"EVEN EVIL CHARACTERS HAVE OWN TRUTH"

He came to the theatre in November 1994 as a last-year student of the University of Culture and Arts coached by the People’s Artist of Azerbaijan, Fuad Poladov. His first appearance gave an impression of a Soviet official from the recent past due to his formal suit with a tie and a black suitcase, which he would never part with—not a typical dress code for a theatrical persona. Once recommended by his Master, he stayed there forever remaining a loyal and faithful servant of Melpomene as taught by his teachers.

He believes that those who claim that gifted people do not need theatrical education are mistaken. A drama school is a focal point where one acquires the knowledge and laws of theatrical ethics; which instils love and devotion to the chosen profession forever. That's what Magsud Mammadov’s teachers passed on to him. He still remembers them with a deep sense of love and gratitude.

Now he is an actor of the Samed Vurgun State Academic Russian Drama Theatre and the Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan. He has a rich portfolio of characters played at different times in various comedies, dramas and tragedies staged by Alexander Sharovsky, Irana Taghizadeh, and Boris Lukinsky. He turns 50 years old in mid-April.

"Shafiga Mammadova taught us how to love life, freedom of expression and helped us develop creativity in acting. Shahmar Alakbarov taught us how to understand and appreciate the words, explaining that each of them, in addition to original meaning, contains overtones that define the attitude of characters to the situation, problem or another character. Fuad Poladov taught us how to love our profession, while revealing the depths of psychological details that shape living and recognisable characters on any stage. It was the research of a character that has mesmerised us, his students, so that it determined our professional destiny for many years to come."

"How did you learn 'magnetism' in practice?"

"As a teacher, Fuad Poladov has never practiced authoritarianism. On the contrary, he encouraged an independent study of the nuances of human nature. If one of us would go in the wrong direction, he used to suggest calmly, without raising his voice and criticism that we review our explanation in a context similar to the original idea of the author. By encouraging us to research a human nature by means of analytical tools, he used to make us the co-authors of play. We were his colleagues rather than students. This approach was both inspiring us professionally and making us feel the joy of discovery, the understanding that the research process can be endless, even after playing the role for more than one year! I understood this thanks to Poladov, while rehearsing The Cherry Orchard, and later playing the role of Shapur in Alexander Sharovsky's Farhad and Shirin."

"Did he theoretically focus your attention on these nuances during the rehearsals?"

"No. it was a practical learning process. We used to rehearse together. He had an episodic role of an old streetwalker living by alms and with a single line, which he constantly repeats. But throughout the entire production, the Master would rehearse with us adding some extra details to his character making him more expressive and interesting with each rehearsal. Then I realised how we should care about acting, how unique a profession it is, and what respect and admiration it deserves. I am grateful to my Master and regret that we could not work together in the same play."

"How come? You both were together in Eddie Carbone, Ghosts Among Us, Widows' Comforter, Inaccessible..."

"That's right, we were together. But our characters have never met in any of the scenes. So, my dream to interact with the Master on stage as a partner did not come true. We were near, but not together. Even during his last performance, The Blisses. Our characters were again just near. I do regret about that!"

"Why could not you collaborate in The Secret Taken by Genghis Khan?"

"Because Fuad Poladov was rehearsing the role of Hamlet at the National Drama Theatre. Actually, he had two roles in …Genghis Khan: a bad guy Zhalma and a good guy Kairkhan. It was an interesting and unforgettable experience of immersion in different human characters, which helped me learn from the Master!"

"What was so interesting and unforgettable in this experience?"

"As I said above, it was a chance to practice the results of analysis, comparison and search for causes and effects pushing any person to a particular action. In …Genghis Khan, it was necessary to instantly 'flow' from one character to another (the villain!) and vice versa. Frankly, it was not an easy and fascinating thing to do. But it was hell of an encouraging experience!"

"You play negative characters and often give an impression of an actor with negative charm. But you probably dreamed about playing romantic heroes when you were a student..."

"No. When I first came to theatre, I was aware that an actor should play every role offered by the director and theatre. Master used to tell us the same. I was not upset at all when I began with playing negative characters. I am convinced that negative characters are much deeper, and more interesting than the positive ones. They are open for endless research. One just needs to figure what made him or her a 'negative' person.

"Which of your eighty roles are your favourite ones?"

"I like Shoklu Melik in Burla Khatun, but I could not complete this character. He has many features that I have not discovered and understood yet, hence I could not play him the way I would like to. I also love my Shapur in Farhad and Shirin. I believe I could find and study the nature of the character so well that every time I step on the stage I become energised, as the nature of the cause-and-effect relations of his thoughts, feelings, and actions encourages me."

