48 hours in Moscow
July 12, 2012
World Shakespeare Festival Coordinator Niamh O'Flaherty visits Moscow to find out about A Midsummer Night's Dream (As You Like It). She guest- blogs about her experiences.
My week had been spent in the seventh circle of visa hell; first the dash to get last-minute tourist visas for Simon (RSC Lighting), Roger (RSC Stage) and I to make the flying visit to Moscow; followed by a crisis (of dramatic proportions) in the application process for the Russian company to get Entertainer Visitor Visas for their UK run in August.
By the time I landed at Domodedovo airport on Friday evening, the UKBA Head Office in Moscow and the British Council Russia were involved in an Olympic effort to smooth things out.
Welcome to Moscow! Добро пожаловать в Москву
We are greeted by our wonderful host from CIF (Chekhov International Festival), Irina, who reassures me that the complicated process suggested by the powers that be to unravel the visa crisis is acceptable to the company and I can rest easy once more.
The purpose of this trip is a to attend the second open dress rehearsal of A Midsummer Night's Dream (As You Like It) directed by Dmitry Krymov, darling director of the Chekhov International Festival. He and the company have just completed six months of rehearsals for the production which will play in our own Royal Shakespeare Theatre in August (10 – 18) and at the King's Theatre Edinburgh as part of Edinburgh International Festival (August 24 – 26). Simon, Roger and I are tasked with bringing back as much information about the production as possible…
On the journey from the airport, I am already getting the impression of a city that assails the senses and emits a vibrant and dynamic atmosphere. The streets are wide and there's a feeling of openness and space that allows the mind to create. It's no surprise that this city is a source of inspiration for the many brilliant and innovative theatre practitioners that inhabit it. A fact which is reinforced by the sheer volume of theatres in this city. There are almost 200 theatres in Moscow - indeed it seems that there is one on every street corner.
At the hotel, we are greeted by the Coordinator of CIF, another Irina, who is positively gleeful following the first open rehearsal of the production that afternoon. Her enthusiasm is contagious. It's full of surprises she tells me… and I'm soon to discover that is true.
Over food in CIF's local haunt - a wooden terraced eatery at the end of a narrow alleyway lined with artists' studios and theatre schools - we are regaled with tales about the production and the audiences reaction and revelations of new bits added in and, of course, the wonder of the performing puppy, Venya. We'd not considered a flight for the dog… can anyone recommend an airline that accepts acrobatic (and very charming) canines?
Day 2 begins with a break-of-dawn, whistle-stop guided tour of the city. Stanislavski's famous Moscow Art Theatre, the world-renowned Bolshoi ballet, iconic Red Square (which happened to be closed that morning to host a parade, which Irina informs us is to celebrate University graduates of 2012.
Any excuse for a celebration is acceptable in the current economic climate to lift the people's spirits) and finally the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour – an imposing, gilt-domed edifice which, no more than fifteen years ago, was the site of the world's largest open air swimming pool. The original church that stood in its place had been demolished during the Stalin regime and the Cathedral was rebuilt in 1994 as an exact replica of the destroyed original. No time to worship, we have a rendez vous with the technical team at noon.
Arriving at the venue, the Theatre School of Dramatic Art, Simon, Roger and I are greeted by the director Dmitry Krymov and his creative and technical team: Ivan, Vera, Kirill and Olga. Before the performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream (As You Like It) that evening, the hustle and bustle back-stage is both electric and eclectic. The twin acrobatic performers (Vladimir and Anatoliy Shustov) are practicing balancing holds with astounding concentration to a background buzz of opera signers warming up, the pitter patter of little ballerinas' points on the wooden floors, the composer sounding out new notes on a harpsichord and Venya bounding and yapping wildly to welcome his fellow performers.
The curtain goes up (or in this case, 'the tree comes in') and the show begins. This is a Dream unlike any we have seen before and the Russian audience is in raptures. Like 48 hours in a new city, it's a feast for the senses.
by Niamh O'Flaherty
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