The premiere of the play "Talents and Fans" staged by St. Petersburg director Andrei Smolko was held at the Novgorod Drama Theater

VELIKIY NOVGOROD. The Petersburg director Andrei Smolko presented his new work to the Novgorod audience - the play "Talents and Fans". Premiere performances were held on December 4-5 at the stage of the theater. Dostoevsky. It took a month and a half of rehearsals in a busy schedule to prepare the performance.

Andrei Smolko said that he had long had a ripening desire to stage a play by Ostrovsky. I wanted to tackle the production of Thunderstorm. However, the proposal to embody the wonderful play “Talents and Fans” on stage became no less interesting. Spectators are always interested in performances, the plot of which is connected with the world of the backstage. The life of actors, filled with difficult creative work, ups and downs of popularity, cannot be separated from dramas in their personal lives, which always intrigues the audience.

Almost a century and a half ago, Ostrovsky in his play, which immediately became popular among both directors and the public, told a story with just such a plot. In “Talents and Fans” there is irony and humor, the play is filled with seething passions. However, in this comedy, Ostrovsky deals with issues no less relevant today, and not only in the theater.

These questions appear during a story telling about the problems that arose in the life of a very young actress endowed with great talent, along with the appearance of a rich admirer. The future career of the actress depends on her behavior. The question immediately arises - is there an opportunity for the actor to go his own career without humiliation? Can a theater gain popularity if there is no help from patrons?

The performance was designed by artist Arina Slobodyanik. She filled the stage with roses, but placed on it a structure resembling a birdcage. This is a symbol of the situation in which the heroine of the play fell.

Ludmila Trautmane © Gallerix.ru