WHEN THE STREET BECOMES THE STAGE

In the Strugatskiy brothers satirical novel "Limping Fate" there was a kind of strange apparatus called an "izpital" which measured a writer's talent, and all kinds of writers and poets formed a queue wanting to prove that "I, a writer Ivanov, am a genius, but you, a writer Petrov, are not". Alas, this apparatus remained an object of the author's fantasy. After all, there are no objective criteria which can distinguish true talent. Neither titles issued by the state nor diplomas are such criteria. But who are the judges? Who can judge culture without giving their own subjective opinion?

These are young people, half of whom are professional actors, and the other half amateurs who have neither titles nor diplomas to back up their involvement in the arts. They are young men and women with extravagant make-up carrying musical instruments. They bring joy with them. "Baku Theatre Workshop" is a project in which young people put on street shows for the residents of old courtyards and residential areas.

"Baku's Big-Top"

They hadn't met before but now they have been brought together by a common interest in an original idea and a general desire to bring joy to people. There is something of the strolling theatre in what they do - they go back a long way and used to travel from town to town. The difference is they are usually in Baku and only rarely go out to the regions, and also the fact that the only payment they get for their art is the gratitude and applause of the spectators. For their performances the "Baku Theatre Workshop" chooses parts of the city where the people do not often go to the theatre. The casual spectators are usually teenagers and housewives, but also older people and local shop owners. However, at times the "Workshop" is invited to perform "officially", as happened, for example, last summer when the French Cultural Centre sponsored their performance in Icheri Sheher [Icari Sahar; Baku's Old Town], a favourite place for tourists and local lovers. On this occasion, of course, there were far more spectators, as well as television cameras. Generally speaking, "everything was serious and grown up". Although when have these strolling artistes ever wanted to be grown up and serious?

Their brief performances have almost always had a philosophical sub-text which is hard for the occasional and utterly unprepared spectator to appreciate. One can only guess at it and sense it on an intuitive level. But even if you can't delve into their secret thoughts it is still a very beautiful and very touching spectacle - sensuous movements, beautiful music…There is a peculiar keen frailty and sincerity in all this which can pierce even bullet-proof body armour. So it is probably not surprising that the artistes of the "Workshop" have never once been dragged away by the scruff of the neck. Although they easily could have - these suburban areas are not too keen on intruders, especially people they are not used to or seem a bit strange to them.

"We operate on the principle 'If people don't go to the theatre, then the theatre will come to them'. It's just that we make life in our city a little more interesting," Aygul Salehova, one of the people behind this project, said in an interview for R+. "To be honest, it was all a bit frightening at first, because it's hard to guess how the public will react, especially in the outlying areas." Aygul recalls that they were met with approval from their very first performance, and after seeing the happy smiles on people's faces they knew they had to carry on. "The kids particularly love us - they are drawn to the weird costumes and make-up," Aygul says. "They often join us and we welcome them."

Sincere, bold and selfless

21-year old Aygul took up this venture two years ago when she took part in a series of management training courses on social projects. When exchanging ideas she suddenly found herself a friend with the same ideas and they decided to create a street theatre group. First she "hunted" for other participants - not just talented and adventurous people, but also those who were selfless, who would go around the suburbs for nothing, for the pure love of art. We were lucky enough to find such "volunteers" among the students of the Arts University and the theatrical group of the Baku Slavonic University.

That was when professionals joined the amateur actors.  They found musicians in the musical academy, and when it came to directors they were incredibly fortunate - directors and choreographers from the "Iukh" Theatre of Pantomime and Experimental Theatre agreed to help them. Thus the half-professional, half-amateur troupe was cobbled together. Although, according to Aygul, "as the play progresses" even amateurs turn into professionals.

"In time we want to create a real workshop where professional actors and other lovers of street art can perform," Aygul says. "But for now we are trying to perform as often as we can, although it is not that easy…We can put on two or three shows a season, each of which we put on 3-4 times in different areas."

The "Baku Theatre Workshop" now has a fairly diverse repertoire. "Whereas last year we showed just pantomime, this year we have started to put on shows with dance elements. But they still only last for no more than 15 minutes," Aygul says.

The "Workshop's" shows are incredibly beautiful and wholehearted. Even when there are no words in them they make ordinary people who have never seen theatre think about something important and they give them a sense of beauty.