Acclaimed in Italy, Ignored in Ukraine

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.