The Story of Frances Berman.

The Story of Frances Berman

* A Magic Lantern Performance

by Nendie Pinto-Duschinsky

ÂŁ

* Dedicated to The Lindsay Kemp Company, Tom Ward and Ernesto Tomasini

Âś

EZQ

This is the story of Frances Berman Performed as a Magic Lantern Show at Sartorial Contemporary Art on Thursday 22nd of May 2008 by kind invitation of Mikey Georgeson * Cast List In order of appearance

Production List

Frances Berman/Cousin Katie Ronnie Grebenyuk

The Story Shelley Pinto-Duschinsky

Alexandre Rogdenov Nicholas Asamoah

Images and Soundtrack Nendie Pinto-Duschinsky

Chinese Bride Shona Harvey

Magic Lanternist Professor Heard

Countess Troubetskoi Adrianne McKenzie

Photography Derek Wiafe Matthew Asare-Sackey Harry Dwyer

Rachmaninov Harry Dwyer White Russian Nina Manandhar Aunt Rhoda Rhoda de Pinto Photographed by the Man Ray Studio

Makeup Ryaturo and Amy Burry Costumes Peter at The Costume Studio Props Fern at Theme Traders

EZQ

EZQ

4

My Grandmother’s name was Frances Berman. She trained in Kiev and used to watch the opera stars stroll on the Piazza in front of the Opera House and sit in the cafes.

EZQ

EZQ

5

She was a colratura soprano, which is the very highest you can sing and quite rare. She was sent to study opera in Germany when she was 16 or 17.

EZQ

EZQ

6

It was there that she was told not to return to Russia but to join her mother’s first cousin in Petersburg, Virginia. So she left from Bremmen and sailed to America in 1911, aged 17.

EZQ

EZQ

7

In her possessions, she had a bottle of perfume from the Tsarina which still smells of Blue Freesia.

EZQ

EZQ

8

She spoke Russian so attended the ‘Gymnasium’; a bit like a high-school today; which was also attended by the Tsar’s Physician’s daughters.

EZQ

EZQ

9

My Grandmother would have spoken Russian or Ukranian, Yiddish, German and English. She had a classical Russian elitist education and would have read Tolstoy and Turgenev.

EZQ

EZQ

10

A political clampdown on Jews and a hardening of Tsarist attitude caused her parents to write her not to return and she never saw any of her immediate family again.

EZQ

EZQ

11

1905 produced the uprising in Petrograd (involving radical Jews)

EZQ

EZQ

12

Russia was defeated in World War 1 and 1917 brought revolution.

EZQ

EZQ

13

Then came the Stalinist years, and she completely lost touch with her family.

EZQ

EZQ

14

Her nephew, Alexandre Rognedov was imprisoned.

EZQ

EZQ

15

And wrote flattering poetry about Stalin.

EZQ

EZQ

16

He was released from Prison and fled Russia through China.

EZQ

EZQ

17

She was an elegant young woman who spoke upper class Russian and immediately set about learning English. Infact, she won an essay competition in Virginia, “Why I Love Virginia”: Centre of equal daughters, equal sons, All, all alike endear’d, grown, ungrown, young or old, Strong, ample, fair, enduring, capable, rich, Perennial with the Earth, with Freedom, Law and Love, A grand, sane, towering, seated Mother, Chair’d in the adamant of Time.

-Walt Whitman

EZQ

EZQ

18

Frances was of course not a Russian aristocrat. They were known as ‘White Russians’. She used to sing in local Petersburg church choirs. There was a small group of white Russians who had escaped the Revolution.

EZQ

EZQ

19

The Countess Troubetskoi was one of these women and formed a little music circle in Virginia.

EZQ

EZQ

20

Her brother had been the room mate or classmate of Rachmaninov at the Moscow Conservatory of Music. Thus, she and Rachmaninov were long-standing friends.

EZQ

EZQ

21

When Rachmaninov was on a concert tour of America, perhaps he had just played in New York or even Richmond, he came to visit the Countess in Petersburg.

EZQ

EZQ

22

The little music circle met with him. He played for them, but Grandmother said that he was very sick at the time, spitting blood.

EZQ

EZQ

23

He died from Tuberculosis soon after that. Grandmother spoke as if they were all a group together, not as if she was speaking about a distant performer.

EZQ

EZQ

24

We continued to hear form Madame Troubetskoi’s son, every christmas, until his death. He had beautiful handwriting, I remember.

EZQ

EZQ

25

This story is not to be confused with Aunt Rhoda who had tea in 1930’s Paris with the transvestite Usypov who murdered Rasputin.

EZQ

EZQ

26

Cousin Katie looks almost identical to Frances and is the only one in the family with her precise mouth.

EZQ

* Contact Nendie at nendieandnina@hotmail.com www.hardcoreismorethanmusic.com www.thecutnewspaper.com

ÂŁ

* www.hardcoreismorethanmusic.com www.thecutnewspaper.com

Ă&#x;