Mikhail Chekhov Riga Russian Theatre

Alexey Shcherbak

A Flag Station

Melodrama

Pirmizrāde - 17.10.2010. (Small Auditorium)

Ilgums - 1 stunda 30 minūtes

Creative team:

Director
Mikhail Gruzdov

Set Designer
Oskars Tochs

Costumes Designer
Oskars Tochs

A story about love, hope and faith - in a small hut near the railway the destiny of four persons is being defined...

Alexey Shcherbak (1969) is the author of 11 plays, the first of which was written in 2006. A winner of many competitions and several awards. Published in the journal "Modern Drama" ("To Catch the Apostle", "Colonel Pilate", "A Flag Station," "Sleeping Beauties") and in the collections.

Currently, Alexey Shcherbak is the only Latvian playwright, invited to cooperate with The Royal Court Theater in Great Britain. In February 2010 The Royal Court Theater in London made a theatrical reading of his play "A Legionnaire", directed by Jamie Lloyd.

In Latvia two plays in Latvian were staged - "A Flag Station" at New Riga Theatre (directed by Ilze Olingere, 2009) and "Colonel Pilate" in theater "Daile" (directed by Mikhail Gruzdov, 2009).

Scenes of the production change like frames of an old black and white film. Warm sunny shades of gray, as from the old photographs from the beginning of last century. Steady action during the play turns out to be the calm before the storm. The denouement, as well as the actors’ performance leads viewers to the extent, where hiding the emotions becomes difficult. Particularly striking is the performance of 15-year-old Serjozha Marchenko (Vanja). The new actor from the youth theater studio, which has been invited to play in the Riga Russian Theatre, plays equally with his professional and experienced stage partners.

Ruzhanskaja A. Him, Her and a Flag Station // Chas

"Him. Her. Her young son. Her ex-husband. All properly: crossing, barrier, house with three rooms, palisade, garden, forest, dust... The nearest village is seven kilometers away...” This is the atmosphere pictured by the author. Mikhail Gruzdov and new set designer Oscar Tocs create a feeling of the “time that has stopped”, placing in the centre an old rusty car, by which it is no longer possible to get anywhere.

Morozova N. Premiere of Alexey Shcherbak’s Play in Riga Russian Theatre //Telegraf

It can be certainly said that this is today’s strongest play in Riga Russian Theatre’s repertory. The most striking is the fact, that this play does not have an exciting story, new characters or impressive staging, but you can watch it in one breath, it encourages imagination and makes the viewer to think and feel.

„A Flag Station”//