“All the most interesting and incredible in my creative life begins with the words “what, we are weak”?

At the end of September, the Mosconcert Hall will host the premiere of the play “Bulgakov. Dolls” directed by Olga Anichkova. As Olga herself admits, this is one of her favorite works.

Our conversation with an actress, director, poet about the premiere, poetry and, of course, the pains of creativity…

— Olga, I really like your view of the world. I love a cycle of humorous poems about a little-known actress. There is something to think about. For example (the author’s spelling is preserved in the poems hereinafter – author’s note):

little-known actress wanted
cook soup
I made it by accident
the role of Katerina from the storm

To paraphrase your poem, I’ll ask the first question:

little-known actress wanted
cook soup
I made it by accident
performance “Bulgakov. Dolls” – That’s it!

Actually, the premiere will be discussed. How did the idea come to create in one performance synthesis of the genres of drama theater and puppet theater, people and dolls based on such a complex work by Bulgakov as “The Master and Margarita”?
– The idea to put on the play “Bulgakov. Dolls” has been hovering around and around for a long time. The only thing left to do was catch her. You know, all the most interesting and incredible in my creative life begins with the words “what, we are weak”? Then a complete blackout, and something sensible at the exit. We were sitting in the kitchen with my friend and stage partner, actress Victoria Mustafina, and I don’t remember which of us came up with this idea. Is it weak to put The Master and Margarita on a small cast? Just so you don’t feel ashamed. To straight up goosebumps, weakly? Well, then miracles began. We won a Rosconcert grant for staging the performance, received incredible support from the Bright People agency, met amazing people on this difficult path, real professionals who believed in the idea and fell in love with this work with us.

Then they searched all over Moscow for actors. We needed unique ones, exactly suitable for difficult roles, and even those who were not afraid of either the material or mastering the work with puppets (and for a dramatic artist, this is just a nightmare). And we found. So people, puppets, artists, props, wonderful coincidences of circumstances, the director united in a single impulse, and the play “Bulgakov. Dolls. Complex, large, at the intersection of genres, and, to be honest, it requires the viewer no less work of the soul than the return from the actors on stage.

Is this your first directorial work?

No, this is not the first. I staged my first performance at the age of 18, it was called “Clownery. Almost without words”, and this was my first experiment in the genre of white clowning. This is such a clowning, where not always only about funny, but often quite the opposite. We immediately went with him to the festival and took the Grand Prix, because the jury members honestly said that they did not understand how to give us some kind of place in this genre. So, “take it and leave, guys.” Then there were many more staged drama performances, several shows, performances for street theater, works from the category of “guest director”. But the most important, at the moment, I consider the play “Life of Zh…”, which we came up with, staged and play together with Victoria Mustafina, and the play “Bulgakov. Dolls. They are favorites, I will not hide.

– You are a journalist by training. Does your current profession as an actress and director not conflict with what you did before? The profession of facts and the profession of creating images – which is closer to you?

– Yes, indeed, I graduated from the journalism department of Moscow State University and only then went to get an acting and directing education. These two professions do not conflict at all, but complement each other. I am deeply convinced that the main and most valuable skill of a journalist is the ability to communicate with people. Well, a little literary literacy. And what is staging a performance, if not communication with actors, artists, fitters, sewing and prop shops? And if you know how to communicate correctly, then everything will work as it should. Yes, and with pleasure. Well, and one more intersection of the professions indicated in my diplomas is the ability to observe. Not even like that, probably: the love of observation. And here, too, there is no conflict – I love and I can. And one more thing: two professions allowed me, and I thank them very much for this, to write the book “A Little-Known Actress and Simple Poems”. But that’s a completely different story.)

When did you start writing poetry? Where did your pies come from?

– Poems-pies were invented by my friends “Pirozhkovites”, in form it is closest to hockey – short verses without rhyme, but with rhythm and, most importantly, with great meaning. I read them with pleasure, and then asked if I could sculpt my own series “little-known actress”, where there will be all the joys and sorrows of the life of some abstract-concrete actress in particular, and the theater as a whole. They gave me the go-ahead, and the first pie was written as a result of a very dramatic event. After a night rehearsal at the theater, my fellow actresses and I stopped a taxi (yes, then you still had to wave your hand at the road). The taxi driver named some cosmic price, I got angry, said “no, thank you, God is your judge,” and in annoyance from the bottom of my heart I closed the car door. Along with your finger. The car drove off. It was painful. When I returned home, I wrote the first pie:

little-known actress

dreamed of taking a taxi

but I pinched my finger in the door

sheep always walk

The next morning, classmates laughed a lot, and demanded to continue. And so began the path of a little-known actress in network poetry. They say that in different cities in dressing rooms people hang these pies for themselves to cheer up. It is important and pleasant for me. The book included not only pies, which have accumulated so much that I can’t presume to count, but also prose, and poems more authentic and with rhyme.

– Which of the poems-pies do you like the most?

– Of course, I myself love the series “about love” and “about the difficulties of life” most of all. Of course, I don’t remember everyone, that’s why I read from paper at concerts. Well, here are a few favorites:

little-known actress

fights with himself all the time

food work laziness men

so far the score is four zero

little-known actress

wanted a book and a museum

but it worked out for some reason

two pairs of shoes and cognac

little-known actress

acted in the author’s film

shaved bald for filming

fragment not included

While listing, I realized that my favorite ones are probably different, but there are really so many of them that it’s not very fair to choose.

– As a little-known journalist, what can a little-known actress say about the pains of creativity? Are they inherent in you or does everything come easily and naturally to you?

Both of these statements are true. To invent, start, understand how to solve the scene, infect the team with my idea, explain to the artist what we are playing and how – it’s easy for me. I love it, and in the process I feel absolutely happy. But to struggle with circumstances when “it’s impossible to do this, don’t fight”, to suffer from doubts whether what happened is good or bad, delve into yourself, wait for the first reaction of the audience, reviews, peer into the faces of those whose opinion is really important to me – this really torment that accompanies any of my work, be it a play, a book or a music album. Horror. But I do not know any other way to the truth, and I am sure that this is the direction to go. Yes, I am one of those naive who believe that a correctly found and spoken word in creativity, an emotion exactly evoked in the viewer or reader, and those very “test goosebumps” – this is the main meaning. This is what helps to look for “ours”, move towards the light, and feel like a happy person who is needed for some reason.

– And a few more words about the premiere …

— I want to say one important thing to my team: my friends, you are absolutely unique, incredibly talented, extremely patient people and working with you is happiness. We’ve done something together that you can almost be proud of. See that “almost”? This is precisely the same greeting from the torments of creativity to creative joy. That’s how we live.

Nina DONSKIKH.

Photo of the performance Evgeny Svistkov