- In Archive
- 2012-12-04 19:05:51
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Confusion and sadness, laughs and again confusion, it was clear that my emotions went rogue. It was hard to decide what to feel because “Illussions” by Ivan Vyrypaev interacted with the audience, pulling the strings of the stories in all directions, decorating in between with strange monologues.
“Illussions” by Ivan Vyrypaev, which was played in Russian, premiered on November 29th in the Main Building of the American University in Bulgaria. The play tells the story of the simplest things in life like love, trust, friendship and betrayal but suddenly nothing is so simple anymore. The protagonists of the play are two married couples, Danny and Sandra, Albert and Margaret, who navigate through a maze of illusions. Vyrypaev, Russia’s preeminent playwright, screenwriter and director, has masterfully unveiled in "Illusions" truths about the world in which everything can change at the slightest touch.
Sofya Volkhonskaya and Alyona Permyakova, the co-producers and co-directors of the play, shared the story behind the decision to put on stage such an avant-gardist theater play. ”I read, I don’t know, about 50 plays in Russian - some of them where very interesting some of them where not, some of them I quit reading on the second page and then I found a play by Vyrypaev. But it was another play “The Dance of Deli “and I send it immediately to Sonya and she said ‘yeah but it will be a little difficult to direct.’ So I found another one which was called “Illusions” and then we read it both of us, we liked it very much and immediately we started thinking about the actors and how everything will look like” Permyakova confessed.
The play had two different casts and, surprisingly enough, two different sets. Volkhonskaya explained why this decision was made: “We decided that this play can be perceived in 2 different ways and there is not really a certain perspective to the play. So we wanted the audience to see that everything is an illusion and even a play like this can be told in 2 different ways, maybe even more.”
The night of the premiere the set was black and white with pieces of chess scattered around which went wonderfully with the heavy tone of the actors and the play itself. The second night, I was surprised to see that the set was transformed, even a little bit glamorized, and everything seemed more airy.
It truly was a difficult task to put on stage a play that can be seen in various ways, and to simulate the connection Vyrypaev wanted the audience to feel when watching the play, was even more challenging. All in all, Volkhonskaya and Permyakova succeeded in creating the needed contrasts and tastefully tackled the avant-gardist look of the Russian play.
[caption id="attachment_9798" align="alignleft" width="285" caption="First Cast"]
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[caption id="attachment_9801" align="alignright" width="169" caption="Second Cast"]
[/caption]
“Illussions” by Ivan Vyrypaev, which was played in Russian, premiered on November 29th in the Main Building of the American University in Bulgaria. The play tells the story of the simplest things in life like love, trust, friendship and betrayal but suddenly nothing is so simple anymore. The protagonists of the play are two married couples, Danny and Sandra, Albert and Margaret, who navigate through a maze of illusions. Vyrypaev, Russia’s preeminent playwright, screenwriter and director, has masterfully unveiled in "Illusions" truths about the world in which everything can change at the slightest touch.
Sofya Volkhonskaya and Alyona Permyakova, the co-producers and co-directors of the play, shared the story behind the decision to put on stage such an avant-gardist theater play. ”I read, I don’t know, about 50 plays in Russian - some of them where very interesting some of them where not, some of them I quit reading on the second page and then I found a play by Vyrypaev. But it was another play “The Dance of Deli “and I send it immediately to Sonya and she said ‘yeah but it will be a little difficult to direct.’ So I found another one which was called “Illusions” and then we read it both of us, we liked it very much and immediately we started thinking about the actors and how everything will look like” Permyakova confessed.
The play had two different casts and, surprisingly enough, two different sets. Volkhonskaya explained why this decision was made: “We decided that this play can be perceived in 2 different ways and there is not really a certain perspective to the play. So we wanted the audience to see that everything is an illusion and even a play like this can be told in 2 different ways, maybe even more.”
The night of the premiere the set was black and white with pieces of chess scattered around which went wonderfully with the heavy tone of the actors and the play itself. The second night, I was surprised to see that the set was transformed, even a little bit glamorized, and everything seemed more airy.
It truly was a difficult task to put on stage a play that can be seen in various ways, and to simulate the connection Vyrypaev wanted the audience to feel when watching the play, was even more challenging. All in all, Volkhonskaya and Permyakova succeeded in creating the needed contrasts and tastefully tackled the avant-gardist look of the Russian play.
[caption id="attachment_9798" align="alignleft" width="285" caption="First Cast"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_9801" align="alignright" width="169" caption="Second Cast"][/caption]