Why Russian style? Among endless talks about mysterious Russian soul, no one knows the true reason of magnitude of Russian performance art. Eternal life quest, endless challenge, the route without stops and U-turns… Once chosen this path, thy cannot give it up, thy cannot betray it… You are sacrificed to theatre, you are elected, and you are dedicated. You see the Light ahead, you pursue it, stumbling, falling, dying bloodlessly, but inevitably, gathering scarce forces, resurrecting against all winds and resuming your way through thorns to your Star. Thirty years ago it gave birth to a new life, enlightening its path. Thirty years ago Russian Drama Theatre “Arlekin” was born. It endeavors to bring the Light, which was set up that very day and has been paving its arduous way, to the audience. Arlekin Theatre never takes breathers in its motion, it is in the process of everlasting climbing, striving to reach the pinnacles of Her Majesty The Art. Every its premiere stems from combination of Music, Light and Drama. One of the bright distinctions of “Arlekin” is its versatility of scenic images and themes, coagulation of antipodal parts, magic flight from permafrost to Geenic fire. From the harmony of Ancient Greek theatre to chaos of antitheatre of Becket. From classics to avantgarde. “Everyone’s invited to an afternoon of fun and games with Moscow’s Arlekin Theatre Troupe at the Wall Street center for the Arts on Sat., Dec. 15, from 1-3:30 p.m. Twelve members of the troupe have been staying in Redding, entertaining different audiences… …
Melkonian [the director] said it was the troupe’s social and political
satire and uncompromising challenges to the status quo that immediately
made nightly shows a sell-out, and which drew to their performances
foreign diplomats and Soviet sophisticates – the very generation now
coming into its own under Gorbatchev and glastnost (openness) and
perestroika (restructuring). After
years of repression, which included arrests, confiscation and forced
displacement, the troupe is now Moscow’s most popular, successful and
outspoken.” “Moscow’s
acclaimed Arlekin Theatre Group is also here, doing three performances
at San Francisco State’s McKenna Theatre this week. Tomorrow, the commedia
dell’Arte-inspired troupe will perform Lotar’s “Jester on the
Throne”; Thursday, it’s Beckett’s “Theatre I”; and Friday,
it’s Antokolsky’s “Francois Villon”. All
performances will be in Russian, but don’t panic; the program has
English explanations of every scene. You’ll get the visual gags and
gestures. If not, ask a Russian in the crowd. There should be a
bunch.” Worldwide live performances of Serguei Melkonian’s theatre has been discussed and assigned high ratings by such well-known media sources as Austrian ad bulletins “Monsanto Europe S.A.”, “Osterreichisches College” as well as domestic “The Philadelphia Inquirer”. “Even in Vienna where theatre is so much popular, it cannot attract as vast masses as in Moscow where tickets to ordinary repertory performances are sold at a black market price. There are reasons for that. Yet recently there were only 29 theatres per 8.7 million Muscovites, 20 of which were based in temporary premises. The common practices were mellow performances and plays, with velvet and plush decorations, and perhaps only Yuri Lyubimov in Taganka theater represented the exotic exception. Gorbachev’s economic reforms resulted in fundamental changes in Russia’s cultural policy, and, perhaps, most evidently in this. Moscow, as well as the rest of the country, demonstrates rebirth of independent “cellar-type” theatres and studios. Many of them had opened doors long before the Glasnost (“freedom of speech’) boom, and the authorities struggled to close them. The “Arlekin” theatre was founded in 1972 as a small studio. It was named after “Arlekin” – a satiric play of 20s written by almost forgotten Austrian author Rudolf Lotar. Acid parodies on former Soviet leader Brezhnev imminently drew a conflict between Melkonian and the censorship. Notwithstanding numerous claims of domestic producers, such as Yuri Simonov from Vakhtangov Theatre, to then Minister of Culture Demitchev, his troupe had been thrown on the streets and as a result performed in ordinary clubs and cultural palaces. In 1982 the police (militia) intruded during the performance of “Françoise Villon” and without any explicit claims (“No-one warned me of anything,” – recalls Melkonian) prohibited ongoing performances. “We were like vagrant musicians,” – Melkonian sighs, - “With acute sense of hunger our young actors performed on city’s squares and factories’ workshops. Evidently, it was Fellini’s “Road”, but Russian style. In September 1986, when Glasnost became buoyant, Melkonian officially opened a private theater from the authorities’ permission, which, after the staging of Ostrovsky’s comedy “Profitable Position” was quickly acknowledged as one of the most notable Moscow’s theatres”. “The spectacle that they attended was a surprise. The performance they were going to play came out with surprise. The hangar that the group of 30 people had converted into a theatre and all the necessary agreements concluded with the Ministry of Culture now looked like a pile of construction lumber and worn clothes, decorations. On Wednesday, June 24 where actors were rehearsing with enthusiasm, Local Police and its auxiliaries accompanied by volunteer recruits surrounded the place and destroyed it without any mandate… …As Serguei Andreevich continues, - solid attachment to the job they were doing made them look for any job they could find (janitors, dock workers, etc.) to keep the theatre going on evenings. The letters addressed to the Central Committee of Ministry of Culture, with various VIP signatures did nothing. Had anything been resolved with invasion of the police? Serguei Melkonian cannot competently judge on the motives himself. There was only one explanation of the “action of justice”. It had to do with financial divergences in the Ministry of Culture itself. The piece called “Boris Le Tsigane” caused a chaos, which resulted in “retirement” (read: resignation) of a Vice Minister Nikolai Mokov. “You have to serve them a bowl of wine for the privilege to present your work in a foreign country,” – explains Melkonian. – “But I couldn’t concede, and I am not used to it.”
