When I came to the reading of the play "Livia, 13" by Christine Rinderknecht, directed by Mikhail Patlasov, I could see the potential for future work. I proposed to the New Stage of the Aleksandrinsky Theatre and the Goethe-Institut to produce this performance. For the next four years, we showed this production several times in St Petersburg and on tour in Petrozavodsk, Pskov, Arkhangelsk, and Voronezh. It became one of the most notable works of theatre for young audiences in the Northwest region of Russia and was widely acclaimed.
In the production, we used a special form of talking to young people about abuse. The production received a lot of controversy from adult audiences and support from teenagers. This project made me realize how important it is to promote alternative views and experiences in relation to a diverse young audience.
More information: https://alexandrinsky.ru/afisha-i-bilety/liviya-13/
Credits:
”Livia, 13” by Alexandrinsky Theatre and Goethe-Institut
Premiere: 18 September 2016
Author: Christine Rinderknecht
Translator: Liza Birger
Producer: Maria Sloeva
Director: Mikhail Patlasov
Actors: Gala Samoilova, Daria Stepanova, Marina Roslova, Valeriy Stepanov
Award:
Winner of the St Petersburg Bolshoi Puppet Festival (2019) in the Best Director category.
Press:
Oksana Kushlyaeva “I am Livia” (Peterburgsky Teatralny Magazine)
Alexander Donetsky “Preventive Theatre” (Pskovskaya Lenta Novosti)
Anna Grinevich “It is better not to downgrade” ("Respublika Karelia" news agency)
Julia Kleiman, The online journal "Cultural Enlightenment. Dialogue between Russia and Germany"