See you later, Festival Voices of History!

Everyone left the stages of the festival and Voices of History came down again. The results of the XI International Theatre Festival were announced in Konstitorsky court yard of Vologda Kremlin 30 June 2012. During the week Vologda citizens and our guests could watch 16 stage plays including “Hamlet”, “Lady of Spades”, “Chernobil. The Chronicles of Fututre”, “Andrei Bogoljubsky”, “The Chronicles of Boris Godunov”, “Bernarda Alba’s House”, “Uncle’s Dream” and others. The participants of the festival were Russian State Academic Bolshoi Drama Theatre named by G.A.Tovstonogov and Drama studio Pushkin School of State Pushkin Drama Centre from St Petersburg, Kemerov Theatre for Children and Youth, Vladimir Academic Regional Drama Theatre, Producing centre OOO “OMITRA” (Moscow). The foreign guests were Theatre LTT Tübingen (Tübingen, Germany) and ARTEATRO (Bratislava, Slovakia).

This year all State theatres of Vologda demonstrated their works as well as Cherepovets Chamber Theatre and Vologda Chamber Theatre.

Vsevolod Tchubenko, the head of the Department of Culture and Protection of Vologda Cultural Heritage and Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation , said: “The Festival took place in spite of everything. Sometimes the organization committee had to take quite serious decisions. I hope all the participants remained satisfied with the reception and organization. At the beginning of the new theatre season we will get together with the organization committee, analyze the questions which occurred during the festival and will start getting ready for the new XII International Theatre Festival Voices of History.

One of the special features of the festival was absence of a competitive component. Nevertheless, theatres were not left without authoritative expert assessment taking into account participation of some famous Russian critics including a professor of Shepkin Theatre Institute , member of the expert council of the National Theatre Award and the festival Golden Mask Irina Holmogorova ; the head of the department of Screen and Stage weekly, member of the expert council of the National Theatre Award and the festival Golden Mask Ekaterina Dmitrievskaya; theatre critic, journalist, member of the jury of the National Theatre Award and the festival Golden Mask Vladimir Speshkov ( Chelyabinsk city); Honored Cultural Worker , associate professor of Perm State Institute of Art and Culture, member of the expert council of the National Theatre Award and the festival Golden Mask Tatiana TIkhonovets; assistant of the artistic director regarding literature aspect of Kazan Academic Russian Big Drama Theatre named after V.I.Kachalova; Honored Cultural Worker of Tatarstan Republic Dilyara Husainova and Moscow theatre expert Maria Berlova.
 

Also within the framework of the festival there were carried meetings with historians of theatre, teachers of famous Moscow Universities – Vidas Siljunas and Boris Ljibimov.

Vidas Siljunas shared his impressions about Voices of History: “ It is very pleasant that this festival lives although we understand that it happens during difficult times. It seems to be one of the best Russian festivals, this is the second time I take part in it and I’m in love with it for a long time already.”

For a week Konstitorsky court yard and Kremlin Pyatnitskaya Tower were turned into a center of Vologda theatre life. These stages were surprising the guests of the festival with their historical power, unusual aura and special acoustics. Vologda spectators also turned out to be a discovery for those who participated in the festival for the first time, their sensibility, love for the theatre and Festival Voices of History conquered the actors.

At the festival closing ceremony all the participants got diplomas. Not to offend against the tradition built upon many years, the best performances were awarded with the prizes of Vologda branch of Union of Theatre workers. “Vologda masks” were given to two theatres: prize named after A.V.Semenov “For assimilation of historical and architecture environment by means of theatre” was presented to ARTEATRO ( Bratislava, Slovakia) for the stage play “Bernarda Alba’s House”; prize named after A. P. Svobodin “For revealing a historical event by means of theatre” was given to Kemerov Theatre for Children and Youth for the stage play “the Return”. Moreover , in nomination “Young and classics” head of Vologda city Evgeny Shulepov honored with special prizes the actors of Vologda order Mark of Honor of State Drama theatre Dmitry Bichkov and Nikolai Akulov ( for roles of Hamlet and Claudius in the play Hamlet) and actress Alena Danchenko ( for the role of Assol in the stage play Scarlet Sails). The prize “For bold choice of the topic for the play” was given by Evgeny Shulepov to LTT Tübingen “Chernobil. The Chronicles of Future”.