Interview with Nikita Kobelev: it seems to me that the public always lacks strong experiences we managed to talk with director Nikita Kobelev, who recently released the premiere in

Interview with Nikita Kobelev: it seems to me that the public always lacks strong experiences

We managed to talk with director Nikita Kobelev, who recently released the premiere in the Mayakovsky Theater. “Tales of the Vienna Forest” is a new work of the young director based on the play by Eden von Horvat, not so famous for the general public in Russia.

– Nikita, you have the glory of the dramatic pioneer, in particular, for the theater. Mayakovsky. Tell us what your preferences are connected with? Do not like Chekhov and Ostrovsky?

– I rather like unintended material more, like the opportunity to tell a new story. Chekhov and Ostrovsky are wonderful authors, I have plans to someday touch them.

In fact, I do not try to choose something new on purpose; I just look, read a lot of plays. And, of course, something fresh, unknown is always interesting. The material is important to me, and I think a lot about it, it is important that he hurts me. For example, I read the text for the “Tales of the Vienna Forest” four years ago, but only now I put it. If during such a time the texts did not disappear from my head, but constantly attended nearby, and I returned to them in my thoughts, it means that they have something real.

In addition, it seems to me that some authors are worth opening here. We do not know about many beautiful texts, and it seems to me to introduce the viewer to them a very curious task. At least in order not to go to theaters around 5-6 main names, but still new plays arose.

“Tales of the Vienna Forest” is just a wonderful play, and was not implemented in Russia undeservedly, although it was translated in the 80s. Apparently her time has not yet arrived at that moment.

– Four years! You always keep the material on an internal check for so long?

-Sometimes it is just that you need to realize something. You read and understand that you are ready to put this right now. And there are texts with which you work gradually. For example, the man who took his wife for a hat.

– Yes, you surprised the audience with a staging of Oliver Sax. How will you surprise the audience with your new work?

– (laughs) It seems to me that the play von Horvat is very acute. She is about different generations-gives a holistic portrait of Viennese society on the threshold of fascism and the economic crisis of the 30s. And, of course, written with such black humor.

The text explores human nature and its crisis. Its transformations. When we took up work, the actors said that a lot in the play is in tune with what they are happening in their lives, what they think about ..

At the same time, there are a lot of associations and references in the play (some even see the echoes of the film “Dislike”), many layers: love, family, public, religious.And dramatic – the girl, the heroine of the play Marianne, moves from purity to darkness, due to various life circumstances.

How was the rehearsal process going? Did the actors manage to capture the characters right away?

– It took some time to figure out who will play whom. And after successful joint readings, everything went forward.

Was there a complete understanding?

“It never happens that everything goes very smoothly. And here the material itself presupposes a certain acting courage, expense. Yes, perhaps, in comparison with European trends, everything is quite restrained. But for us, for the Mayakovsky Theater, there are some sharp things that the actors have not done here yet.

– Do you think our audience will be ready to accept your performance?

“If I did everything thinking about whether the audience is ready to accept…
It seems to me that the public always lacks strong experiences. And if we manage to create these experiences, I will be glad. At the same time, I think there will be people who, like me, will be interested in different layers of the performance. I think there is a viewer who is waiting for such a theater.

– Do you remember the moment when you staged the first performance at the Mayakovsky Theater at the invitation of M. Karbauskis? Did you feel at the time that this story would have a sequel?

– When I felt that there was such an opportunity, I admitted to myself that I would like to stage more in this theater. We previously discussed with Mindagaus that if the performance is successful, there will be an opportunity to cooperate. And everything happened even before the premiere of “People's Love” – Mindaugas watched the run-through and offered to work further. This is how we have been working all these years.

– Remembering yourself at that moment, what can you say about yourself today? How has the director Nikita Kobelev changed? Has there been a creative transformation?

Let's give the public a chance to appreciate it.

– And who are you interested in as a director now? Whose work are you interested in seeing?

— This question is often asked. In recent years, I really like the work of a person who is banned from entering Russia, Alvis Hermanis. I saw his work not only here, but also in Riga. I like his sense of the theater, proportionality to a person and mild aggressiveness at the same time. I always look forward to the performances of Robert Lepage, Michael Thalheimer is also very interesting.

– Last season, the term “immersive” set the teeth on edge, there were many attempts to present this direction of theatrical art. Are you interested in this area?

– We did one performance – Decalogue – more of a promenade than an immersive theater.For me, the immersion theater in the attraction is located. Indeed, for the viewer this is a new experience, but what is it from the theater, and what about the attraction?

– Does the word attraction have a negative connotation here?

– Well, why, no. I just will not call a blockbuster copyright cinema. Although I watched the council of a little immersive performances to make a judgment, but nevertheless, it seems to me that in the form in which there is an immortal theater now, at least in Russia, this is an attraction where the form is more important than the content. The viewer does not go to him because he is interested in the topic, the game of actors or the director, but for the sake of new sensations. I see how people respond to this new form, for them this is interesting experience and experiences. But this is like a 3D ocher-they tried everything, but only James Cameron in Avatar managed to use competently. The rest tried to repeat, then everyone was tired, and everyone returned to 2D format. The attraction only in skillful hands becomes art.

– In the plans, apparently, you do not have such a form?

-There is no wrong one yet, but, for example, I am interesting, the promenade theater. Experience with the Decalogue turned out to be very curious. The performance is 3 hours and 40 minutes without an intermission. And people do not get tired-they are absolutely included in action, and in the final everyone always get up for some reason. That is, apparently, the form of transition from one scene to another turns off fatigue at some point.

“What do you think, could“ Tales … ”be suddenly immersive?”

– No I do not think so. Let there are many different places of action.

“A man who took his wife for a hat” could probably become a prospector. But, first of all, it is necessary to understand why to turn the performance into a fermentation. For the Decalogue, the task was to open the scene on the Sretenka, to “hold” people, as it were, the streets of this area, and, at the same time, the theater itself – therefore, this form turned out to be organic

– You said that you prefer to give time to the material to postpone in your head and you are ready to return to it if it is relevant. Are there any ideas for the future today?

-There are 2-3 ideas that I have in my head. I hope some of them come true next season.