А1 is a General Partner of the 100th season of Yanka Kupala National Academic Theatre

Yanka Kupala National Academic Theatre is the longest-standing theatre in Belarus and throughout 2019-2020 it opens up it’s 100th season and 100th anniversary of it’s establishment. The anniversary season will start on 3 September while A1 is a General Partner of the 100th season of Yanka Kupala National Academic Theatre.

A1 has always paid great attention to the projects associated with national identity, Belarusian language and culture. And it’s continued support will remain one of the key priorities of corporate social responsibility. This is the mission that was formulated one hundred years ago by the founders of Kupala Theatre, the most senior national professional drama theatre in the country.

One of the outstanding common initiatives dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Kupala Theatre is a free of charge broadcasting of the most significant performances via VOKA VOD. Once a month it will made available on any device and in any operator’s network upon phone number authorization. All performances will be broadcasted exclusively live creating a sense of presence in the theatre and enhancing the impressions.

“It is a big honor for us to continue our partnership with Kupala Theatre as a general partner of the 100th season. It is quite symbolic that the first year of A1 as a brand in Belarus coincided with the 100th anniversary of the leading theatre in the country. Video broadcasting of the theatrical performances is a modern popular format that is in massive demand all over the world. It makes it possible to bridge different forms of art and bring the emotions out of the performance to a new level. And this is what VOKA pursues in it’s strategy – extend the horizon of the audience emotions and impressions. Multicamera professional shooting in Full HD format enables maximum immersion while new angles help to take a new look at the show even if you have seen it before. Moreover, this is the format that makes it possible to watch performances of Kupala Theatre in any corner of Belarus which is particularly valuable for the regional audience”, - noted Anton Bladik, Senior Director for Digital Platforms and Content of A1.

The first broadcasting on VOKA VOD is planned for 21 September featuring Radio Prudok from it’s director Roman Podolyako based on eponymously-named book by writer Andrei Gorvat. It was support of this project in 2018 that turned to be a starting point of active cooperation between A1 and Kupala Theatre.

The season will traditionally open with the legendary Paulinka which is being staged for almost 80 years. Kupala theatre is the history of the country, Belarusian culture and each of us. That is why there is a number of festive events, new projects, tours, editorial projects and of course premieres on the Main and Chamber stages planned.

100th season production schedule includes King Lear directed by the art director of Kupala Theatre Nikolai Pinigin with it’s first night performance in December 2019. Stage design is created by Katerina Shimanovich, laureate of the prestigious Ivan Ushakov’s prize. Her works are well-known to every visitor of the theatre through such productions like Zapalki, Elza’s Land, Radio Prudok and by collaboration with Sergei Ashuha for the latest premiere Noble Zavalna or Belarus Has Fantastic Stories.

A well-known Russian director Sergei Zemlyansky will present his plastique performance My Shagal in January 2020 on the main stage.

Perhaps the most awaited premiere of the new season is an updated staging of Nikolai Pinigin’s show Tuteishiya. In 1990s the performance was truly epic and in 1992 gained Belarus State Prize.

Nikolai Pinigin plans to renew a famous show Idyl based on the literary work by Wincenty Dunin-Marcinkiewicz. The costume designer is Katerina Shimanovich and stage design will be created by Zinovi Margolin whose works in Kupala Theatre include The Night Before Christmas and Pan Tadevush. Idyl is planned to be staged for the first time in June 2020.

In the late 2019 a new performance is expected on the chamber stage too. Actor and director Roman Podolyako will present a long-awaited performance called 1- The First created as a verbatim based on eponymous-named play by Roman Podolyako and Mikhail Zui – their fruitful creative collaboration was embodied in the staging of Radio Prudok by Andrei Gorvat.

However, the notion of the theatre is significantly broader than a factory-manufactured performance. This is a powerful mechanism that forms the mindset, impacts the psycho and engrains national identity.

“The three key words throughout the 100th season will be History, Modernity and Future. We have something in the history of Kupala Theatre we can be proud of, we have something to present that corresponds to high creative standards in the life of modern Kupala Theatre and based on and through this we create perspectives and create the foundation of the future Kupala Theatre”, - this is the story of the 100th season from General Director of Yanka Kupala National Academic Theatre Pavel Latushko.

Within this concept Kupala Theatre lays emphasis on development of theatric environment via new projects, extension of the touring footprint and opening of new venues. Thus, in 2020 Small stage of the theatre located in the historic building at Engelsa 17 that currently is the residence of the theatric printing office will again host performances. This multifunctional location will be used for performances and films, musical nights and serve as a gallery of contemporary art.

The touring plan of the theatre includes a number of Belarusian cities like Gomel, Grodno, Slonim, Baranovichy, Molodechno, Bobruisk, Soligorsk, etc. as well as overseas and participation in European theatric festivals. Soon Kupala Theatre will present The Nobility of Pinsk in Belostock and The Harvest based on the play by Pavel Pryazhko in Paris as informal world capital of culture.

The new projects of Kupala Theatre on Chamber stage will be associated with the history, heavyweights, contemporary literature and education. The Legends of Kupala Theatre will talk about prominent figures – artists, directors, painters. Literature and Theatre will be an attempt to demonstrate contemporary Belarusian prose on the stage of the theatre as sketches and readings performed by young directors and actors. Excursions into Performance will show the areas where the audience was never let in – property rooms, dressing and make-up rooms, art lobby, portrait gallery, backstage. Musical Nights at Kupala Theatre that was pre-premiered in July 2019 will acquire it’s continuation.

New projects dedicated to the 100th season feature educational program for the schoolchildren aimed to develop creative thinking, expressive reading skills, basic playwriting, form and develop creative skills, analytical and creative thinking, foster love for literature, theatre, Belarusian language, stimulate creative expression.

Apart from it, Kupala Theater will arrange a number of editorial projects – the first edition of the magazine that will not only unveil the history of the theatre but also become a source of information for those who is interested in the theatre as a form of art in general will be presented soon. It is planned to release a number of documentaries and TV spots as well as a special book about the history of the theater including precious archived materials.

A special focus will be drawn to the homeland of Yanka Kupala in order to make an old dream come true - present Paulinka in Vyazinka. By the by it is expected that this performance will be the most massive throughout it’s history.