The new artistic director of the Gogol Center Anton Yakovlev: “I didn’t have a chance to play a negative role”

– You came to the Gogol Center for the first time after your appointment: first impression; on an intuitive level – your / not your space? Are you good at it or not?

– The first time after the appointment, I came to the theater when there was practically no one there. Everyone just went on vacation after the last season. Only a few people remained, who met the director and me with wary faces.

I had a strange feeling that this empty, echoing, inhospitable space was sullenly watching me, testing me “weakly”, as the hotel studied the hero in Kubrick’s The Shining. I answered him the same way, gloomily and sarcastically exploring his corridors, brick walls and distant rooms.

But here’s the paradox. Every day, with every new arrival in this space, the mutual tension went away. We started getting used to each other. Right now we don’t have friendship yet, but there is mutual respect. I think we gave each other a chance. And now look forward to both what we have to offer.

– Did the idea immediately arise to remake something for yourself or does it not matter to you?

— Of course, there was. I will be redoing it. But with respect to all previous versions. Indeed, in this space, various theatrical layers have mystically united, and not only the one that has been for the last 10 years. We are trying to make an interesting compilation, and, at the same time, absolutely new, our own.

Did you get to know the team? How were you received? Or a meeting ahead?

– Yes. I met with every artist of the troupe. Talked to almost all of the more than 50 people. For the most part, everyone was friendly and ready to talk, although some, of course, came tense. They can be understood, a “stranger” has come to their house. But I was sincere with everyone, I was absolutely open, telling how I see the situation and the future. And it seemed to me that the vast majority understood me. In any case, only in the future we will be able to assess how interesting we are to each other and with whom, in the end, we can create a theater together. I continue to get acquainted with the services.

Have you been to this theater before? First them. Gogol, and then “Gogol-Center”?

– Yes, I rarely, but I have been to the theater. Gogol back in the 90s. Then I saw several performances at the Gogol Center. And now I have watched all the main “program” performances that were.

– Is it true that the former director of all the artists transferred from fixed-term to indefinite contracts? If yes, then it can turn into a severe headache for you. If not true, does he intend to somehow renew the troupe? Invite artists and whom for example?

– Yes. He did it back in May. Apparently, he was already preparing for what would happen in the end. But to be honest, it wasn’t a headache. Essentially, it doesn’t change anything. After all, from the old troupe, which was before the Center, there were many actors who were already on indefinite contracts.

In principle, I was not going to follow the logic of the previous leadership, I wanted to break this vicious circle and did not offer anyone to quit. Those who wanted to leave, left, those who decided to stay, stayed. Regardless of the term of the contract. I will try to unite, but not to divide, well, and there, how it will turn out. Moreover, now there is no need to take artists on the staff, you can always call someone for a specific role when I see fit.

As for the new young ones, I have already begun recruiting interns – professional actors under 30 years old. They will immediately start working on new performances together with the theater’s permanent artists and, based on the results, they can already fully join the troupe.

Is the return of the Gogol theater a settled issue?

– Actually, formally, they called me to head the new theater named after Gogol, and not the Gogol Center. It had its own bright path, its own success, its own leader, and it seems right to me that it should remain so in the history of this theater. In addition, according to the documents, the theater officially had the same name. The center could not change it, it just came up with its own, temporary, in order to distance itself from the logic of the former theater.

– It turns out that you are not a timid one, since you agreed to enter the theater, which built a reputation on protest, radical statements, which is poorly mounted with your human and artistic positions. And this is the ground for internal conflict. Are you reporting this to yourself? Maybe you shouldn’t have agreed?

– Well, “to be afraid of grief – you can not see happiness.” It so happened, and this fact has nothing to do with me, that this theatrical project in this building has completed its history. I was offered to initially build a new space here the way I imagine it, so I agreed. There will be a place for a variety of statements and directions, and I do not see the ground for future conflicts. I am sure that those who are interested will stay, those who are not will calmly and dignifiedly leave without any scandals.

– First, will you clear the “glade”, and then build your own or in parallel – and clear, and your own? Where do you start?

– There is nothing special to clean up. The center functioned in such a way that only a few people played the main roles in most of the repertoire performances. Few left, but among them, first of all, it was they. I understand and accept their decision, they have their own way.

Therefore, even if I wanted to leave some performances from the current repertoire, it is almost unrealistic. So I did not have a chance to play the negative role of the “executioner of freedom”, they did everything themselves. But, to be honest, in the logic of this situation, I imagined the development of events from the very beginning. In September, I will tell you what titles and directors will be next. I will create a new repertoire from scratch, create a new audience, create a new space. Yes, it is very difficult, it is a wild amount of work. But what sane director would refuse this cool challenge?!