. And how the married couple Sergey and Larisa Rebry played!
If the sketch by Dmitry Egorov was promised a continuation, which did not happen, the superb work of Alexey Logachev Holy Blessed Xenia of Petersburg in the Life the curator of the project immediately predicted a lack of audience interest. For the sketch, and in fact the finished performance, a separate charity show was organized with Galina Savina and Denis Ganin in the lead roles.
HorHaron did not receive a continuation either. The sketch, staged by Timur Fayruzov on the big stage with the participation of the Inspiration Norilsk pensioners’ choir, was called a good try.
Read other materials of the photo project in the History spot section.
Text: Varvara Sosnovskaya, Photo: Nikolay Shchipko
