conversations in ten questions 3 : Victor Ryzhakov (Theatre of Nations) - Iranian Conference
In this series of interviews we try to get to know the directors/choreographers who will be the international guests at the 23rd Istanbul Theatre Festival in November 2019. Our third guest is Victor Ryzhakov.
Ayse Draz & Mehmet Kerem Ozel
Art Unlimited Performing Arts Editor & Writer
[The Turkish translation of this interview is published and can be accessed on art.unlimited]
What is the spirit of theatre in your opinion? How do you define contemporary theatre today?
I do not have an answer, never even thought about it. But ... if a human being has a soul, then the Man is the spirit and the greatest value of the theatre. If we take Theatre as a model of the World, then Man in this world is the host of warmth and spirituality that he receives from Nature and the Universe. And his purpose then is to preserve this as the only quality that gives him a privilege over other living beings. The Theatre – all the more, contemporary theatre, despite the diversity of its forms that may sometimes be even uncomfortable, is one of the few places where one can find salvation. To warm up the soul and the heart, to re-examine one’s human and spiritual values.
Do you believe in the transformative power of art? How?
No, art cannot save or change the world. But a person always has a chance to remain a human being, to keep something of utter importance by experiencing the art! The Art is always about what we feel, about what is deeply hidden inside of us.
When you consider the current state of the world in every sense, what is the most important and urgent issue for you as an artist?
How to survive, how to stay alive, to withstand the distraught pragmatic material world and, at the same time, remain a human being. And I absolutely mean it! It seems to me that this is exactly what all of them, living in different times - Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Shakespeare, Chekhov and Vyrypaev and all my great colleagues, the icons of the theatre: Konstantin Stanislavsky, Jerzy Grotovsky, Tadeusz Kantor, Peter Brook, Bob Wilson contemplated on: "To be or not to be ?!" Am I not right?
When you are working on a piece, what sources inspire you? Do dreams play a role in your works?
If I did not have a dream, I wouldn’t exist (laughter) I get inspired by other people, those that I know and those unknown to me, those whom I love and those whom I don’t, distant and close ones, alive and dead, unhappy and happy, those who live their lives as mediocrities or those working hard to make their own lives ... people and their stories, their interactions in life ...
When do you decide to give a title to a work you are working on if it already does not have one?
This is an endless process, taking place at the same time with creating a theatre piece; this is always a search for something unknown. Rehearsals are required only to search for the unfamiliar, unexplored but very magnetic. This is what resides beyond knowledge. The decision on the title comes to you in the most unpredictable way and, inexplicably, always at different periods of work. Either you immediately know the title, or somebody brings it to you “on the tongue”, or it only bestows on you at the last moment. There is such an expression: “as you call a boat so it will float”. That is why we cast spells, rehearse and search.
What’s your favourite line or moment in this performance, and why?
I do have a favorite moment! When I hear the last line of a performance or the last chord of music, and there are a few more seconds of silence before the curtain comes downs or the lights get blacked out. When there comes complete silence. Even before the applause. The silence between the stage and the auditorium! When all of us – the actors, the audience and those who are behind the curtains - become, as it were, one whole, bound together by one secret.
The favourite line from this play (“Iranian Conference”) is: “I want to be liked by other women in the street”. It is said Igor Gordin, an outstanding actor, who plays the role of scientist Daniel Christensen. It is at this moment that I feel as if he is speaking somewhere inside of me and these words for some reason give me tickles and fun. This is an inexplicable feeling.
Are there many contemporary playwrights in Russia that produce interesting and provocative work?
I think playwrights are very special people. They are unlike us, completely different. Among the playwrights there are a lot of wonderful, talented people who write interesting stories containing many important thoughts, events and topics. I like to read various texts and read endlessly - both provocative and not provocative, sad and funny, sometimes I get upset, some texts make me freeze from excitement and ...... I continue to read. And I always believe that soon the names of these playwrights will become well known.
What were the challenges of bringing a conference format unto the stage? How did you go about it?
But we did not bring any format on stage! We decided to organize a real conference. After all, conferences are held in auditoriums, with speakers, opponents and so on. And they do speak from the stage, standing on a rostrum. So first we held such a conference at our joint meetings (there are altogether 24 actors involved in the production). But more often, these mini-conferences were of an individual, private nature. That is, I involved one of the actors, in turn, in a one-on-one discussion, and we argued about issues that were of a real concern to us. At the same time, our disputes and discussions continues in social networks (we created a group on Facebook), where we exchanged thoughts and information, documents and facts. And one week before the opening night, we began to prepare ourselves for a real meeting with a real audience who were voluntary or involuntary participants in the discourse. We organized and held the conference for that very audience at the Theatre of Nations. And we managed to bring our message across. A dialogue was established, and, in my opinion, it was a useful one. More often than not, the audience does not remain indifferent (almost no one leaves the house) and are happy to have participated in "Iranian Conference".
The title of the piece refers to Iran but is it actually about the “East”? How is the relationship of the West to the East is interpreted in the piece?
In my opinion, this relationship is interpreted in the same way as human relationships. It is about our efforts to hear and understand each other - it is hard, but we keep trying!
Is there anything in particular you want to tell people before they see this show? Is there anything particular you would like to tell the Istanbul audience?
