Members of The Vakhtangov Theatre of Russia
and the founders of The Cherry Orchard Festival
discuss
MASQUERADE
City Center rehearsal studio
(Enter through Stage Door at 130 W. 56TH Street)
MASQUERADE plays June 13 – 16 at City Center
WHO: Cast members of the Vakhtangov Theatre of Russia’s production of MASQUERADE: Evgeny Knyazev, Lidia Velezhova, Leonid Bichevin, Maria Volkova, Yury Shlykov, the show’s director Rimas Tuminas, as well the creators of The Cherry Orchard Festival (Maria Shclover, Irina Shabshis).
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ABOUT MASQUERADE
Masquerade, based on the verse drama by Mikhail Lermontov, features a star-studded cast of Russia’s most acclaimed actors. Often compared to Shakespeare’s Othello, this study of jealousy and pride within the gossip-ridden aristocracy of 1830s St. Petersburg unmasks the captivating and guileful revelry that keeps morality teetering on a razor’s edge. The productions brims with decadent feasts, bright costumes, intrigue, flirtation, and a snow-covered stage on which alluring clowns shed compassionate tears.
Tuminas’ Masquerade is a tragic farce, a sad Commedia dell’Arte, and an exorcism of the heroes and hoaxes that enchant us away from our better selves. The production is performed in Russian with English subtitles.
ABOUT THE CHERRY ORCHARD FESTIVAL FOUNDATION
The Cherry Orchard Festival, a production of the Cherry Orchard Festival Foundation, a registered 501(c) (3) organization, is a multi-day, multi-cultural, multidisciplinary celebration of international arts in the heart of New York City and beyond, where newest and most daring projects are presented. Founded in 2012, their mission is to introduce and promote global cultural activity and exchange of ideas, aiming to enlighten and engage audiences through educational programs and events. The Festival’s vision is to create an ongoing dialogue between international artists and American audiences to promote greater cultural understanding, while encouraging family participation in the arts. The Foundation held their first annual International Arts Festival in New York City in 2013. Since then, the Festival expanded to Boston and Washington DC, where audiences were introduced to the critically acclaimed international theatre productions and provided with opportunities to enhance their Festival experience with educational pre- performance events and meet-the-artist sessions. For more information about the festival and to purchase tickets, please visit: www.cherryorchardfestival.org or call 1.800.349.0021.
