By Tetiana POLISHCHUK, The Day
On June 30, Zaporizhzhian Cossack beyond the Danube has completed its 131st
season at the Ukrainian National Opera Theater. The curtain fell, the applause
died away. The theatrical body of one thousand went on vacation. Many of
them have not the slightest idea of whether on September 4 they could be
left behind doors.
It is unlikely that the Acceptance Commission will sin against its conscience
and sign the report recognizing the theater's adequate technical condition
before next season. According to Theater General Manager and Art Director
Anatoly Mokrenko, the situation is critical: "Twelve years have passed
after the [last] reconstruction. The consequences could be very serious
unless adequate measures are taken. The foundation has sunk, the roof is
leaking, there are cracks in the walls, and the plaster is flaking."
Summing up the theater's performance in the past season, one should
begin with "in spite of..": in spite of everything, it has managed to stage
six new plays: Don Giovanni, Lady Macbeth, Troubadour, Coppelia, The
Lady and the Hooligan, and Do You Hear Me? It should be noted that
the government did not donate anything to stage these works. The theater
had to rely on its own resources. They used their old props and costumes,
the means were earned on tour, and, of course, through personal contacts.
(For example, Aleks Ursuliak, in memory of his training at the Kyiv Choreography
School, staged the Do You Hear Me?
The theater's creative plans include the staging of The Vikings
ballet. German stage director Gensel proposed to stage the Romeo and
Juliet opera, and is himself looking for donors interested in such
a venture. The portfolio of the National Opera Theater administration contains
Oleksa Kostin's Sultan and Roksolana vocal score, and there is a
hope that a new version of Carmen will be done. However, there is
also discontent among the performers, largely caused by a considerable
delays in their pay, meager as it is. Thus, inasmuch the chance to see
new plays is low, the probability for many well-known personalities to
disappear next season is high. This is how our stars become other's: Kocherha,
Lukyanets, Kostiukov, Dvorovenko, Bilotserkivsky. This list can be extended.
Who's next?