By all means, try to join our conference, and no matter what happens in your life, make sure to be happy. Do your best!
Ayse Draz & Mehmet Kerem Ozel
Art Unlimited Performing Arts Editor & Writer
[The Turkish translation of this interview is published and can be accessed on art.unlimited]
What is the spirit of theatre in your opinion? How do you define contemporary theatre today?
I do not have an answer, never even thought about it. But ... if a human being has a soul, then the Man is the spirit and the greatest value of the theatre. If we take Theatre as a model of the World, then Man in this world is the host of warmth and spirituality that he receives from Nature and the Universe. And his purpose then is to preserve this as the only quality that gives him a privilege over other living beings. The Theatre – all the more, contemporary theatre, despite the diversity of its forms that may sometimes be even uncomfortable, is one of the few places where one can find salvation. To warm up the soul and the heart, to re-examine one’s human and spiritual values.
Do you believe in the transformative power of art? How?
No, art cannot save or change the world. But a person always has a chance to remain a human being, to keep something of utter importance by experiencing the art! The Art is always about what we feel, about what is deeply hidden inside of us.
When you consider the current state of the world in every sense, what is the most important and urgent issue for you as an artist?
How to survive, how to stay alive, to withstand the distraught pragmatic material world and, at the same time, remain a human being. And I absolutely mean it! It seems to me that this is exactly what all of them, living in different times - Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Shakespeare, Chekhov and Vyrypaev and all my great colleagues, the icons of the theatre: Konstantin Stanislavsky, Jerzy Grotovsky, Tadeusz Kantor, Peter Brook, Bob Wilson contemplated on: "To be or not to be ?!" Am I not right?
When you are working on a piece, what sources inspire you? Do dreams play a role in your works?
If I did not have a dream, I wouldn’t exist (laughter) I get inspired by other people, those that I know and those unknown to me, those whom I love and those whom I don’t, distant and close ones, alive and dead, unhappy and happy, those who live their lives as mediocrities or those working hard to make their own lives ... people and their stories, their interactions in life ...
When do you decide to give a title to a work you are working on if it already does not have one?
This is an endless process, taking place at the same time with creating a theatre piece; this is always a search for something unknown. Rehearsals are required only to search for the unfamiliar, unexplored but very magnetic. This is what resides beyond knowledge. The decision on the title comes to you in the most unpredictable way and, inexplicably, always at different periods of work. Either you immediately know the title, or somebody brings it to you “on the tongue”, or it only bestows on you at the last moment. There is such an expression: “as you call a boat so it will float”. That is why we cast spells, rehearse and search.
What’s your favourite line or moment in this performance, and why?
I do have a favorite moment! When I hear the last line of a performance or the last chord of music, and there are a few more seconds of silence before the curtain comes downs or the lights get blacked out. When there comes complete silence. Even before the applause. The silence between the stage and the auditorium! When all of us – the actors, the audience and those who are behind the curtains - become, as it were, one whole, bound together by one secret.
The favourite line from this play (“Iranian Conference”) is: “I want to be liked by other women in the street”. It is said Igor Gordin, an outstanding actor, who plays the role of scientist Daniel Christensen. It is at this moment that I feel as if he is speaking somewhere inside of me and these words for some reason give me tickles and fun. This is an inexplicable feeling.
Are there many contemporary playwrights in Russia that produce interesting and provocative work?
I think playwrights are very special people. They are unlike us, completely different. Among the playwrights there are a lot of wonderful, talented people who write interesting stories containing many important thoughts, events and topics. I like to read various texts and read endlessly - both provocative and not provocative, sad and funny, sometimes I get upset, some texts make me freeze from excitement and ...... I continue to read. And I always believe that soon the names of these playwrights will become well known.
What were the challenges of bringing a conference format unto the stage? How did you go about it?
But we did not bring any format on stage! We decided to organize a real conference. After all, conferences are held in auditoriums, with speakers, opponents and so on. And they do speak from the stage, standing on a rostrum. So first we held such a conference at our joint meetings (there are altogether 24 actors involved in the production). But more often, these mini-conferences were of an individual, private nature. That is, I involved one of the actors, in turn, in a one-on-one discussion, and we argued about issues that were of a real concern to us. At the same time, our disputes and discussions continues in social networks (we created a group on Facebook), where we exchanged thoughts and information, documents and facts. And one week before the opening night, we began to prepare ourselves for a real meeting with a real audience who were voluntary or involuntary participants in the discourse. We organized and held the conference for that very audience at the Theatre of Nations. And we managed to bring our message across. A dialogue was established, and, in my opinion, it was a useful one. More often than not, the audience does not remain indifferent (almost no one leaves the house) and are happy to have participated in "Iranian Conference".
The title of the piece refers to Iran but is it actually about the “East”? How is the relationship of the West to the East is interpreted in the piece?
In my opinion, this relationship is interpreted in the same way as human relationships. It is about our efforts to hear and understand each other - it is hard, but we keep trying!
Is there anything in particular you want to tell people before they see this show? Is there anything particular you would like to tell the Istanbul audience?
By all means, try to join our conference, and no matter what happens in your life, make sure to be happy. Do your best!
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