On 15th April 2024 the final theatrical performance of the Golden Age of Russian Literature (9th season) project took place on the Andrej Vrábel Gymnasium in Levice. The project was announced last December in honour of the 200th anniversary of the birth of A. N. Ostrovsky.
The event was organised by the Slovak civic association Ruslana in cooperation with the European Fund for Slavic Literature and Culture and the Fund for the Promotion of Ethnic Minority Culture.
More than 400 people participated in this unique event in different cities of Slovakia. Among them were teachers of Russian language and literature, students of Slovak gymnasiums, journalists, students of language courses, representatives of the Slovak public and compatriots. This time, students of the A. Vrábel Gymnasium from Levice also took part in the performance.
Before the start of the performance, students learned about important representatives of the Golden Age of Russian culture. An exhibition of photographs and illustrations from the 18th – 19th centuries served as an original addition to the story.
The highlight of the event was the theatrical performance The Profitable Place, a production of the work by A. N. Ostrovsky, which was adapted by director Michal Tomasy. His work remains relevant to contemporary readers around the world. The playwright's immortal words and emotional Slovak music were performed on stage. The actors of the Break amateur theatre managed to draw the audience into the complex moral feelings and inner struggle of the main characters of the play - Vasily Zhadov and Polina. The young masters of the stage managed to convey the complexity of the author's inner world and made the audience think about the difficult life choice: to live honestly or "like everyone else".
It was a wonderful plunge into the depths of the world of the Russian classic. At the end of the event, the students were in no hurry to leave. They had a long discussion about how they would have acted in the hero's place, and then they talked enthusiastically with the actors, sharing their impressions and emotions.
Many thanks to everyone who participated in the project and we hope to see you in the next 10th season of the Golden Age!
Photo: Natália Stariková Translation: Ľubica Skořepová