"You are going to leave half of your lifetime and twenty five years of your professional life behind soon. Is there a character you would like to play on the stage?"

"I have never had such a dream before. But almost seven years ago, I began thinking about Macbeth. And do you know what is the most appealing thing in his character? I have always wondered which factors made this noble man and successful commander to succumb to moral corruption, what broke his soul, when it made a U-turn toward the Evil? I find all these questions infinitely interesting..."

"Perhaps that's why you've been interested in directing lately…"

"I do not think it's the only reason. Most likely I become increasingly interested in psychological and physical interaction of characters, manifestation of human nature in different situations as imagined by the playwright."

"Does this explain your reputation of an 'inconvenient actor' who is known for offering his own interpretation to directors?"

"Absolutely not! I do not interfere with the production idea. I am only trying to re-interpret my character, which I discuss with the director during rehearsals. That is why I often argue with directors about the behaviour of my hero in a given situation, motif of his actions. Certainly, I sometimes want to do everything on my own, but as an actor I understand that the will and the rules set by the director is above all."

"Yet you'll argue till the end…"

"No, up until the director can convince me that I am wrong."

"Is it possible to stage a play without a director?"

"No, this is a nonsense. It is simply impossible. You can ask Sharovsky, and he will tell you the same. It only seems that one can take any play and just stage it. No matter how great the actors are, the performance will fail without consistent thoughts and touches of production director, who links the ideas to shape a final image. One can still get top-notch characters played by professional actors, but not a story that can be called a play! Only the power of director's thoughts can combine both dramaturgy and actors in a way that will present the audience an interesting version of the play. We can talk about unprofessional directors who cannot express their thoughts on the stage, but not about their absence."

"Perhaps you mean a superficial performance based solely on the professionalism of actors?"

"I don’t know... I didn’t think about this definition. But maybe you are right."

"It seems you do not acknowledge opinion shapers, or public images, if you wish, including professional ones. Why?

"Not at all. I have spent half of my adult life next to such professionals as Yura Baliyev and Asker Rahimov. It was impossible not to learn from their experience. I have studied them scrupulously. We used to talk a lot about theatre and art. Thanks God this was not a time wasted. How can we fail to acknowledge the professional authority of Sharovsky, who has so much experience and knowledge? I am still a student. It is true that we often argue at rehearsals, but it does not mean that I do not recognise his professional accomplishments. It would be silly! Dispute are a powerful tool to search for truth. This is a normal case in art, especially on stage."

"You are going to celebrate your anniversary soon. What would you like to wish for yourself?"

"I have three daughters. I just wish each of them success in this life, including professional development. I wish them realise their dreams, as well as their human and professional potentials. I also wish myself success in realising my own creative dream."

"Do you mean Macbeth?"

"Not only. I mean the sculptural image of ​​eternal actor or artist, if you wish. Once upon a time, when Mikado, Pall Mall, and later BRT were active theatres in Baku, there was a sculpture near our theatre, which looked like the Turandot near the Vakhtangov Theatre (in Russia, R+). You can still see it on old photos. So, I thought it would be nice to have the Eternal Artist in front of our theatre. It would attract the attention of viewers and tourists..."

In 1918-1920, there was a club called Pall Mall operating as a private theatre inside the Mikado Cinema. Until the summer of 1924, it was called the State Theatre of Russian Drama directed by A. V. Polonsky. In the summer of 1924, the People's Commissariat of Education of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) decided to make the building a property of the Baku Workers Theatre (BRT). According to the decree of the Council of People's Commissars of Azerbaijan SSR dated January 24, 1937, the same theatre was renamed the Azerbaijan State Red Banner Theatre of Russian Drama. Since June 11, 1956, the Theatre of Russian Drama has become known as the Samed Vurghun Azerbaijan State Russian Drama Theatre, R+.

"Your theatre has received a status of an academic theatre (an honorary title awarded to the biggest and oldest state theatres in the former Soviet countries, R+). What would you like to wish for your colleagues?"

"First, I would like to thank our president, who has made the dream of many generations of actors, loyal and faithful servants of the art of theatre for many decades. I wish my colleagues and myself being professionally more demanding to ourselves. Managing a creative team and theatrical process in general is very difficult. Every single day is a clash with human ambitions, high expectations, emotions, and passions, which sometimes are not reasonable at all. It is very difficult to be every day in the same boat called "theatre" with people of creative professions! That is why I wish our director and chief director patience, endurance, wisdom and flexibility. And most importantly, I wish them good health to bear with us all!"