Independent <i>Koza </i>seeks naturalness

Every year there are fewer newspapers and magazines about theater in Ukraine, and the surviving ones aren’t easy to find. However, the main problem with such periodicals is not their quantity but rather their quality. In Ukraine they are published by enthusiasts, theater buffs, and hence often turn out to be too scholastic, written in a language meant for narrow theatrical circles rather than the general public. Besides, these periodicals are not independent, being financed either by the state — in other words, being run by certain institutes or drama companies — or by sponsors or philanthropists. There are no theatrical media that can come out even, let alone make a profit. In other words, the only way to run an independent periodical is to publish it at one’s own expense.

Under these circumstances the appearance of a magazine like Koza marks an important cultural event. It looks more like an artistic project than print media. It publishes only handwritten manuscripts and authors’ illustrations. It is published by a small team (and at their own expense), which is mostly made up of students and graduates of the chair of production design or book graphics at the National Academy of Art. The Day met with Koza’s publishers Bohdan POLISHCHUK and Olena RACHKOVSKA, who are responsible for the periodical’s format and keep it afloat with their money.

Why Koza [she-goat in Ukranian — Ed.]?

Bohdan POLISHCHUK: “Because this is the most popular and spectacular character of Ukrainian folk theater during the wintertime. As our magazine is about Ukrainian theater, we chose this title. Besides, goats are portrayed with horns and a sense of humor, and our magazine publishes both jokes and critique.”

You say that Koza is an independent magazine about the theater. Independent of whom and what?

Olena RACHKOVSKA: “By this we mean that our contributors can express their own, independent views. This is important, considering that other journals about the theater publish articles written only by critics who use a set of cliches and whose style is dry. In contrast, we often carry articles written by people who have watched a play and wish to share their impressions. Of course, we also publish articles by professional critics.

“In other words, we understand our independence as an opportunity to first of all publish independent opinions. Also, our magazine is financially independent, we have no sponsors or philanthropists. We publish it at our own expense.”

B.P.: “What makes our periodical independent is that it is not run by a drama company or other institution. Also, this refers to our independent makeup. We consciously avoid the typical magazine format and we think that the Ukrainian press lacks such original solutions.”

Financing one’s own magazine is easier said than done. You decline sponsorship on principle?

B.P.: “Looking for sponsors takes a lot of time. Moreover, it’s anyone’s guess whether there are sponsors in Ukraine willing to finance a magazine about the theater. Suppose we find one. This person will most likely wish to have his/her views reflected on the pages. We would accept a sponsor who is simply fond of the theater and who wouldn’t interfere with editorial policy. Regrettably, we have yet to come across one — or maybe this kind of sponsor just hasn’t learned about us.”

What about support from the state?

O.R.: “In that case we’d have to cross out the word independent immediately.”

B.P.: “Our periodical is apolitical. Besides, the cultural policy in this country changes every five minutes, so seeking support of the state in our case would seem rather controversial.”

You must have analyzed Ukraine’s theatrical periodicals when organizing your magazine. What are the peculiarities of this type of press?

B.P.: “There are very few such periodicals and those we have claim to be academic, designed for critics from the old school. When we started a year ago, there were more magazines of this kind in Ukraine than we have today. Last year the numbers dropped for inexplicable reasons, maybe because of the financial crisis or [yet another change to] the cultural policy. You won’t find Ukrainsky teatr and Kontramarka, although there is still Kino-teatr published by the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, albeit focusing on movies. In fact, there are no periodicals in Kyiv that deal exclusively with the theater, and just a few throughout Ukraine. There is Proscenium in Lviv, but it’s hard to buy, and another periodical in Kharkiv. Even people directly involved in the drama sphere can’t always get a copy.”

How do you go about distribution?

O.R.: “We make every deal ourselves, show copies, saying, ‘See, there is such a beautiful magazine. Would you sell it for us?’ Some look skeptical, others agree.”

B.P.: “I’ve gone through hell and high water for the sake of this magazine, before I became a private entrepreneur. We honestly pay our taxes every month. Now we’re trying to send copies to bookstores, drama companies, cafes... It is on sale in Kyiv, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Uzhhorod. All this thanks to the team’s dedicated efforts.”

How would you explain this crisis in Ukraine’s theatrical press?

B.P.: “First of all, nobody is interested in making interesting, attractive periodicals. Ukrainian readers would be more interested in artistic periodicals in a fashionable, original format, with an interesting design. The artistic periodicals we have, among them Ukrainske mystetstvo or Narodne mystetstvo, are rather dry. I’m not saying they are bad or dull, it’s just that they are too scholastic.

“There is another reason. Ukrainian theater is actually run by the state and a state-run drama company isn’t interested in criticism. It receives state funds and makes productions according to a schedule. Also, there are actually few if any drama critics in Ukraine.”

O.R.: “In terms of criticism, our theater lacks provocation, advertising, original approaches. Our magazine tries to get the public interested in theater, that’s why we publish different views. Koza means to launch debates that will attract the reader and prompt him to go to the theater and make up his own mind.”

Was the idea of a magazine based on manuscripts, and with many authors’ illustrations, conceived because its creators were artists, or are there other reasons?

O.R.: “Works of art can be created using modern technologies or they can be substituted by technologies.”

B.P.: “These days we often witness such substitutes. Take a theatrical poster. It isn’t art, just a technical job done by staff editors. Meanwhile a poster should convey a production’s image, be a work of art because theater is a synthesis of arts.

“Tapes are played instead of live music. The same is true of video accompaniment, impersonations, and costumes. Previously costumes were designed for every play, today people go buy secondhand clothes.

“Theater is drifting away from art, so we want our handmade magazine to stress that this is still an art. Our magazine is an attempt to get back to aesthetics. That’s why our texts and illustrations are handmade. If we start using photos, we won’t be able to do any better than the prestigious journals that spend thousands of dollars on them. Besides, Ukrainian theater lacks spectacular personalities who could be displayed on the front cover. You can’t keep showing Stupka photos, can you?”

Koza attracts attention with its format and design. It looks like an artistic project. Do you manage to balance appearance and content?

B.P.: “In the pilot issue design apparently prevailed over content, but a greater number of people, both professional critics and amateurs, are sending their articles. We interview more interesting and noted individuals, so the content is becoming increasingly interesting.”

Using manuscripts in a periodical is rather controversial. What do your readers think?

B.P.: “More often than not they express two different opinions: ‘Great! How could you write all this with your own hands?’ and ‘Its impossible to read and I won’t read this.’”

O.R.: “Some say we should use special handwriting-like fonts.”

B.P.: “However, the concept of this magazine is that all texts are handwritten. Koza isn’t something you leaf through on your way to work in a streetcar or in the metro. It is meant to be read and enjoyed.”

What were your guidelines when setting up this magazine? What creative examples inspired you?

O.R.: “We often turn to the early 20th-century Art Nouveau. This aesthetic trend is very close to us. Also, when we thought of manuscripts, we looked through a number of medieval handwritten books and this convinced us.”

B.P.: “I’d say that we’re still working on the magazine’s style, yet it is aesthetically rooted in Ukrainian professional and folk art, European and Ukrainian Art Nouveau, as well as medieval, ancient, and archaic traditions. It makes you aware of history, technique, image, and spirituality.”