by Alexander Chervinsky
The story of an encounter
Andrei Gorbaty has staged Chervinsky’s Soviet play about the world’s rebirth. After the Second World War, the very fabric of life was torn in two: pre-catastrophe and post-catastrophe. A new life rises from the ruins. How is one to create a future – from scratch or restoring the torn links through time? Can the world start itself up again and forget its own past? Can everyone do the same? And can one live forgetting?
My Happiness… is a life-affirming story. A post-war city rising from ruins. Young Viktoria, an elder pioneer counselor, is educating the little boys in her school while dreaming of having her own child, dreaming of life going on. The continuity between generations and the unbreakable chain that runs through time are the main theme of this story. Both protagonists, Viktoria and Semyon, look ahead into the future, but each in their own way: Viktoria keeps the past in mind, while Semyon rejects it. Will they be happy together? No. Will they be happy separately? Viktoria will, despite the weight of responsibility for the integrity of existence that has been heaped on her, despite carrying the mark of being the daughter of enemies of the people, with an illegitimate child – she will be happy because she loves and knows how to love life, people, her country, the past and the future. As for Seymon, who knows…
The production was made possible with a grant from the Minstry for Culture of the Russian Federation in support of young directors.
PRODUCTION TEAM:
Director – Andrei Gorbaty
Set and Costume Design – Vasily Semyonov, Natalia Grosheva
Music Selection – Andrei Didik
Light Designer – Igor Tupikin
Video – Alexander Malyshev
Composer – Andrei Didik
