TheatrePremieres
t h g i l F y c n a of f At first sight, it may seem that staging a work of prose is harder than staging a scripted play, but all depends on the stage director’s talent
I
f they ‘translate’ a favourite romance using theatrical language, they must have deep understanding of the intricacies of the work. The writer should be close to the stage director spiritually and morally, with the director identifying themselves largely with the author. This is the first step towards ensuring success, although is not the be all and end all. Young Latvian stage director Igor Kulikov, from Riga, is working with Maxim Gorky National Academic
52
беларусь.belarus 2011
Drama Theatre in Minsk. He has chosen to stage the early, almost juvenile, works of famous Russian satirist Mikhail Zadornov, rather than a more complex work, full of allusions. In fact, this is his second staging (the first took place in Riga) allowing him to learn from his initial mistakes, alongside his troupe, which has dared to take part in this bold experiment with him. The theatre’s repertoire has long lacked such a performance as “Notes of a Tired Dreamer” — a light performance which illustrates satirist
Zadornov’s cheerfully ironic views on Soviet life from when he was a very young man. Mr. Kulikin’s stage direction doesn’t contradict Zadornov’s prose, as he has long worked as an actor himself. Writer and stage director supplement each other and enjoy friendship in real life — also vital for a successful project. “Notes of a Tired Dreamer” is character rather than plot driven, with its actors improvising, creating ‘living’ roles, as Mr. Kulikov encour-