The Russian Season of the Studio Theater: Imagining Traditional and Contemporary Russian Theater for an American Audience

At a recent Kennan Institute talk, Joy Zinoman, Founding Artistic Director, The Studio Theatre, Washington, D.C., discussed the Studio Theatre's decision to focus on Russian works for their entire Winter 2004-2005 season. Zinoman, although a long-time admirer of Chekhov, had very little experience with Russian theater until she started working on this Russian season. She explained that the decision to work on a Russian season was made almost by accident. Zinoman wanted to direct a Chekhov play in the inaugural season of the Studio Theatre's new facility, but needed a way to justify performing a 19th century play at a theater dedicated to contemporary works. From there, the idea arose to add contemporary Russian works and do an entire Russian season.

The Studio Theatre is performing three Russian plays on its main stage this season: The Russian National Postal Service by Oleg Bogaev, Ivanov by Anton Chekhov, and Black Milk by Vassily Sigarev, as well as Afterplay by Brian Friel, which is based on characters from Chekhov plays. The Studio Theater's Secondstage held a series of readings from contemporary Russian plays, and is performing The Death of Meyerhold by Mark Jackson and Terrorism by the Presnyakov Brothers. Zinoman said that this unprecedented Russian theme is drawing a great deal of attention from all over the country and so far has been popular with audiences.

In order to prepare for the Russian season, Zinoman went to Moscow for the Golden Mask drama awards in the spring of 2004. She declared that Moscow has one of the most vibrant theater communities that she has ever seen. She contended that the theater community in Moscow has undergone a process of change as Russia's political system has changed; from the director-centered theater of the Soviet era, Russia has moved to a more writer-centered theater community. This has produced an explosion of new plays and encouraged a new generation of writers, and Zinoman expects that within 20 years Russia will produce major international playwrights. Another change in the Russian theater community, according to Zinoman, is the threat that the new market economy poses to the repertory theater system. Traditionally, Russian theater companies stay together indefinitely and keep several plays in their regular performance cycle, but theater companies that come together to produce a single play and then disband are often more commercially viable.

Zinoman noted that there is significant interest in Russia within the American theater community. In addition to the Studio Theatre's Russian Season, a number of other Russian-themed arts events have taken place in the U.S. over the past year. While in Moscow, Zinoman found that there are large numbers of Americans studying in Russian theater institutes, largely through joint programs sponsored by U.S. universities.