Our department has a tradition of student drama performed in Russian. Some of the earliest productions were directed by Russian lectrice, Amelia Cantelli, who taught in the department between 1964-72, and later by lector Nikolai Naidenov between 1965-80. Plays often formed part of the programme of the “Russian Days” for schools which were held each year by the department.
In the 1980s, the productions became an established feature in the department’s calendar, when they became the focus of the post-examination project. Directed by Cynthia Marsh, the plays gave students an invaluable opportunity to use their language skills in a new context and enabled the department to promote the Russian language to the wider community in Nottingham. Students also worked on accompanying exhibitions to the productions, and special editions of Slavonica, which served as programmes.
'I can remember performing in it to this day, not least because, in spite of the excessively anxious pacing up and down in the corridor awaiting my entrance, I was beginning to find the whole being on stage thing not only enjoyable, but also somehow entrancing – the nervous energy, the costumes, the set, the props, even the odd bit of make-up all helping to coax the words and the story off the page and into life.' -Roger Ringrose German and Russian, 1986-1989
'I can remember performing in it to this day, not least because, in spite of the excessively anxious pacing up and down in the corridor awaiting my entrance, I was beginning to find the whole being on stage thing not only enjoyable, but also somehow entrancing – the nervous energy, the costumes, the set, the props, even the odd bit of make-up all helping to coax the words and the story off the page and into life.'
-Roger Ringrose
German and Russian, 1986-1989
In 2012, postgraduate students Jesse Gardiner and Laura Todd founded the Russian Theatre Group and reintroduced the tradition of performing plays in Russian. The group was established to involve students from all years and also engage Russian speakers from across the University. Weekly rehearsals were held throughout the year building towards final performances held in June.
‘We were incredibly proud of what our casts achieved and the improvements to their language skills were amazing. Some of our actors even used lines from the plays in their speaking exams! We were impressed by the dedication and open-mindedness of our audiences, many of whom did not know Russian. The success of the productions illustrated that performance is a universal language. We combined expressive sets with expressive acting, and, at times, slapstick comedy, to ensure the desired effect. Fortunately, it worked!’ – Laura Todd
‘We were incredibly proud of what our casts achieved and the improvements to their language skills were amazing. Some of our actors even used lines from the plays in their speaking exams! We were impressed by the dedication and open-mindedness of our audiences, many of whom did not know Russian. The success of the productions illustrated that performance is a universal language. We combined expressive sets with expressive acting, and, at times, slapstick comedy, to ensure the desired effect. Fortunately, it worked!’
– Laura Todd