Premiere of a new performance by Vika Privalova based on the diaries of Alexandra Kollontai "Alexander_a"

Dates of upcoming performances: February 24, March 8 and 9, 2022
Duration: 1 hour 20 minutes
Venue: Zubovsky Boulevard, 2, Building 3, Auditorium of the Museum of Moscow
Age: 12+

In February, director Vika Privalova releases a new multimedia performance about Alexandra Kollontai, a revolutionary, Soviet stateswoman and the first woman minister in world history, at the Praktika Theater in the Museum of Moscow.

Alexandra Kollontai was a well-educated, freedom-loving and ambitious person who fought for the right of women to work freely and love, and she herself was the embodiment of these aspirations. Kollontai’s interests went beyond family and home, she was a prominent figure in the revolution, built diplomatic ties, and in adulthood became the USSR ambassador to Sweden.

In Vika Privalova’s play “Alexander_a”, the social role of Kollontai becomes an occasion to get acquainted with the inner world of this amazing woman, opening from the pages of her diaries: with childhood impressions, dreams, loves, doubts and beliefs. Especially for the project, playwright Ekaterina Avgustenyak created a play based on the memoirs of Alexandra Mikhailovna.

The biography and personality of Kollontai go beyond one role, so three actors will embody it on the stage of "Practice". Marina Brusnikina will present Alexandra the diplomat, who knows the subtleties of the psychological game and maintains control over any situation. Alisa Dmitrieva will take on the role of vulnerable Kollontai - sensual, reverent, empathic, believing in utopia and able to break through walls on the way to her dream. And Fedor Kokorev will play Alexandra’s entourage - mother, father, Vladimir Kollontai, Pavel Dybenko, sisters, investigator and even Alexandra Mikhailovna’s alter ego. He will be a guide for the audience, help them interact with the space and gradually immerse themselves in the experiences of the heroine.

The performance requires active spectator participation. To reconstruct events from the life of Kollontai, special instructions with games and questions have been created. Thus, the choices and moral dilemmas that Alexandra faced throughout her life will not sound like abstract ideas, but will turn into a real experience - including for the audience. Each person will be able to actively participate in the reconstruction of historical events through the "game of memories in space" or take the position of an observer.

The Alexander_a project is dedicated to one of the leading topics studied by Praktika in the 2021/2022 season — biographies and destinies of prominent figures in science and politics.

Idea and staging Vika Privalova
Text Ekaterina Avgustenyak
Movement Yulia Arsen
Scenography and costumes Maria Meleshko
Video Oleg Tsiplakov
Collages Annette Kupikha, Vika Privalova
Music Artur Khairullin
As Alexandra Kollontai:
Marina Brusnikina (Presenter, Diplomat)
Alisa Dmitrieva (Shura)
Fyodor Kokorev (Consultant, Investigator, Others)

“The diaries of Alexandra Kollontai are written in a touching and light manner, but at the same time they amaze with frankness, courage and a sense of humor. The further I immersed myself in reading her memoirs, the more I wanted to tell about this person. Do we know that she was the first female minister in world history? Do we know that thanks to Kollontai we have orphanages and maternity hospitals? That she, the first Soviet feminist, was looking for ways to solve the women’s issue? It is important for me to talk about Alexandra Mikhailovna as an ambiguous person who changed history. In the performance, we will try to recreate her experiences, involving the viewer in them. Everyone in the hall will receive instructions and will be able to be present in the role of observers or accomplices in the playing field, revealing historical events and joining the “game of memories in space”.
Vika Privalova, director

“In Kollontai’s biography, it is striking that, faced with social injustice, she radically changed her own life and rushed to reflash society. No less surprising is her ability, realizing herself closed in the tunnel of her biography, to reach the end, along the way finding through holes for air and a different view of the world. It is interesting for me to feel today’s through the living of Alexandra Mikhailovna of her time. It was curious to discover the gap between pulsing life and how it freezes as a textbook question. Thus, a form of “border interview” was found between interrogation and historical TV quiz.
Ekaterina Avgustenyak, playwright

“I responded to the offer to play in this performance, because I am interested in the figure of Kollontai and the team of people making the performance. I thought that if Vicki’s choice fell on me and I can be useful, then I must agree!
Marina Brusnikina, actress, plays Alexandra Kollontai