The New York Times: The tidy and anonymous room, which is entered through a fenced courtyard in a sleepy residential neighborhood of this Eastern European city, is not large. It was once a garage, just big enough to accommodate a few sedans or, in this case, the closely clustered group of about 50 that has assembled on a full-moon night in late August.
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The visit that the representative from this company made to CMU last year is one that I am certain will stick with all who experienced it. Seeing it receive more attention in the NYT is really heartening, as theatre-makers around the world need to know the risks and reasons that this company is doing what it does. Because of the political (and social) nature of the company's work, it would be easy for practitioners to put them into a different theatrical category than we have here in America. This would be a fatal flaw, for while, in my opinion, the question of 'why this play now' is asked far too often and considered far to highly in our productions here at CMU, the idea of a global, national, regional, municipal, and direct context is key to making good work. The other thing that was fascinating to me about this article was the description of the end of 4:48 Psychosis, where the audience knows to leave immediately, quickly, and quietly, and the crew goes to work at dismantling the whole set, until all evidence of a show were swept from the premises. This is incredibly cool when it is considered that theatre is a temporary art form anyways. Thus, these people are essentially embracing the idea that theatre is not something that can be regulated or tamed, but a human force that will happen in the face of all things.
Something that stood out to me (among many powerful things about this theatre company) was their use of the space that they have. Working quickly, powerfully, and secretively in the way they do has forced them to use some very unconventional spaces: which in no way diminishes the power of their work. I think sometimes we forget that theatre doesn't need large amounts of equipment or space to be something incredible. The intimate nature that is fostered in their tiny apartment rooms or garage spaces enhances rather than detracts from the message that this company is broadcasting. As Jack said, the context is key: and in this context, with this message, their limitations become their power. It reminds me of how theatre artists start with only a friend, an idea, and a living room.
It is interesting to think that as easily as my peers and I study and create art every day, there are those who not only struggle immensely to do so, but are sought out and imprisoned and targeted because of it. Khalezin, Koliada and Shcherban's collective dedication to this troupe gives a gravitas to their work and productions that pieces by someone who can produce art unencumbered by such strictures (like myself) could never truly hold.
When I see the lengths these artists - and their audience members - are willing to go to maintain this art form in this (arguably) cultural wasteland, I am reminded of the true value of art. It is more than adornment; it is one of the best and most fundamental things that makes us human. Art is something so worth the struggle, as one can see in the efforts of this troupe. It forges identity, and unifies people in a way the government they are evading could never aspire to.
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