The so-called government of the DNR issued an ultimatum to the administrations of the Donetsk Theater of Music and Drama, Puppet Theater, Donbass Opera, and Philharmonic Society: either they start to work, or their premises will be expropriated. You cannot argue at gunpoint, so the following announcements appeared on the Internet:
“Because of numerous appeals of the residents of Donetsk, we are glad to report that the team of the Donetsk-based Solovianenko National Theater of Opera and Ballet has started to work on September 1,” the official website donbassopera.com/ru reads. “At the moment, apart from the rehearsals of the productions from the current repertoire, an active preparation for the premiere of the ‘gem’ of the world opera art, Masked Ball by the great Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi is underway. The date of the launch of the 83rd theater season and the premiere will be announced additionally.”
“The Donetsk National Academic Ukrainian Theater of Music and Drama plans to launch the new theater season in October. At the moment the team is busy with preparation for the launch of the museum and rehearsals of premiere plays,” reads the website muzdrama.dn.ru. Incidentally, the theater company plans to gather on October 1. The Day found out that the terrorists offered the Ukrainian theater to translate its plays into Russian. And the Donetsk Academic Oblast Puppet Theater reports that on September 28 it launches the 82nd theater season and invited the audience to a charity play Patches in Alleyways, dn-puppet.com reports.
The Philharmonic Society can be called the leader. Even in summer it was giving concerts, and it plans to hold Retro-Jazz on September 26, Concert of Muslim Magomayev’s songs on October 4, evening of musicals on October 5, and so on (however, all the programs are shown in the daytime). It remains unclear who needs this outward show and why risk the lives of people, when there are shootings in the city and people are getting killed every day? No one can answer these questions in Donetsk. Yes, on the one hand, people come back to the city on various reasons: many of them are tired of knocking about, and many simply don’t have any money left. Where should they look for help? Incidentally, the question of evacuation has never been broached by the oblast government, the Ministry of Culture, the administrations of the theaters, philharmonic society, or museums. That is why everyone does his best to survive.
The Day talked to director-general of the Donbass Opera Vasyl RIABENKY to find out what is going in the theater team.
“No one from the Ministry of Culture has ever called us to ask how the theater is living under these complicated circumstances,” Riabenky admits, “Who needs this theater? Apparently, only we do: the workers of the Donbass Opera, and Donetsk theater goers. Our employees in the city go to work, but we haven’t been paid since summer, although we have moved our accounts through the State Treasury to Mariupol and signed new agreements. They told us to wait. We are waiting. We have employees who worked from June through August (security, administration, decorators, etc.), but because of the military actions the money is not transferred to the banking cards to the territory that is not under control of the Ukrainian government. We guard our building and property, and many employees have often spent nights in the theater, so that nobody stole anything.”
Is it true that part of the decorations was damaged, in particular, the scenery to the famous Flying Dutchman?
“The scenery was partially destroyed. The thing is that the storehouse of the theater was occupied by the DNR. We tried to take out the transport and part of decorations, but unfortunately the rigid constructions were damaged. But the most important thing that none of the theater employees has been injured, all of them are safe and sound.”
Half of your theater company is abroad, some soloists and musicians found work in other cities of Ukraine.
“I cannot order them to return as long as it is dangerous in Donetsk. But those who stayed have started to work (musicians and singers follow individual plans and rehearse not to lose professional shape). I haven’t fired anyone. Some of the employees took unpaid leaves, others took a usual leave. It is hard to get to Donetsk today. We should pass the block posts, and you can get under fire if you drive along the road. Unfortunately, this is our reality.”
Donetsk Music Theater has an experience of life during the war. On April 1941 it launched a new season in a new building, and in September fascists entered the city. Since December 1941 the theater was working under occupation, and on January 1, 1942 the Ukrainian Theater of Music and Drama opened with Hulak-Artemovsky’s opera Zaporizhian Cossack Beyond the Danube.
Maybe you should not act heroically under the bullets, but create for example a mobile concert brigade based on Donbass Opera and perform in Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, and other cities?
“Who will allow us to leave Donetsk? You need to pass several block posts of DNR and ATO forces. Frankly, this is not a pleasant procedure. Okay, the actors will take the instruments and concert costumes with them, but nobody will allow us to take out the decorations. Maybe the political situation will get stabilized, and if there is a humanitarian corridor, we can broach this question. The most important thing is that none of the theater company was injured or killed. But I understand that we have lost part of the team. Today we have 40 orchestra members, 20 choir singers, 7 dancers, 10 soloists, and no conductor! We have announced a competition among our musicians, because on October 4 and 5 we want to invite the audience to the children’s play Twelve Months, and show an operetta The Bat. Then we will see how we are going to work. We stay in touch with everyone in a phone regime or on the Internet and hope for the better.”
Is there any prospect? Judging by a reduced lineup, the international premiere of the opera Masked Ball won’t take place this autumn, and Italian director Italo Nunziata won’t come to Donetsk.
“Yes, we have to postpone the premiere of Masked Ball by Verdi. But idling is not a solution. People continue to live in Donetsk in spite of the shooting, and we must think about our admirers, and high art has always been an elixir for one’s soul. Clearly, we will show the plays in the daytime, because when it is dark, people are afraid to leave homes.”
Is it true that since summer your theater has been used as a bomb-proof?
“The DNR authorities have forced us to do this. The space under the stage was equipped with benches, water, first-aid kits. Today we are maintaining the building of the theater, take preventive measures, and get ready for winter. Thank God, the building has not been hit.”
In your opinion, what will happen in Donetsk and Donbass Opera in particular?
“I want peace and calmness. It will be recalled that the theater has an experience of life during the war. On April 1941 the Donetsk Music Theater launched a new season in a new building, and in September fascists entered the city. Since December 1941 the theater was working under occupation, and on January 1, 1942 the Ukrainian Theater of Music and Drama opened with Hulak-Artemovsky’s opera Zaporizhian Cossack Beyond the Danube. In June 1942 director of the Munich Opera Toni Graschberger was appointed the head and director of the theater, and the theater is renamed into the City Theater of Opera and Ballet. In July 1943 the theater was again renamed into Front Oper Stalino. Incidentally, a part of the theater company during the World War II was evacuated to Kirghizia SSR (village Sazanovka), and in June 1942 the theater moved to Przhevalsk, where it staged plays and gave concerts for military units. The Donetsk Theater survived then, and, I’m sure, we will cope with all the difficulties faced by our theater now.”
