A universal company

The celebrations lasted two days. The hosts were receiving greetings from the bosses of the Ministry of Culture, National Union of Theater Workers of Ukraine, theaters from Kyiv, Lviv, Luhansk, and a big delegation of artists and scholars (including academicians, university presidents, poets, prose writers, directors, playwrights, translators, theater critics, etc.).

The reception was held at the Donetsk Oblast Administration. The artists were greeted by the acting head of the Donetsk Oblast Administration Serhii Derhunov, deputy head of the Donetsk Oblast Council Oleksandr Kravtsov, and Donetsk mayor Oleksandr Lukianchenko. The President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych also sent his wishes. A large group of actors and other theater staff were awarded letters of commendation from the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and the National Union of Culture Workers. The People’s Artist of Ukraine Olena Khokhlatkina was awarded the Gold Medal of the Ukrainian Academy of Arts.

The festivities continued at the theater. The performance was preceded with speeches from VIPs. In particular, First Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine Yurii BOHUTSKY said mournfully: “This is perhaps the first time that such a big event has been accompanied by a note of sadness. The big family of actors is for the first time celebrating without the man who actually made this theater, Marko Brovun.” Kravtsov conferred on the deceased a posthumous title of “honorary citizen of Donetsk Oblast.”

Later, actors made a present to the spectators. The premiere of Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt’s Frederick, or The Crime Boulevard (Frederick ou le Boulevard du Crime, 1998) was specially produced for the anniversary. Sadly, it was not to be seen by the art director of the Donetsk Theater, Marko Brovun, who created a close-knit company. His mission was to make the audience fall in love with theater, and today virtually every performance is given to a full house. Brovun had the building restored, and the actors now are working on five stages, performing in various genres.

Brovun had a dream of a universal company, capable of performing the most challenging pieces. Today, the troupe includes actors, singers, dancers, and musicians, who work together to show the public the miracle of theater. He managed to make all the technical and administrative services work like clockwork.

In the predominantly Russian-speaking Donetsk plays are staged in Ukrainian. Spectators treat an evening at the theater as a really solemn moment. Women wear night gowns and high heels, men come in suits or tuxedoes.

The premiere of Frederick, or The Crime Boulevard, translated into Ukrainian by Nieda Nezhdana, was produced by directors Oleksii Kravchuk and Yevhen Kurman and dedicated to the memory of the late art director. This piece is an ode to the theater. The protagonist, the famous French actor Frederick Lemaitre (played by the company’s premier Andrii Romanii), who forsook his sweetheart for stage, addresses the audience: “Leave the stage to us, for we leave our lives to you…” When in the finale the screen lights up with a chronicle featuring Brovun at various periods in his career, the public could not help tears.

By the way, present at the performance was all the local “elite,” including the first lady Liudmyla Yanukovych, who is a frequent theatregoer. Due to the presence of the president’s wife, the square in front of the theater had been heavily patrolled by police and traffic cops. Two hours prior to the festivities they were joined by plainclothesmen, Mrs. Yanukovych’s personal bodyguards.

After the performance the actors, spectators, and guests of honor went to a banquet where they could rub shoulders and socialize in a much less formal atmosphere. Glasses of champagne were raised and toasts drunk to the theater’s flourishing. The “culprits” received presents and enjoyed a concert of singers, joining in when they heard a favorite number.

“Our theater was born in Kharkiv, but was shaped in Donetsk. There was a period when it was called Chervonozavodsky (of the Red Works) and Stalinsky (named after Stalin), then we were a workers’ theater, and an oblast theater, and finally, in November 2009, we became the first National Theater of Music and Drama,” reminded director general Natalia VOLKOVA. “Our experience includes decades of acting, and hundreds of plays. Our annual bill always includes 10 to 12 new productions, which means that virtually every month we offer our audience a premiere.” [Today none of Ukraine’s theaters can boast of such an extensive repertoire. – Author.]

“It is definitely Marko Brovun’s desert that today Donetsk is called a city of theatregoers,” emphasized in his speech Les TANIUK, president of the National Union of Theater Workers of Ukraine. “Each theater demands shaping and polishing. Marko was just the man to do it, an ingenious master, manager, and champion of stage. It is important that the path of reform, which he launched, be continued. Brovun raised this theater. He made spectators love it. The bills spot titles from the national and world classics, and the troupe is united by a spirit of creativity.”

“My parents used to perform on this stage. Here I produced two plays, and a part of my life is intertwined with Donetsk,” said Stanislav MOISIEIEV, art director, Kyiv Ivan Franko National Theater. “The troupe has had various experiences, but the fact that the theater being now a leader in box-office sales and touring is undeniable. Brovun’s death is a hard loss, but I am convinced that the troupe of Donetsk will find it in them to implement all Marko’s dreams.”

On Saturday morning the members of the Kyiv delegation went to lay flowers on Brovun’s tomb, as it happened to be the 40th day since his demise. After that they saw a performance from the Minor Stage repertoire, And They Turned into White Cranes. The contemporary story of Oleksandr Selin’s love and death was produced by the theater’s chief choreographer Vasyl Maslii (this was his directing debut). The touching, inspiring ballad teaches us of the importance of getting a second chance in life, admitting your mistakes, forgiving and being forgiven, and showing sympathy and understanding. The cast included Kostiantyn Bannikov, Ivan Bezsmoly, Maksym Zhdanovych, and Olena Martynova. Stage design was quite unusual, employing sand animation by Tetiana Horina. You can find the reviews of the performances in the next issues of Den/ The Day.

The performance was followed by a meeting of the theater management, guests, critics, and the journalists from Donetsk media. It was a frank, open discussion about Ukrainian theater’s present and future. An idea was brought forward to use the Donetsk Music and Drama Theater as a site for experimental projects by budding directors, graduates of the Kyiv Karpenko-Kary National University of Theater, Film, and Television. The Les Kurbas National Center promised to help with the material (interesting and original plays by the contemporary Ukrainian playwrights).