Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –
Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –
The Moscow Sovremennik Theatre hosted the premiere of the play “The Ark” based on the play by playwright Oleg Antonov, which was created based on the diary of Anne Frank, one of the most famous documents exposing the horrors of Nazism and the Holocaust. “Ark” In the reading of directors Yana Sekste and Alexey Usoltsev, it takes on a new, alarmingly relevant sound, becoming not just another adaptation, but a powerful statement about humanity in an inhuman world.
The attic is like a small universe
The spatial solution of the Ark radically changes the audience experience. On the Other Stage of Sovremennik, the audience surrounds the actors from all sides, creating the effect of a tight, closed space. This technique by the artist Sergei Skornetsky turns the audience into silent witnesses of what is happening, makes them feel the claustrophobia caused by life in the attic, which in two years has become an entire world for the forced residents. Special attention should be paid to the lighting solutions, creating the effect of a grid and symbolically emphasizing the imprisonment of the heroes.
“This venue provides the opportunity for complete immersion,” notes Vladimir Mashkov, artistic director of the Sovremennik Theatre and the Moscow Oleg Tabakov Theatre. The actors admit that they were initially afraid of this format. “When there are spectators around, you feel like you are in this closed space, like in a cage. But this oppressive feeling from all sides helps a lot,” shares her impressions Olga Rodina, who plays the role of Augusta van Daan.
The directors and playwright did a great deal of research, paying particular attention to recreating the everyday details of life in the shelter: clothing, household items, food – everything was reconstructed based on Anne Frank’s diary entries.
What the Ark says: Man and love versus fear
Unlike traditional productions based on Anne Frank’s diary, here the focus is not on a chronicle of events, but on an exploration of feelings and relationships. The central theme is the budding first love between Anne (Maria Shumilova) and Peter (Nikita Tabunshchik) – the very thought of which, according to survivors, warmed them even in the concentration camp.
The parallel in the title of the play with the biblical story is not accidental and is revealed in the production on different levels. Vladimir Mashkov explains it this way: “We wanted to tell, first of all, the story of love, love even in the most monstrous circumstances. We wanted to follow this life in the attic, in the ark that is heading to Earth. And they are with us, these two young creatures, like a dream, like those two doves that brought the olive branch.”
The creators abandoned the original title of the play, “Shelter,” because of the depth of the metaphor. “It seems to me that a shelter is where you need to hide. And the ark is where we will go,” adds Vladimir Lvovich. Semantic subtleties give the story a universal resonance: humanity is always in search of salvation, its “promised land.”
“We are not playing theater – we are looking for the truth on stage.” Sovremennik – 69
War outside and within the walls
However, Yana Sekste and Aleksey Usoltsev do not create a cozy world in rosy tones. On the contrary, the production emphasizes the conflicts that corrode the “ark” from within. Quarrels over crumbs of bread, jealousy, attempts to maintain dignity in inhuman conditions – all demonstrate the versatility of human nature. Vladimir Mashkov reflects on this: “Technology, economics, lifestyle have changed – a lot has changed. But man has remained a weak, frightening or strong and heroic man, and has remained a man forever.”
At the culmination of the play, a prophetic and even shocking phrase is heard: “We are not afraid of the Nazis, we will destroy ourselves!” These words, like a leitmotif, emphasize: the main threat is not outside the walls, but inside. The play, even taking into account the historical basis, becomes not just a reminder of the tragedy of the past, but also a warning about the fragility of humanity in the modern world.
“After what we experienced in the middle of the 20th century, it is impossible to believe that we could find ourselves on this cycle again. But it happened,” says director Yana Sekste. The play “The Ark” is an important act of preserving collective memory. This idea is confirmed by Vladimir Mashkov: “There is no death if we remember, if we believe and try to live like people.”
Theatrical unity of individuality
“The Ark” became a unique project that united the creative forces of three groups – “Sovremennik”, the Theatre and the Oleg Tabakov School. Vladimir Lvovich emphasizes: “This is what we talked about at the very beginning of the season, about the unity of individuals. This is the first work that shows how much people of different ages, different theatres, but united by one idea, can cooperate.”
Maria Shumilova, a student at the Oleg Tabakov Theatre School, plays Anna with astonishing sincerity. In her performance, the frightened 13-year-old girl is neither a martyr nor an icon, but a living teenager, with age-related contradictions, dreams and hopes. The actress conveys the transformation of the heroine, who lives a whole life in 25 months in the attic, literally growing up before the audience’s eyes.
Alexander Khovansky, as the main character’s father, Otto Frank, embodies the image of a steadfast “ship captain” whose inner strength allows the family to hold on to the last. In her diary, Anne Frank, through the prism of her own family’s history, managed to unite millions of broken destinies, and each character in the production creates such a distinctive, yet multifaceted image that viewers see not characters, but living, far from ideal people trying to survive.
“Don’t Be Sad, Tomorrow the Sun Will Rise”: Hope and Pain in the Finale of “The Ark”
“The Ark” becomes a kind of test of compassion, of understanding the value of every life. The emotional ending leaves no chance not to be moved – even the actors cannot cope with the lump in their throat. “When portraits of real people are shown, music, they say who died where, I sit and cry – I still can’t do anything with myself,” shares Alexander Khovansky.
The last phrase of the play: “Don’t be sad, tomorrow the sun will rise again” completely destroys attempts to hold back tears. There is no happy ending, which you want to believe in until the very end, even in the theatrical production, but it is part of the path that everyone must go through. “A person goes to the point where he truly understands that he is a person and that there really are forces that are greater than fear, and that is love,” concludes Vladimir Mashkov.
“The Ark” is a complex, painful, but necessary theatrical statement. This is a performance about how even the most monstrous circumstances cannot take away a person’s ability to love. And as long as this ability is alive, the person himself is alive.
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