Going Behind the Mask

In all the years of its existence, the Golden Mask Festival has been nothing if not a study in contrasts -- no other Russian festival embraces as fully the multiplicity of the performing arts. Once a year, for just over two weeks in the spring, the best Russian opera singers, ballet dancers, dramatic actors, directors, conductors, puppeteers and other sundry performing artists gather to show their stuff and compete for the coveted Golden Mask award.

This time, having reached its 11th year, the festival has gone to great lengths to reach the outer limits of large and small.

On April 7, the Novosibirsk Theater of Opera and Ballet will bring to town a grandiose production of "Aida" with a traveling company of over 450 people. Meanwhile, one show that has been nominated for an award in the Innovation category is performed each time for a single spectator only. This production -- "Apocalypse" by the Ten, or Shadow, Theater of Moscow -- may not even be accessible to the public during the festival. According to Maria Revyakina, the general director of the Golden Mask, organizers will have their hands full just arranging for the 16 jury members to see the performance.

These aren't the only examples of extremes in size. The festival opened Thursday with the performance of an intimate one-woman show, "The Rules of Behavior in Contemporary Society," at the National Youth Theater. Balancing out the other end will be the Sakha Theater of Yakutsk with its production of Eugene Ionesco's "Macbett" on April 8. This combination of European absurdist theater and Siberian folk traditions boasts a cast of 42 actors.

All productions in the competition premiered during the 2003-2004 season and have been selected for participation by one of two boards of experts -- one for dance and musical theater, another for drama and puppetry. The award winners will be announced during a ceremony at the Mossoviet Theater on April 11.

Because of its reputation as a showcase for theater from all over Russia, special attention is always given to productions that originate from outside the media glare of Moscow and St. Petersburg. The festival's typically broad geographical array has been maintained this year in the fields of music, dance and puppetry. Nine cities, ranging from the cultural centers of Novosibirsk and Saratov to the small cities of Abakan and Neryungri, are represented in these categories.

In the sphere of drama, however, the usual breadth of diversity has broken down. Of the 12 productions competing -- six each in the two divisions of large- and small-scale productions -- only three are from the so-called "provinces." These include the Sakha Theater's "Macbett," the Omsk Drama Theater's production of Ionesco's "Exit the King" and a production of Anton Chekhov's "Three Sisters" from the Tilzit Theater in the city of Sovetsk.

Vladimir Lupovskoy / For MT Konstantin Raikin plays "Richard III."

Even St. Petersburg -- which was the perennial big award winner in the field of drama until Moscow beat it out last year-- is only nominally represented. It is putting forth just one large-scale production, an inventive rendition of "Don Juan" by the Komissarzhevskaya Theater, and one small-scale work, an unorthodox adaptation of a Carlo Gozzi play titled "PRO Turandot" by the Priyut Komedianta Theater.

In theory, at least, this has the potential to leave the field wide open for a Moscow sweep of the major drama awards.

The Satirikon's "Richard III," Theater Yunogo Zritelya's "Rothschild's Fiddle," the Chekhov Moscow Art Theater's "The Petty Bourgeoisie" and the Tabakov's Theater's "Uncle Vanya" -- all competing for best large-scale production -- each have strong support in the theater community. The Moscow entries in the small-scale division -- "The Rules of Behavior in Contemporary Society," "As I Lay Dying" at the Tabakov Theater and "The Stairwell" at the OKOLO Theater -- do not command quite as much attention, perhaps, although any of them could get the nod.

Vladimir Lupovskoy / For MT Nelli Uvarova stars in "The Rules of Behavior."

"The Rules of Behavior" is a lively show carried from beginning to end by Nelli Uvarova, who has been nominated for best actress. "As I Lay Dying," a dramatization of William Faulkner's novel, has already picked up several awards in other competitions. This production, by the popular young director Mindaugas Karbauskis, features a fine performance by Yevdokia Germanova in the role of the ancient Addie Bundren; Germanova is also up for best actress. Finally, "The Stairwell" might well be a sentimental favorite, as the theater that produced it burned to the ground a few months ago.

