FROM THE THEATRE TO THE GREEN ROOM

The Russian Drama Theatre has come up with a new way of communication between the cast and the audience during a performance. This is not a new form as such, but for the theatre it is something of an experiment. It amounts to removing the line of demarcation between the actors and the audience not just visually, but emotionally as well - a kind of set in the context of a room theatre. The actor is face-to-face with the audience, and it is this which is most important. Here human emotions - feelings, relationships, inter-actions - are stretched to the limit. And not just between the fellow actors, but also between the actors and the audience. Everything that happens to the heroes happens so close to the audience that all become not just a witness to the action, but a participant, as if the audience is also one of the characters silently taking part in the action. They are also part of the cast. A performance of "A Husband Left a Wife" [Russ: "Ukhodil suprug ot suprugi"], from the play by Semen Zlotnikov, is based on this inter-action between actors and audience. The play in the theatre's green room, an outstretched arm away from the audience, was transformed into a living story of two spouses (who are a married couple in real life - author's note), which happens here and now, before the eyes of the audience, and gives a sense of (?online-action). People's Artiste Yuriy Baliyev and Merited Actress Natalya Baliyeva played out this story so credibly and true-to-life that some of the audience, at the tensest moments of the action when passions between the couple reached their limit, wanted to become involved in this relationship and somehow help them sort things out.

Expecting intrigue

Previously this play had been released to mark a stage jubilee and was performed on a big stage. Then theatre director Adalat Haciyev suggested transferring it to the green room. It was an ambitious idea, because no-one had ever done this in the theatre before. But the experiment proved so successful that now other short plays have also been switched to the green room. And now, on 25 February, they will be putting on a show based on Elcin's play "Tenants from Hell". The story is rather a mystical and shocking one so one wonders how the audience will react when a headless body jumps out on them, but this will only add intrigue to the action. So this performance, which is in the mystical thriller genre, will quite possibly not just give drive to some of the audience but also impel them to experience the unique feeling of being close to the action. And a group of seasoned professionals are involved in this play: People's artists Yuriy Baliyev and Safa Mirzahasanov, Merited artist Malak Abasszade, and also young actors from the theatre. 

Conversation with the audience

However, this is not the only innovation at the Russian Drama Theatre this season. This weekend, for example, they put on a performance of "Don't laugh at love". Calderon's play was written in the 17th century, but was performed as a story from contemporary life. The play has been running successfully for three years now and the theatre suggested to the audience that after watching the performance anyone who wants to could stay behind and take part in a discussion about what they have seen on stage. In the theatre this is called an open forum. This is the first time it has been held in 25 years, and none of the organizers knew how the audience would react to this suggestion. But when the curtain came down the applause died away - not a single person had left the auditorium! Theatregoers from 16 to 70 years of age wanted to know about how the theatre is run, what new things are on offer, and so on. They declared their love for the cast who had performed a wonderful contemporary story of love and their responsibility to it and about their fears and desires to love and be loved.

In a nutshell, neither the audience nor the cast wanted to leave. The audience asked the theatre management to continue with this concept; in other words, make it common practice. The management decided to transfer this form of communication to (?chamber functions) in the green room, because people need a sense of unity when they are completely isolated, even though it may be just when the play is being performed and being discussed. Not just because people will learn more about the cast as individuals, and not within the restraints of the character they are playing, but beyond this and because during this process of communication something much greater than the joy of recognition emerges. And these feelings are more like kinship, which is very important. It imparts a sense of joy and confidence. As they left the auditorium the audience, not wanting to say goodbye to the cast, took selfies!

So the theatre is looking at another way of holding intimate meetings in the green room. Artistic or poetry evenings may be held, evenings dedicated to the creative art of the performers, with some writing poetry, others painting, dancing, and so on. And a new project could grow from all this which could help the audience learn about other aspects of the life of the actors and about their career which are not linked directly with the stage. These are the theatre's plans for the short term this season. And that is not all it wants to offer its audience…