Shukshin's prose on stage: Theatre of Nations and Alvis Hermanis present!

By purchasing tickets for the play "Shukshin's Stories", you will get a chance to immerse yourself in the unique theatrical world created by Hermanis. This is not just a stage adaptation, but a profound study of the spirit of Vasily Shukshin's works. Viewers will be able to enjoy not only the acting skills, but also the unique depth and sincerity of the characters that the writer depicted in his stories with such warmth and understanding.

The play is based on ten selected works by the author: "Stepkina's Love", "Boots", "Microscope", "I Beg Your Pardon, Madam", "Ignakha Has Arrived", "Fingerless", "The Wife Saw Her Husband Off to Paris", "The Stem", "The Old Woman Saw Her Mother Off on Sunday" and "Styopka". The script, written by the director together with playwright Roman Dolzhansky, was the result of deep ethnographic research. In order to immerse themselves in the atmosphere and truth of life described by Shukshin, the troupe went to Altai, the writer’s homeland. There they talked to relatives and descendants of those people who became prototypes of the heroes of Shukshin’s short stories.

Hermanis’s unique style is evident in the minimalist yet impressive set design. The action takes place against the backdrop of simple portable structures decorated with large black-and-white photographs, possibly taken during a trip to Altai. The central element of the stage is an ordinary wooden bench, on which the heroes of various stories appear one after another. This apparent modesty of the scenery is a brilliant artistic device: it does not distract the viewer’s attention from the main thing – the human soul and the subtlest nuances of acting.

The stories follow one another like frames of a film or pages of a book. Each story is a complete novella with a new, detailed character. Their characters, outwardly simple and close to the people, are revealed with incredible psychological depth. Not only the dramaturgy, but also the special training of the cast played an important role in this process.

The result of painstaking work was a phenomenal acting transformation. The actors transform from one story to another so organically that the viewer sometimes cannot recognize the same performers in different roles. The performance turns into a fascinating journey through the Russian outback with its joys, sorrows, humor and philosophy, skillfully conveyed in the language of theater.

Don't miss the opportunity to see this legendary production!