At present, the Ivan Franko Ukrainian Drama Theater in
Kyiv looks more like a construction site, with plaster knocked off the
facade, clouds of dust floating in the lobby, the air thick with lime and
paint. Looking at what is best described as rubble, it is hard to believe
that all works will be finished, leaving the place quiet and clean come
September 11, and that a bell will ring, announcing the drama company's
80th season.
Not all of the cast have returned from holidays, but for
many two-month vacations remained regular workdays. In July, the Franko
company took part in the Mittelfest '99 international theatrical festival
in Cievedale. It was their first time in Italy and they came with The Good
Soldier Schweik . For Bohdan Beniuk and Anatoly Khostikoyev it was a baptism
of fire, and they passed it with honors. The thing is that the two constantly
improvise on stage and on that particular occasion they were too fast for
the interpreters, so the first part of the play left the audience silent.
After the intermission people simply took off their earphones and watched
the action, guessing the meaning of the actors' lines watching their gestures
and expression. Later, the Italian public would recognize the Franko company's
rendition as one of the festival's best. In mid-October an Italian delegation
is expected at the theater to learn about the repertoire and negotiate
a tour of Italy.
Bohdan Stupka is expected in Kyiv shortly after traveling
to the Far East together with Jerzy Hoffman, presenting the motion picture
With Fire and Sword . In fact, this summer was very fruitful for
Mr. Stupka. He finished work in Mykola Zaseyev- Rudenko's film Chorna
rada (Black Council) and rehearsed in Petro Fomenko's Old-World
Landowners (based on Nikolai Gogol's story of the same title). On home
turf the season will open with Ukradene shchastia (Stolen Happiness),
a textbook play, the company's calling card, with Mykola Zadorozhny one
of the actor's best roles. And the domestic audience is in for a pleasant
surprise, premiere of Brecht's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (September
18), starring Bohdan Stupka. It is a new version of the stage production
made by Volodymyr Kuzmenko-Delinder 14 years ago. At the time the authorities
thought it was ideologically subversive and banned it. Presently, the stage
director has taken leave of his duties at Slovakia's PreЪov Company and
arranged the play for the big stage. There is every reason to expect a
vivid public response, the plot being very topical in today's Ukraine.
Actually, the play is often referred to as a beginning politician's guidebook.
Another premiere is scheduled for September 26, Gennadi
Gladkov's musical Bremen Musicians . Dmytro Cherepiuk, the stage
director, has prepared a lot of fights with bandits, magic tricks, songs
and dances for the young audiences. Volodymyr Zozulia will act as Troubadour,
Iryna Dvorianyn as Princess, and Natalia Osypenko as the treacherous gang
leader.
Serhiy Danchenko has been the artistic director of the
Ivan Franko Ukrainian Drama Theater for precisely 20 years. For reasons
of health, work on his Kin IV was finished by Anatoly Khostikoyev
last season, who had to act as stage director and principal character.
Now this production will be directed by Serhiy Danchenko, and it can be
referred to as another premiere, because it has been performed only a couple
of times. His creative portfolio contains Karpenko-Kary's historical play
Palyvoda of the Eighteenth Century (edited by Yaroslav Stelmakh)
and Ibsen's Peer Gynt .
Negotiations with Nekrosus Eimondas are underway; he has
proposed three productions from world classics. Andriy Zholdak- Tobilevych
is working on Dostoyevsky's Idiot .
The Franko Company plans to appear with Three Sisters
in the Baltic Home festival (St. Petersburg) this October, yet this
does not mean that the theater, with 350 persons on payroll, has no problems.
The management has to lease out some of the premises five-six times a year,
for this is the only way to get funds for new production (they have been
practicing this for the past three years), timely wages, and keeping pension-age
veterans on the payroll.
January 28 marks an important date in the company's life:
its eightieth anniversary. The Ministry of Culture and Art, however, does
not believe it rates a jubilee, so no subsidies are even discussed. A strange
approach, but the Franko Company decided to make it one. They plan to stage
the jubilee festivities on the Day of the Theater. Nor can they count on
any help from patrons of the arts. Businessmen are more willing to support
pop culture, shows that are popular today and forgotten all about tomorrow.
And those in power do not frequent the National Theater. Throughout his
term in office Leonid Kuchma has made only one appearance. This historic
event took place two years ago. The Chief Executive honored the company
by attending its production of Tevye Tevel (based on Shalom Aleichem's
stories about Tevye the Milkman). The company used the occasion to hand
Mr. Kuchma a petition listing its problems. No response to this day.







