THE OPEN ART FESTIVAL «CHERRY ORCHARD» AND

THE STATE ACADEMIC VAKHTANGOV THEATERPROUDLY PRESENT:

April 11-12 – the first performance of the play after M. Bulgakov “BEG” (“Running”)

Director – Yury Butusov. Art director – Aleksandr Shishkin. Costume designer – Maksim Obrezkov. Lighting designer – Aleksandr Sivaev.

Actors engaged in this performance: Viktor Dobronravov, Sergei Yepishev, Ekaterina Kramzina, Olga Lerman, Artur Ivanov, Aleksandra Streltsyna, Valery Ushakov, Pavel Popov, Vasily Simonov, Andrei Zlobin and Ekaterina Nesterova.

The “Running” play is a hallmark work in Mikhail Bulgakov’s heritage. E.S. Bulgakova remembered: “It was Mikhail Afanasievich’s favorite play; he loved it like a mother loves her child.”

Valentin Kaverin has written about the play: “Running” destroys conventional boundaries of the genre; one moment it is a psychological drama, another it is a phantasmagoria almost completely discordant with realistic view of the outside world.”

The theatrical history of “Running” was not easy. After its rehearsals at Mkhat (Moscow Academic Art Theatre) had been banned in 1928, the question of staging “Running” was four times brought up at the sessions of Politburo. The authorities never allowed the second presentation – after “The Days of the Turbin Family” – of White Army officers as characters on the stage. The play was never staged within the author’s lifetime, which was “almost a catastrophe” for Mikhail Bulgakov. The first performance of “Running” took place only in 1957 in Stalingrad.

“This place actually has no theatrical history to mention. Seven of more or less known productions in 87 years is almost nothing. This fact is rather surprising, with account of the play being perceived as a masterpiece of this art. As it seems to me, the matter is not about its sharply critical social nature… but about a mysterious theatrical pattern, about the impossibility to find a stage equivalent to Bulgakov’s incredible remarks, and to the text itself delivered by the characters living in this play.

For instance, such remark as: “Rising to perilous heights…” What is it? Can it be acted? How? Yet how wonderful it is! No need to search for ground to produce the play in events of real life – this is a dead-end only narrowing the search and the topic.

“For me, “Running” is the state of a man awake from a dream where he was chased by nightmares and strange visions… and in the morning, he finds peace again… He is alone, everything is quiet, and his family sleeps in the next room… everything is all right… he is calm and happy…” Yuri Butusov.

Yuri Butusov has already meat Vakhtangov Theater actors before. In 2010 he produced “Measure for Measure” after William Shakespeare. The play was successfully shown in London at Shakespeare’s theater, the Globe, within the framework of the international festival of Shakespeare’s plays entitled “Globe to Globe” in 2012; this production was recognized as the favorite play of the London theatrical season.

The Open Art Festival «Cherry Orchard»and the Vakhtangov Theater are linked with close ties of friendship for many years. In 2011, Sergei Makovetsky was awarded “Creative Discovery” Prize in the memory of Oleg Yankovsky within the framework of the festival (for playing the part of Voynitsky in the performance “Uncle Vanya” produced by Rimas Tuminas); in 2013, director of choreography Angelika Kholina won another award for the play “Anna Karenina,” and in 2014 the award was given to Viktor Sukhorukov for playing the part of Avner Rosenthal in the performance”Smile At Us, Lord” produced by Rimas Tuminas.