Vladimir Medinsky and his mask

"Golden Mask" is not a prize of the Ministry of Culture, Russian theatrical critics insist

Almost one hundred critics of 12 regions of Russia turned to the chairman of the Union of Theater Workers Alexander Kalyagin with an open letter , which is offered to dissolve the newly formed expert council of the main theater award of the country - the Golden Mask . According to the authors of the letter, "the Ministry of Culture presses on the" golden mask ", and it is with this that the series of scandals that shocked it are connected."

The first to the news that the so-called “critics-pages” were included in the new expert council was to respond to two Moscow directors. Konstantin Bogomolov and Kirill Serebrennikov announced that they refused to participate with their performances in the Golden Mask. Over the 20-year history of the existence of this award and the festival, there have already been cases when the directors on one or another interrupted the “mask” of the relationship.

However, no one ever demanded to dissolve the advice of experts, the task of which is to first look at a fair number of productions, and then take the best for the annual Moscow show and to the jury. Now the theatrical critics, almost 100 people made such a demand. They say that the expert council was first formed with gross procedural violations, "without discussion with representatives of the theater community." Thanks to this, people who are considered to be a very dubious reputation in a professional environment.

Among those who signed the appeal to Alexander Kalyagin, - editor of the magazine "Scene" Natalia Kaminskaya . She explains why the current situation is called "Extraordinary", and this despite the fact that in the new expert of the Council, only a few names seemed to many undesirable:

- I worked in an expert advice for two years. We cursed to hoarse, but I cannot name a single person in those expert councils who would not know how to listen to the interlocutor. Not even that he did not know how, but would not be capable of it because of his human and professional qualities.

Instead of management, finances, instead of solving organizational issues, the Ministry of Culture is taken for ideology. Say, we give money, and you please do what we consider necessary

I am not against rotation in the expert council. It must be. And people there should be different, different tastes and different views. But these people should have an appropriate education, experience and, probably, some kind of talent. Personally, I signed an appeal because a person with whom no one can agree with an expert council. A person imposed, unfortunately, by the Ministry of Culture. This is Kapitolina Kokshenev. Once, apparently, by the decision of the Ministry of Culture, she entered the commission to check for compliance with the original Pushkin texts set on the stage. The modern interpretation of Pushkin works was meant. This idea itself seems strange to me. What Koksheneva wrote then is odious, obscurant, but it is also illiterate.

Now a lot of people have been introduced into the expert council who had not been there before. I know the views of many. Honestly, I do not share them, but I would never say anything against their presence in my life, because they all have every right to be there. They are all specialists, professionals. They have their own opinion, and they will defend it. As for this candidate, not a single professional is mounted with her.

It would seem that Kokenev is only one person. But I evaluate its appearance as a clear ideological dictate from the side of the Ministry of Culture, the desire to dictate my will, which was not there before.

- I correctly realized that you and other signatories are afraid that this is only the beginning of a specific and unpleasant process?

- Undoubtedly! And we are not only afraid of us. Recently, the directorial guild expressed the same fears. Of course, there is a clear substitution, which we, the older generation, have already passed. Instead of managing, say, finances, instead of resolving organizational issues, the Ministry of Culture is taken for ideology. Say, we give money, and you please do what we consider necessary. In general, this danger is quite real. And her shadow now touched the Golden Mask.

- Can the union of theatrical figures represented by Kalyagin listen to the opinion of such a large number of theatrical critics?

- We really hope for it. I really respect Alexander Alexandrovich. He has repeatedly defended the Golden Mask. This is his brainchild. Another thing is that my comrades and I perfectly understand in what difficult position it is. STD is the founder of the "mask", but the Ministry of Culture is its founder. The interaction of these two structures is inevitable. So Alexander Kalyagin was forced to go to some compromises. But here is the question of the extent to what extent these compromises are possible. We hope that he will listen to our voices. Both the Golden Mask Directorate itself, and the Union of Theater Workers do a lot for the theater community, but they are in a rather difficult situation, in which they did not put themselves, ”says Natalia Kaminskaya .

"Golden Mask" is not a prize of the Ministry of Culture, Russian theatrical critics insist

The profession of theatrical critic has one feature: he must constantly watch performances, so to speak, hold his hand on the pulse. Let's say a philologist or historian can specialize on narrow topics, but a theater critic is not. Professor Rati (GITIS) Anna Stepanova , whose signature also stands under the collective letter of theatrical critics, refuses Kapitolina Koksheneva in professionalism for many reasons:

- Although she was a graduate of our theater faculty, she had not worked in the profession for a long time, she wrote almost nothing about the theater with rare exceptions. And these rare exceptions were extremely tendentious. This is a militant position directed against individual directors. Such a person, in theory, should not work in an expert advice.

- Now many people recall her publications about the play "Tannheiser" at the Novosibirsk Opera Theater. Kokeneva has done a lot so that this production is prohibited.

When people in power were mastered by the desire to build an ideology, entirely and completely turned into the past, to combine the traditions of autocratic Russia with the Soviet Union and overshadow all this with Orthodox topics, an attempt arose to subjugate this ideology and the Golden Mask Award

- Yes, as far as I know, she did an examination for the Ministry of Culture. And, apparently, this examination was so arranged by the Ministry of Culture that it was introduced into this same expert council. But this is a person who is not in the thick of the theater process. This is a person who has not seen so many performances to draw any conclusions regarding what is happening in our theater environment. This is a random person and a tendentious person. Thus, the examination system itself in the Expert Council is destroyed.

"Golden Mask" is not a prize of the Ministry of Culture, Russian theatrical critics insist

I am very interested in very deeply in one thing - so that at the National Festival "Golden Mask" performances of different directions, different artistic trends made by different directors are presented. The variety of all the processes that occur in our country should be presented on the "golden mask", regardless of which views, individual members of the Expert Council adhere to. Kokeneva says that enough to give “masks” Serebrennikov, because he is already caressed. And if Serebrennikov makes a brilliant performance, why can't he get a "golden mask"?

“ But one Koksheneva does not make the weather.” The expert council has a fairly long list. Why were everyone so outraged? She would be with her own specific voice. So what? The work of the Council involves both discussions and voting.

-Firstly, there is not one Kokshenev. There are several such odious figures. Secondly, and this is the most important thing-the process is completely incomprehensible. Why did you move away from the previous procedure for the formation of the expert council? The Golden Mask is the brainchild of the Union of Theater Workers. This is our professional environment, this is our professional prize.

- Previously, this composition has always been formed only in the Union of Theater Workers?

- Yes, although the Ministry of Culture, as it were, looked at this situation, but did not interfere with such cardinal methods. The desire to lead this theater award, manifested by the Ministry of Culture, of course, is concerned.

- Why did this happen right now?

We remember how the Stalin period ended in theatrical art - it was an absolutely scorched field

- Today, when many people in power suddenly took possession of the desire to build a new ideology, completely and completely turned into the past, to combine the traditions of autocratic Russia with the Soviet Union and overshadow all this with Orthodox topics, an attempt arose to subjugate this ideology of the triumphant past and the Golden Mask premium. Meanwhile, she is directed to the future. The theater process should be alive. It should be diverse. There should be ups and downs, and not such an even territory under the shadow, even the Great, but the past. The past was already.

One of the most important anxieties - about the fact that our theater future can take away such administration with such administration and return social realism with postulates, canons and standards. We remember how the Stalin period ended in theatrical art - it was an absolutely scorched field. Why today, when the theater is so interesting, so diverse, when the regions were breathing, there are such amazing experiments, why do you need to do this today? No need to touch this professional life. We will figure it out ourselves, ”says Anna Stepanova .