Still, this is a slot where the St. Petersburg show "PRO Turandot" might pull a surprise win. This show, directed by the highly respected Andrei Moguchy, has been a big hit in St. Petersburg.

Among the directors, Moscow's Kama Ginkas has to be a favorite with his gripping adaptation of Chekhov's short story "Rothshchild's Fiddle." After nearly a decade of being passed over by Golden Mask juries, Ginkas finally won his first Best Director award last year, and there is every reason to consider him a prime candidate again this time around. But he is likely to face stiff competition from Karbauskis and Kirill Serebrennikov, two of Moscow's hottest young directors in recent seasons. Serebrennikov has been nominated for his modernized production of Maxim Gorky's "The Petty Bourgeoisie," while Karbauskis has been nominated twice -- for "As I Lay Dying" and "Uncle Vanya."

In the acting categories, it is almost impossible to determine front runners, although Dmitry Nazarov must be considered a good bet among the male candidates since he has been nominated twice for his work in "Uncle Vanya" and "The Petty Bourgeoisie." And it is never wise to count out Konstantin Raikin, who garnered his sixth Golden Mask nomination this year for his handling of the title role in "Richard III." Raikin has won the award twice before, in 1996 and 2001.

Among the actresses, Alla Pokrovskaya is surely a sentimental favorite for her role as the peace-making matriarch Bessemyonova in "The Petty Bourgeoisie." Pokrovskaya, a veteran actress with a long history of important work at the Sovremennik Theater, is also revered as one of the finest teachers of acting at the Moscow Art Theater School.

Vladimir Lupovskoy / For MT The Tabakov Theater stages "As I Lay Dying."

The Innovation category combines unusual shows from various disciplines and seeks to honor the company whose experiments seem most likely to point the way to the future. For the second time in two years, this field is led by St. Petersburg's unusual AKhE Theater, which has been nominated for its production of "Mr. Carmen," a wordless piece that explores the vain attempts of two men to attract the attention of Prosper Merimee's heroine. Also competing for this award are two dance companies -- the Top9 Theater of St. Petersburg and the CheloVEK Theater of Plastic Drama from Omsk -- as well as the blackSKYwhite Theater of Moscow, which specializes in futuristic laser shows, and the Ten puppet theater of Moscow. This last contender, a small but mighty group under the direction of designer and director Ilya Epelbaum, has been the recipient of five Golden Masks in the past.

This year the Golden Mask will conduct the most extensive range of special auxiliary programs in its history. "Every year we attempt to find a unique approach to the festival and this year it is in the general discussions and forums where we can discuss matters of the Golden Mask, culturological research and exchange ideas about the future," Eduard Boyakov, a founding member and former general director of the festival, said at a March 9 press conference.

The programs will range from master classes and seminars to a nightly series of after-hours concerts featuring musicians who are involved, one way or another, in ethnic and folk music. Trey Gunn, formerly of the band King Crimson, will be a featured performing artist on April 2.

Starting April 3, a three-day roundtable and seminar on theater festival management and marketing will feature numerous international guests, such as Bernard d'Arcier of the Avignon Festival in France and Jovan Cirilov of BITEF in Serbia and Montenegro. Popular playwright Yevgeny Grishkovets will conduct a master class titled "The Problem of the Hero, Time and Space in Contemporary Drama" on Monday and Tuesday at the Theater Center Na Strastnom, while renowned Greek director Theodoros Terzopoulos will conduct a master class in acting on April 8 at the Meyerhold Center.

For the sixth year running, the Russian Case -- a festival within the Golden Mask -- will make it possible for approximately 100 guests from 31 countries to catch an overview of important Russian productions of the last two seasons in a short period of time. The Russian Case opens Thursday and runs to April 5.

See the Dance, Opera, Theater and Gigs listings for the full Golden Mask Festival schedule. For information about the special programs, call the festival offices at 755-8335.