More than 30 young performers from nine countries will present an experimental multicultural project dedicated to Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, directed by Vladimir Pankov, at the World Youth Festival in Sochi.
On 2 March 2024 at 18:00, the Science and Art Park "Sirius" will host a highlight of the Cultural Programme of the World Youth Festival in Sochi: a performance of the experimental multicultural production "Chekhov" , created by the Laboratory for Young Directors from the CIS Countries, which was organised by the International Confederation of Theatre Unions with the support of the Interstate Fund for Humanitarian Cooperation of the CIS Member States (IFHC) as part of the 16th International Chekhov Theatre Festival. The Laboratory was led by Vladimir Pankov, Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation and Artistic Director of the Centre for Drama and Directing. The teaching team included Artyom Kim, Ekaterina Kislova and Sergey Rodyukov. The participants were 34 actors and musicians from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The premiere performances took place on 22 and 23 June 2023 in Moscow, at the Centre for Drama and Directing on Povarskaya Street.
The performances in Sochi are supported by the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives.
About the production
"Chekhov" is a vivid example of cross‑cultural communication. The work realised an important objective: to preserve a shared cultural space and exchange theatrical experience. Under the direction of Vladimir Pankov, the Laboratory participants immersed themselves in a unique method of bringing Russian classical literature to the theatre stage. Representatives of different countries, bearers of different cultures and languages, came together to create an original production. The experiment drew on five short stories by A.P. Chekhov: "The Man in a Case" , "The Black Monk" , "The Mirror" , "Sleepy" and "Rothschild's Violin". The director commented: "We did not pursue a plot‑driven approach – it is more of an associative reflection on Chekhov. We chose Anton Pavlovich simply because he is 'our everything': I believe that Chekhov and Shakespeare in theatre are like folklore and classical music – two foundations. A speaker of another language, another culture, another individuality discovers the familiar – in this case, Chekhov – in a completely different way." Nine participating countries – nine languages. Each performer delivers the text of the Russian classic in their native language. At the same time, Russian remains for all not only a means of communication but also the meaning‑making foundation of the project.
About the International Confederation of Theatre Unions
The International Confederation of Theatre Unions (ICTU) is a non‑governmental creative union of theatrical public associations from different countries (successor to the USSR Union of Theatre Workers since 1992). The ICTU has implemented more than 35 international projects. Its main strategic focus is the implementation of various programmes for young creative professionals from the post‑Soviet countries. The ICTU is a founder of the International Chekhov Theatre Festival in Moscow.
About the Festival
The World Youth Festival is the largest youth event in the world, taking place by decree of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, from 1 to 7 March 2024 at the federal territory "Sirius". The Festival will welcome 20,000 young Russian and international leaders in business, media, international cooperation, culture, science, education, volunteering and charity, sports, various spheres of public life, as well as teenagers representing children's organisations and associations.