Epilog

When the applause faded away

The theater-laboratory "Kvadrat" held the fourth Festival of theatrical art at the end of August. This year, it was held under the name "Victory Bridge," in honor of the anniversary of the Great Patriotic War. Participants were 14 theater groups from 13 cities of Russia and Belarus. The performances took place at two venues: on the stage of the theater-laboratory "Kvadrat" and at the Youth Centre "Initsiativa".

The Festival brought together professional theaters and bright amateur groups. Adult amateurs and gifted children performed next to the recognized stage masters.

Theatrical performances reflected the topic of the Second World War, Victory, the fate of people based on the materials and drama of the war and post-war years. Productions were also presented that reveal the topic of the confrontation between good and evil, the victory of good.

The performances were attended by a special jury: Honored Artist of Russia Viktor Ananin, Honored Artist of Russia Anna Terekhova, directors Andrey Ohanyan and Dmitry Kreminsky. Their task was to give an objective appraisal of the theatrical action based on professional criteria.

Director of the theater-laboratory "Kvadrat" Yuliana Kukarnikova spoke about the productions that aroused particular interest: "It was incredibly difficult to choose - after all, each play found its own response in the hearts of the audience and the jury! All the groups performed with a bang: our closest neighbors from Kimry, Konakovo and Zaprudny that showed real devotion to the stage and groups from distant cities that amazed with the depth of their creative approach. I would especially like to emphasize the piercing performances from Rybinsk ("Seven bowls, seven spoons") and Arkhangelsk ("Dear Elena Sergeevna"), sunny artists from Dmitrov ("Thank you, sea!"), Virtuoso Nizhny Novgorod and inspired Khimki performers. A special joy was the constant love of our dear audience. The audience at the play "Forever alive" was full to capacity - some watched while standing and this is the most honest indicator of trust. We are grateful for these sincere emotions!"

This year, more than a hundred people performed at the Festival and about a thousand watched the performances. Yuliana Kukarnikova shared her goals and expectations for the development of the Festival: "We dream that in five years our "Bridge" will become even stronger and longer, connecting even more cities and countries. We dream that it will grow into a huge, multi-day holiday for all theater lovers. To fulfill these dreams, we really need support - help from funds, a strong shoulder of partners and of course, the faith of our audience.

This Festival is over. But our "Victory Bridge" still stands - it is built from your talents, your trust and our common love for the theater. Thanks to everyone who was with us. We are waiting for a meeting for the fifth time!"

The theater "Kvadrat" expresses its gratitude to its friends and partners that have provided significant assistance in organizing the Festival: the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, the Youth Centre "Initsiativa", the exemplary choreographic ensemble "Serpantin", the company "Ecomebel" and the Mosaic workshop.

Maria KARPOVA,
photo by Alexander KULDOSHIN