The director of the Kherson musical drama complained about the huge loss of personnel

– Valery Andreevich, today you are the head of the main theater of Kherson. Are you a new person in it – or, on the contrary, an old-timer?

– I have been working in this theater for 44 years. In 1979 I came here as a stage engineer. He was in the cast, participated in ballet, played dramatic roles, then became an assistant director. And for the last twenty years he was in charge of the artistic and production part.

How has the nature of your work changed since you became CEO? Do you define the repertoire? What else is your responsibility?

– I now determine everything. From the composition of the old theater, we have, according to my calculations, fifteen out of two hundred.

– How many people are there now?

– There are twenty people in the cast, along with ballet dancers and an orchestra.

– Should there be a minimum?

– One hundred fifty.

– What is the position in the orchestra specifically?

– There are only eight musicians out of twenty required.

– How do you plan to make up for the loss of personnel?

– I have said many times in interviews that we are ready to hire people who do not have an acting education, but who have talent. Of course, on a competitive basis. After an interview, they can enter Kherson State University, where an acting department has opened.

– When your theater was Ukrainian – what works were in use? Were Russian classics staged, for example, the masterpieces of Alexander Ostrovsky?

– We became “The Seagull” by Chekhov. Before that, there were “Wolves and Sheep” by Ostrovsky, but that was a long time ago, 10-15 years ago. Then Ukraine was a completely different country. And in recent years we have staged performances, I would say, not of a very high artistic level. I released the last three, but I didn’t even see the premiere.

Anti-Soviet elements were necessarily introduced into the performances, some evil Chekists or someone else must have been present.

– All performances after 2014 were exclusively in Ukrainian?

– Naturally.

– In Kherson, 80% of the population speaks Russian? Or more?

– Probably more. In Kherson itself, Ukrainian speech in shops, markets, on the streets cannot be heard. Everyone speaks Russian.

– Did the attendance change after the language change?

– When they switched to Ukrainian, there were immediately fewer spectators. Even my neighbors, my relatives stopped visiting. And the theater in Kherson has always been loved. We were the only place in town where you could go. And the performances were excellent, especially at a time when the main director was Vladimir Begma (Soviet and Ukrainian director, former chief director of the Kyiv Operetta and the National Theater of Opera and Ballet named after T.G. Shevchenko, – B.S.). Vladimir Vladimirovich saw our play “I want to get married” in Kyiv, and he liked our troupe so much that he came to Kherson and staged the play “Gypsy Premier” with us. And then he stayed for 10 years. The theater has been packed all these years. And then the audience became less and less.

– What is being rehearsed in your theater now?

– We have three titles on the issue at once. French comedy “Long live Bouchon!”, “Everything is paid for” or “All inclusive” based on the play by Anatoly Krym and The Adjutant of His Imperial Majesty, or the Corsican based on the work of the Czech playwright Jiri Gubach. We open the season in November.

– Did the theater building suffer from shelling?

– No, it wasn’t hurt.

– Props, tools – are they all safe? I know that there were such desperate moments in Mariupol that the locals were ready to burn musical instruments to keep warm.

We didn’t have anything like that. I have been here all the time, I have not gone anywhere and have not left. We lost only a few things that I could not keep track of – video projectors, laptops, hard drives from computers.

– Did the fleeing artists take the valuable equipment with them?

– Yes. But compared to everyone else, we somehow survived.

– How do you see the repertory future?

– I have no plans for the distant future. Plans can be made when there is a chief director, directors, artistic director. They will make suggestions and I will offer. Personally, I really want to stage “Lefty”, which we once had, I really want to restore it, the way it was before.

– Maybe professionals from Russia will come to you? Have you negotiated with the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation about the “theatrical landing”?

– I haven’t done it yet. I want to open the season, show that there is a theater, show that we can. And then, with some kind of commercials, reach out to Russian colleagues. And invite professionals to us in Kherson.

– Tours of Russian groups are taking place in the LPR and DPR. Your region is the “youngest”; have guests from Russia already begun to arrive there?

– No one has come to see us yet. And no one has approached me with offers yet.

– “MK” is read in all leading Russian theaters, and now you have the opportunity to contact like-minded people directly.

– I appeal not only to the actors of Moscow and St. Petersburg, but all of Russia. If you have a desire to come to our South and work in our theater, I invite you. Come. You are very much needed here.

– Would you also like to address your colleagues who left for Ukraine? The new authorities of the region gave Kherson residents a month to decide on citizenship. Maybe the former members of the Kherson musical drama troupe will return?

– I’ll tell you honestly – of all the people who left, I would take only a couple of people. We are creating a new theater – and let it be new. I don’t want people to say later: “but we had in the theater …”.

– To the temporarily closed theaters due to the pandemic – as it was all over the world, or because of the attacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – as was the case in Donetsk, spectators were still drawn. They come to you, call to find out when the theater will be filled with life again?

– They even stop me on the street and ask when we will resume work. Everyone is looking forward to it.