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OEDIPUS REX
Oedipus Rex is a project resulting from a collaboration between the Vakhtangov Theater and the Greek National Theater, directed by Rimas Tuminas. The play is performed in two languages: actors from the Vakhtangov play the main parts while Greek actors embody the Classical Chorus.
Contemporary theater has lost the value of the meaning of the "chorus," and how it can take on the role of a real character, whether in the case of a tragedy or a comedy. In Russian theater there is no chorus. Only in the Greek theater of the 20th century was an attempt gradually made to reconstruct the meaning and importance of choral action.
Sophocles' greatest gift was to be able to embody the extreme lacerations of the human soul and encapsulate them within a perfect and harmonious theatrical form, empowering the plot with a wealth of clear metaphors and obvious symbolic figures. This is the core of his extraordinary narrative talent. Aristotle regarded Sophocles' tragedies as the prime example of dramaturgy, seeing in them the most definite essence of tragedy.Oedipus Rex, was for him theopera most representative of that genre. The effect Oedipus had on European culture was enormous.
Oedipus Rex is not a tragedy dictated by fate but rather the tragedy of self-discovery. Oedipus' value lies not in his absurd determination to to defy gods and prophecies, but in the fact that he did not back down from investigating the depths of his past even when it became clear to him that its darkest sides would emerge and that this would lead him to the discovery of fearsome and painful truths. Once he discovered what he had done, Oedipus accepts his fate without reservation, punishing himself without mercy and choosing to live as expected for anyone who commits such a crime. The king becomes an outcast, the most unhappy among those who suffer.
"I think this is the right time for a Sophocles tragedy, the time for me to make a play that deals with such important values as virtue and honor. I want to tell the story of a leader, of a man so strong from choosing to atone for his sins, to accept the punishment of living in exile and poverty until the end of his existence. Oedipus punishes himself for his crime. In today's reality, it is hard to imagine that someone like him could exist. Most men of power, leaders, do not acknowledge their faults at all. to them everything is allowed, everything is granted. It really is time to remember virtue and honor." Rimas Tuminas
by** Sophocles**
Vakhtangov State Academic Theatre of Russia
directed by Rimas Tuminas
scenes Adomas Jacovskis
costumes Maxim Obrezkov
composer Faustas Latenas
composer choral parts Theodore Abazis
choreography** Angelica Cholina**
dramaturgy and academic advising** Dmitriy Trubotchkin**
Translation of choral parts from ancient Greek to modern Elsa Andrianou
vocal coaching choral parts Melina Peonidou
speech coaching Elena Laskavaya
assistant directors Irina Gromova and Gabriella Tuminaite
ligthing designer Narek Tumanian
sound designers Ruslan Knushevitskiiy, Andrei Mirniy
stage director** Aleksandra Shenets**
make-up artist Olga Kalyavina
with
Victor Dobronravov Oedipus
Liudmila Maksakova Jocasta
Evgeny Knyazev Tiresia
Eldar Tramov Creon
**Evgeny Kosyrev **A priest.
Vitalys Semenovs Corifeo
**Valery Ushakov **Nuncio from Corinth
Artur Ivanov Theban Shepherd
**Maxim Sevrinovskiy **Nuncio from the house of Oedipus.
Ekaterina Simonova Woman from the House of Oedipus
Pavel Yudin Soldier
Yuriy Tsokurov Boy
choir** Ilya Algaer, Panagiotis Athanasopoulos, Thanasis Vlavianos, Giorgos Gallos, Dimitris Georgiadis, Kostas Korakis, David Magaldadze, Sokratis Patsikas Giorgos Stamos, Leonardos, Kheyfets-Batis, Spiros Tsekuras, Fedor Vorontsov, Eugeny Pilugin, Aleksandr Galochkin, Yannis Zafeiropoulos**
children Tatiana Polosina, Maria Rival
Italian surtitles to by Prescott Studio, Florence
Laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation and the National Prize of Lithuania and Holder of the Order of Frienship, Rimas Tuminas has produced more than 20 plays in various theaters in Russia and Europe since 1978. Since 1979 he has been giving workshops on the art of directing. In 1990 he founded the Maly Theatre in Vilnius, Lithuania. In 2002 he directed_ Nikolai Gogol's The Inspector General at the Vakhtangov Theatre. In 2007 he became artistic director of the Vakhtangov Theatre at the invitation of renowned Russian actor Mikhail Ulyanov. Under his direction, the Vakhtangov company becomes one of the most important on the theatrical scene with shows staged all over the world. For the Vakhtangov Theatre, Tuminas has produced Troilus and Cressida_ by William Shakespeare,_ The Last Moons_ by Furio Bordon and Harold Muller, Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov, A Masquerade Ball by Mikhail Lermontov, Le vent des peupliers by Gerald Sibleyras, The Haven (based on from different authors), Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin,_ Smile to us, O Lord_ by Grigory Kanovicius, Minetti by Thomas Bernhard. The magnificent performance of The Haven production was an incredible and talented demonstration of the skills of the artistic leadership to head of the company. In 2016 at the Spoleto Festival he staged Eugene Onegin.
Laureate of the National Prize of Lithuania, from 1978 to 1983 Adomas Jacovskis was chief set designer for the State Youth Theatre of Lithuania. He has been teaching set design at the Lithuanian Academy of Fine Arts since 1989. He has designed the sets for more than 80 theater, opera opera and dance productions. He has worked with the National Dramatic Theatre of Lithuania, State Youth Theatre of Lithuania, Maly Theatre in Vilnius, LIFE Festival, Lithuanian Theatre of Opera and Ballet, Kaunas Dramatic Theatre, Riga National Opera, the Vrotslav Modern Theatre in Poland, the Rep Theatre in Scotland, the National Theatre to Reykjavik in Iceland, the Göteborg Theatre in Sweden, the Sovremennik Theatre to Moscow, the Vakhtangov State Academic Theatre and the Bolshoi Theatre in Russia. Since 1994 he has collaborated with director Rimas Tuminas. For the Vakhtangov Theatre he has designed the sets for Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov, _A Masked Ball _by Mikhail Lermontov, Le vent des peupliers by Gerald Sibleyras, The Haven (based on from different authors), Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin, _Smile to us, O Lord _by Grigory Kanovicius, Minetti by Thomas Bernhard, _Oedipus Rex _by Sophocles. Adomas Jacovskis is also a painter and has shown his works in numerous national and international exhibitions.