Excerpt from "Evening Moscow", November 28, 1997 "...Serguei Melkonian, the Art Director of the the theater, its founder and producer, was able to create unusual synthesis of drama, music, singing and mimic improvisation". Excerpt
from "Hooter", January 16, 1999; "Fate - on Hamlet" "...The unusual theater has already been known for a long time to aesthetes around the world first of all for the courageous experiments with synthesis of various directions of a theatrical art"
Excerpt from "The New Newspaper" № 34, May 2001; "Arlekin With Us Again" "...There's nothing younger in a modern theater world than the Arlekin theater. In its almost thirty-year anniversary it is young, eccentric and powerful, stylistically aggressive, hazardous in the acting performance when it is shaking curtain, and actors are coming into improvisations".
Excerpt from "Media Art", the American-Russian monthly theatrical Journal, № 3, April - 2002 "...One of the most popular theater of today's Russia is Moscow Music and Drama Arlekin Theater that is created and directed by a prominent stage maestro Serguei Melkonian. The theater group guest performances in the USA (1991, 1993, 2000) attracted a lot of attention and were accompanied by many good comments that were appearing in local newspapers. The american lovers of Arlekin Theater performances can't wait to see its new stage productions. Hopefully, the nearest future thei will see what they are impatiently waiting for, because there are plans regarding new guest performances of the theater in California. There's not a long time left to enjoy such a great theatrical event".
Excerpt from "Echo" weekly magazine of ITAR-Tass news agency of Russia, № 13 (728), March 22 - 28, 2002 "...Moscow Music and Drama Arlekin Theater that celebrated its 30th anniversary last March gained a world wide recognition and a real fame in 1991 when its members for the first time successfully performed their best productions in several West European countries and then continued their theatrical tour on the west coast of the USA. A lot of positif comments on "Arlekin"'s unique style appeared in American newspapers. More than that, there was such a friendly climate around the theater in the USA that its creatir and director Serguei Melkonian supported by some American friends established in 1991 and registered (in Sacramento) a non-profit Russian-American organization under the name of the International Arlekin Theatre Corporation. At the same time a Russian Theatrical Acting School was created in Los Angeles; it's tightly affiliated to "Arlekin" Theatre".
Txcerpt from "Panorama", the largest Russian-American weekly, № 1093, March 20 - 26, 2002 "...Moscow Music and Drama Arlekin Theater was created in1972 by Serguei Melkonian whose name today is widely known in theatrical circles. The past 30 years turned to be years of series of beautiful performances and, on the other hand, years of struggle against the ideological pressure that the Soviet authorities and their main instrument KGB put on all forms of the art. Today two new remarcable productions by this theater are on main Moscow stages, they are "The Bold Singer" by E. Ionesco, and "Eight Loving Wemen" by R. Toma. As said by the theater's director Mr. Serguei Melkonian these two popular premier performances will be among others that are expected to be shown to Californian spectators soon". Excerpt from "Fact" Russian-American bi-weekly magazine, № 198, March 22 - April 5, 2002 "...What spectators love the most and what attract their attention while seeing "Arlekin" stage productions is a fine combination of a medieval Italian so called "commedia dell' arte" (comedy of masks) with a modern way of creating stage performances that includes live musik, lights and sounds effects, dright costumes, an original pantomime, a lot of improvisations. All that, if being put together, makes a really bright and unforgettable show on stage".
|
erguei
Melkonian’s Arlekin Theatre is a unique
international troupe admitted to be one of the best stages in
California. It is a prizewinner of numerous prestigious contests and
festivals in the former Soviet Union, Hungary, Denmark, Sweden, Austria,
and Switzerland. The management platform of Serguei Melkonian’s
theatre is based on principles of Brecht, Meyerkhold, Mikhail Chekhov
and Vakhtangov, and its repertory stems from the European Classical and
“la commedia dell’Arte” (the Italian comedy of masks) schools. The
plays are fairy tales of stark life. The tragedy and farce, tears and
laughter go hand in hand. Every time an actor lives the whole life for
the audience: he is given birth, then he sacrifices his scenic life to
the spectator, and dies to be born again. But the spectator, in his
turn, is also given a chance to live with him this bright, colorful life
for just a few hours. Since many actors are of East European origin,
their Russian spiritual charisma contribute to classical European acting
school, which gets enriched with boundless expressions and unique
celebration of comedy and drama of spirits and characters.
Excerpt from the SN&R . December 13, 1990: