— I can’t say that I have an optimistic view of the world. But I always like Chekhov

Lithuanian director EIMUNTAS NEKROSIUS began work on Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" in Moscow. Famous Moscow actors are involved in this production project of the Stanislavsky Foundation. Theater journalists around the world know that Mr. Nyakrosius is the most taciturn of the great modern directors and hates questions about the plays he is currently working on. Nevertheless, Kommersant columnist ROMAN DOLZHANSKY decided to ask him a few questions.
— A question that I try to ask all directors working on Chekhov. Do you think he was more of an optimist or a pessimist?
— I can’t say that I have an optimistic view of the world. And Chekhov is always very close to me. So judge for yourself. He had a lot of light, but also a lot of very dark. "The Cherry Orchard" is such a cruel play, merciless...
— You staged a lot of plays by Chekhov, staged Pushkin, Gogol. Now you are working on Chekhov with the Russians, in Moscow. Is it true that in your native Lithuania, nationalists accused you of being too oriented towards the east?
- Exaggerated, I think. Although there was something, of course... But I never paid attention to it. There are just people who understand what I do, and there are those who don’t.
— When the casting for “The Cherry Orchard” was announced, you said that an actor’s talent is not the main quality for you and that you are ready to rehearse with anyone. Nevertheless, among the actors you have already chosen are Lyudmila Maksakova, Evgeny Mironov, Vladimir Ilyin, Igor Gordin. That is, not just any, but very famous names...
“It seems to me that I simply recruited a group of actors who were very calm psychologically. I paid more attention to their human qualities than to skill or fame. I am not among the admirers of these actors, if only because I do not live in Moscow and have almost never seen them on stage. So for me their surnames had no magical meaning.
— When the actors came to show you, what was the first task you gave them, what test?
— There are no tests, and I don’t ask them to show anything. Just some ordinary conversation... I listen to the voice, look, try to understand what kind of person is sitting in front of me.
— So, during rehearsals you also somehow become closer to people with whom you work?
- More likely no than yes. There's no time for this. And in general, it is better for the director to maintain a distance from the actors. It is also better for the actors themselves not to become too close psychologically to the director.
— Will you rehearse in Moscow all the time?
— No, we plan that the actors will come to me in Vilnius and part of the rehearsals will take place there. In Europe this has long been a normal practice, but here for some reason everyone is surprised. And the premiere, of course, will take place in Moscow in early July.
— Watching your performances is difficult for many. Do you have any idea about the ideal viewer?
— A casual viewer is sometimes even better than a prepared one. Although it’s nice when the public can deeply understand the idea, it also helps me soberly evaluate what I myself have accomplished. But sophisticated viewers are often, what can I say, very suspicious...
— In Vilnius, your theater “Meno Fortas” has its own building, but there are only rehearsal spaces there, and there is no big stage. Are you trying to find your own theater?
- This is enough for me. The performances are completely ready in the room, and then they just expand to the size of the stage.
— To what extent are your performances born during rehearsal? Or is the entire future performance already prepared in your head and the actors just have to fulfill the plan?
— I’m not one of those directors who build a performance out of actor’s improvisations. Of course, a lot is born and refined during rehearsals. But homemade preparations are more important to me. I record a lot, remember sounds, something will be useful later for other works. And when I rehearse, I live in a special internal discipline, and the rest of the world seems to shrink at this time...
- Can you interrupt the rehearsal or cancel it if you feel that it, as they say, is not going well?
- Yes, that's what I do. If twenty minutes pass and I still don’t have firm confidence in my thoughts and decisions, then I prefer not to torture myself or the actors.
— How do you relax from work?
— I try to interrupt with something completely unrelated to the theater. Yes, there is almost no time to truly be distracted. As soon as you finish one job, you immediately need to start another.
- But this is an almost verbatim quote from “The Seagull”, from Trigorin’s monologue! Do you have a Chekhov character that is especially close to you, that you resemble?
- I don’t think about it. The director's task is different, and there are so many problems that inspiration alone cannot overcome. There are so many other puzzling questions...
— And if you had the opportunity now, before working on “The Cherry Orchard,” to meet with Chekhov and ask him just one question, what would you ask?
- Well, surely this would not be a question about theater or literature. Probably would have asked something medical...

Newspaper “Kommersant” No. 22/P dated 02/10/2003, p. 22

Authors:

Roman Dolzhansky

Eimuntas Nyakrosius: I would ask Chekhov something medical