Impressions from the Maly Theatre by William Oldroyd

William Oldroyd is a participant on the Genesis Foundation’s Wilson Brothers scheme at the Young Vic theatre in London. As part of this programme of work, he directed a workshop production of Ibsen’s Ghosts.

Within the first few days of our visit to St Petersburg we were taken to the Winter Palace, where for centuries the Russian Royal Family had lived and collected exquisite art from around the world. At each turn we were met by more opulent and striking craftsmanship, and yet one felt that these riches had come at a great price. Whilst grandees and celebrities of Europe had gathered here, millions of Russians continued to be enslaved by a system which only began to crack with the Revolution. The more we began to understand the history of the Russian people, especially in the 20th century, the more we realised that this story of deprivation and horror had been repeated again and again.

It is no accident therefore, that Lev Dodin, a Russian Jew born at the end of the Second World War, fundamentally believes that Theatre’s quest is to understand better what it is to be human. This has led him to explore key novels such as Life and Fate by Vassily Grossman and Brothers and Sisters by Fydor Abramov. Over many years Lev has guided his ensemble through these works and from them he has created two plays with a combined stage time of 12 hours.

It was fascinating to learn from Lev how he had attempted to adapt these works. Lev explained to us that in life as in art, the only way one begins to understand human nature is to begin with a better understanding of oneself.

This exploration of the Self is the starting point of Lev Dodin’s process and is founded upon Stanislavsky’s 100,000 Whys. If, as directors, we continue to question, to provoke and to encourage actors, and never to settle on what we think we already know, then a performance will remain alive. The moment we stop learning, or asking questions, then our work is already dead: we will start to manufacture rather than create Art; and the creation of Art is what Lev believes our work in the theatre must be. For Lev, Art must shatter the nerves. Art must make people feel on edge. It must not insulate them from reality but instead make them experience something they cannot experience in their everyday lives. It must make them perceive more clearly.

Bearing this in mind, Lev feels that even the worst theatre is probably better than most other things; for it has the possibility to change a person’s life and way of looking at life, at least for an instant.

I will always remember Lev explaining that in the creation of Art the success rate is small, but we must not be afraid. Stanislavsky titled his autobiography My Life in Art and this serves as a good reminder that what we are trying to do in the theatre is a life commitment: as Lev reminded us, Stanislavsky did not call his book ‘My Job in Art’ or ‘My Career in Art’.

At the heart of Lev’s philosophy is a belief that talent evaporates very quickly and that our craft must be practiced for life. If we understand that this pursuit for perfection is in itself impossible then we will never stop. This is the struggle that we desire.

When I started my work at the Young Vic under the ‘Wilson Bros’ initiative the priorities seemed to be getting to know the theatre and its staff, staging a production in the Maria studio and continuing my development as a director with the support of the Genesis Foundation. However, whilst each of these objectives has been informative, it has been my experience in Russia which has had the greatest impact on my way of seeing what I am trying to do. My time in St Petersburg where I was able to talk and socialise with like-minded directors, Lev Dodin and an established ensemble, has provided a lens through which I can better see my other objectives. I now have a focused vision of what those experiences have meant in the past and what I will strive for in the future.

I am so grateful to the Genesis Foundation and Young Vic for giving me this opportunity to understand Lev Dodin’s theatre practice first hand. Lev encouraged us to look for the Exodus event in a play: the defining moment at which the narrative begins, even if it is not the first chronological point in the story. I will see this visit to the Maly Theatre as an ‘Exodus event’ in my career as a director.

I am certain that as I continue to work I will always look back at this time as the crux at which I was challenged and started to think differently and explore more courageously.