OPUS No.7
Laboratory of Dmitry Krymov, School of Dramatic Art, Moscow
Director Dmytry Krymov
Two performances created by set-designers.
Dmitry Krymov combines two completely different performances within one play.
Even after Anatoly Vasiliev left Russia his Moscow theatre continued in full swing, partly due to the fact that several years ago Vasiliev incorporated the Laboratory of Dmitry Krymov into his theatre.
Krymov is the son of the great Russian director Anatoly Efros. He is a professional set-designer but he has directed a number of plays as well. Several years ago he suggested that his set-designer students come up with their own productions. Later a group of young actors joined and the Laboratory of Dmitry Krymov became a newsmaker in the Moscow theatre world. Krymov describes the genre in which he and his set-designers are working as a “theatre of artists.”
Vera Martynova designed the first act of the performance entitled Genealogy, while the second half, Shostakovich, was designed by Maria Tregubova. These are very different productions united only by the young artists and actors’ mutual task – to express their opinions on global issues.
Genealogy describes human creation and its destruction and in this production Jewry is the main protagonist. Shostakovich is about a person, the great Soviet composer. Both productions are extremely inventive, although containing well-worn themes like the Holocaust and the fate of a genius in a totalitarian state, Krymov and his students are able to avoid using clichés and worn-out images. Nevertheless, each production contains a scene which remains imprinted in the mind forever. For example, the battle of tin pianos is played to the Invasion theme from the Leningrad Symphony. And at the beginning of Genealogy the brightly dressed actors splatter black ink from buckets on a cardboard Wailing Wall, before sticking rags to the black spots which turn into Jews. The actors then cut out the spots with knives trying to see the background and find out what is standing behind the shadows of the forefathers, but there is only a black hole from which a wind starts up sending pieces of paper and dry leaves blowing across the stage and the stunned audience.
Dmitry Krymov combines two completely different performances within one play.
Even after Anatoly Vasiliev left Russia his Moscow theatre continued in full swing, partly due to the fact that several years ago Vasiliev incorporated the Laboratory of Dmitry Krymov into his theatre.
Krymov is the son of the great Russian director Anatoly Efros. He is a professional set-designer but he has directed a number of plays as well. Several years ago he suggested that his set-designer students come up with their own productions. Later a group of young actors joined and the Laboratory of Dmitry Krymov became a newsmaker in the Moscow theatre world. Krymov describes the genre in which he and his set-designers are working as a “theatre of artists.”
Vera Martynova designed the first act of the performance entitled Genealogy, while the second half, Shostakovich, was designed by Maria Tregubova. These are very different productions united only by the young artists and actors’ mutual task – to express their opinions on global issues.
Genealogy describes human creation and its destruction and in this production Jewry is the main protagonist. Shostakovich is about a person, the great Soviet composer. Both productions are extremely inventive, although containing well-worn themes like the Holocaust and the fate of a genius in a totalitarian state, Krymov and his students are able to avoid using clichés and worn-out images. Nevertheless, each production contains a scene which remains imprinted in the mind forever. For example, the battle of tin pianos is played to the Invasion theme from the Leningrad Symphony. And at the beginning of Genealogy the brightly dressed actors splatter black ink from buckets on a cardboard Wailing Wall, before sticking rags to the black spots which turn into Jews. The actors then cut out the spots with knives trying to see the background and find out what is standing behind the shadows of the forefathers, but there is only a black hole from which a wind starts up sending pieces of paper and dry leaves blowing across the stage and the stunned audience.
Elena Kovalskaya
Dmitry Krymov is not a pompous, but delicate and attentive artist. He and his group manage the space not only architecturally, but figuratively. In his theatrical creations images are born not from the work of artist or his work with the role, but from the concentration of all internal forces of space, transformation of common stage and walls to the new dramatic substance. We can see after this process of transformation of the air to the new artistic reality. Every second we can’t suppose what will happen the next moment. Such delicate attitude to the world and worry of this world are increased by the intensive childishness of playing. And Shostakovich keeps his childishness, he transformed to the puppet, which is dandled by the other big puppet... We feel a tug at our heartstrings during the performance. Why is the country so cruel? Why does all the world come to such fanaticism? Why doesn’t exist love?
Last years theatre of Dmitry Krymov became a newsmaker in the artistic life of Moscow. The rare for the Russian dramatic space theatre of artist was created from the course of stage designers of GITIS. For this theatre a world plays subordinate role, the main thing is an image, a picture. “Opus No.7” is the last preem of theatre and one of the most brilliant events in theatrical autumn 2008.
Olga Galakhova,
newspaper “Nezavisimaya gazeta”
newspaper “Nezavisimaya gazeta”
Last years theatre of Dmitry Krymov became a newsmaker in the artistic life of Moscow. The rare for the Russian dramatic space theatre of artist was created from the course of stage designers of GITIS. For this theatre a world plays subordinate role, the main thing is an image, a picture. “Opus No.7” is the last preem of theatre and one of the most brilliant events in theatrical autumn 2008.
Alexandra Podolskaya,
magazine “Novoe vremya”
magazine “Novoe vremya”
