THE LITTLE TRAGEDIES. Director Pyotr Shershevsky

Basically, Pushkin is the first “postmodernist”, who freely played with contexts, enjoyed textual tricks and mystifications of all sorts, intertwined his writing with various quotations. As a result of this freedom we see life pulsing in every line. Even after two centuries in feels as though it all has been written only yesterday. Pushkin has created genial plays-parables: “The Stone  Quest”, “The Covetous Knight” and “Mozart and Salieri”. They all take place in the distant past even for Pushkin and his time. But when you take a closer look you see that they are extremely modern. Each play speaks to us about the vain and erroneous search for the meaning of life. The fact that neither money nor art, nor the passion of a love seeker, if they are regarded as the ultimate goal, as a fetish rather than a catalyst for exploring the world, is not able to give an answer to a simple child’s question: “Why was I born?” And the man who believes in his own invulnerability chooses one of these “values” as a fetish, and inevitably comes to a dead end having to face one’s fate and mortality and know one’s limitations.

We deliberately set the parables in today’s reality. Modern rhythms, music, interiors, clothing. To give the viewer a feeling that all this could happen to him. Today, here and now. And it happens. As times change, people are still weak and defenseless before the forces of destiny. And just like a thousand years ago, everyone has to find one’s way, one’s own answer to the question – what is the meaning of life.

Pyotr Shershevsky

Nominated – “Drama, best large scale production”, “Best  director”, “Best set designer”, “Best actor” (Yuriy Malashin)

Participant of the programme «RussianCase» 2016