At the V International theatre festival «Theatrical art of the epoch of happiness», currently taking place in Ashgabat, a student theatre group from the Moscow State Institute of Culture of Russian Federation is attracting particular attention. The group is led by Denis Davydov, a lead instructor for the course taught by Nikita Vysotskiy. Denis Alexandrovich is participating in festivals in our country for the third time. Moreover, during his first two visits, he came in the capacity of an actor, performing in the plays «Hello, Your Vysotskiy» and «Dacha pleasures». This time, he presents his directorial work − «Leningrad under a southern sky».
The most interesting thing is that the student group led by Denis Davydov includes four Turkmen young women and four young men. Three Russian students are also studying theatrical craft alongside them − it has turned into a wonderful Turkmen-Russian educational and creative group!
The play «Leningrad under a southern sky» staged at the Main academic drama theatre of Turkmenistan named after Saparmyrat Turkmenbashy the Great, features all the Turkmen students from the course. This production premiered in Smolensk, where it was very warmly received by the audience.
The play «Leningrad under a southern sky» tells the story of how two cultures, united by a shared tragedy, live according to noble human principles − sharing what little they have and helping in any way they can. The poet Yelena Serebryakova managed to be evacuated from besieged Leningrad to Turkmenistan. A long journey awaited her on overcrowded trains heading south − to a place where there were no explosions, no bursts of machine-gun fire, and no gruelling wait for a tiny scrap of black bread mixed with orache. The young woman brought with her an old, well-worn suitcase, which contained everything she now possessed. She made notes in her journals about everything she saw and experienced in these new lands, tucking them away in this suitcase so that nothing would be forgotten, so she could reflect on it all and share it with the entire world.
When the entire Soviet people celebrated the Victory, Yelena Serebryakova, as she set off for Leningrad, said to her new, loyal friends by way of farewell: «I will come back!». The song «I will come back!» brought this touching story to a close − one of thousands that took place during the war years.
Festival participants and Ashgabat theatre enthusiasts listened to the lyrics of this song while standing and the call to universal human values resonated in their hearts. Touching the chords of the soul – that is the primary goal of the performance, and it was achieved by the Turkmen-Russian student group.
