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VALENTIN KRASNOGOROV AND HIS PLAYS

VALENTIN KRASNOGOROV AND HIS PLAYS

Krasnogorov’s name is acclaimed by theatergoers in Russia and all over the world. His plays, which include The Dog, Premiere After Party, Small Tragedies, Let’s Have Sex!, The Delights Of Adultery, Somebody Must Leave, The Fall of Don Juan, Now or Never, Ladies by Ad, Love Medicine, Pelicans of The Wilderness, Several Hours From the Lives of a Man and a Woman, That Weak Gentle Sex, The Bride’s Room, The Cruel Lesson, and Visit of a Young Lady,  have been  positively received by critics and audiences alike. The 40 plays he has written to date have been performed in more than 600 theaters.

Krasnogorov’s plays have been directed by many prominent theater directors, such as Georgy Tovstonogov, Lev Dodin, and Roman Viktyuk. They are part of the permanent repertoire of many theaters, and several have been peformed hundreds of times, to rave reviews. The critical assessment that “Krasnogorov’s plays cross borders easily” is no empty praise: they have been translated into a number of other languages, and performed in Australia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Great Britain, India, Mongolia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine, the USA, and elsewhere. Plays from the Krasnogorov catalogue have received numerous awards for best drama at various international theater festivals.

Krasnogorov’s theatrical mastery spans a wide range of unique talents and skills. It is the combination of biting satire, a keen sense of humor, the art of the grotesque and the absurd, tender lyricism, and a deep appreciation of human nature that makes Krasnogorov’s theater pieces so sought after, so delightful, so delectable. The conflicts in his plays are beautifully balanced out by their easy yet brilliant dialogue, lively dynamics, and gripping narratives. The author’s witty plots and paradoxical situations are quick to draw readers and audiences into the world created by his imagination.

In addition to drama, Valentin Krasnogorov has written novellas, short stories, and essays. His biography is included in the Marquis Who’s Who in the World (USA), the International Who’s Who of Intellectuals (Cambridge, England), and other publications.

 Basic of Dramaturgy. Theory, technique and practice of drama», Krasnogorov’s book on the essence of drama, has earned praise from notable figures in the theater. He is also the founder and first president of the Dramatists Guild of St. Petersburg.

List of Premieres

Map of Krasnogorov’s Premiers

Theater Posters

Translations into other languages

 

PLAYS AND PLAY SYNOPSES

1. THE PLAYS TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH

RUNNING THE SHOW.  A unusual show goes into a mystifying, bizarrely amusing night rehearsal that ends with a twist. 2 men and 2 women. Interior.

 PREMIERE AFTER PARTY  Black comedy. The curtains have just closed on the long-awaited premiere of Shakespeare’s Othello and the actors remain on stage to celebrate opening night. Unfortunately, the party is marred by a mysterious death and, and every of the participants of this cocktail party is the prime suspect. Gloomy, yet humorous, with ‘whodunnit’ intrigue plot twists and an unexpected finale; Cocktail After Premiere is riveting until the very end. The world premiere was staged in 2010 by Russia’s most famous theatre director — Roman Viktyuk — to critical acclaim and has been hailed as an enormous success. 4 men and 3 women. Interior.

LADIES BY AD  The characters of this paradoxical comedy are women of different age and nature, who are not familiar with each other. An ad in the newspaper prompted them to gather in the same place. Their conversations, disputes, conflicts disclose the influence of our crucial era on the fate, views and moral values of the heroines of the play. 1 man and 6 women. Interior.

LET’S HAVE SEX!   Every personage of this strange, absurd play talks and thinks only about sex. But the frivolous title of this comedy is delusive: the drama is complicated, tragic, and at the same time, amusing. It is difficult to define the genre of this play. It may be called both a psychological drama, and a theater of the absurd, a play that deals with paradox, a philosophical play…. It may be defined as a comedy, but it will not be a mistake to call it also a tragedy. The characters come from nowhere and leave to nowhere. They are familiar to each other and at the same time seem to see each other for the first time. There are 5 characters in the play: the Husband, the Wife, the Sister, the Girl, and the Professor. They are quite real and authentic. At the same time, it is difficult to understand, whether the Wife really is someone’s wife, the Professor – a real professor, etc. There is no plot in the traditional meaning of the word. The play is constructed on the principle of a rondo: movement goes in a circle, or, more precisely, along a spiral. The characters’ actions are motivated by loneliness, by their yearning for love and emotion, their desire to escape from their problems. Or maybe all these conversations are simply the product of a deranged mind? The play has been staged in 2003 in Moscow by the most famous theater director of Russia, Roman Viktyuk, and is an enormous success. The play is also performed by theaters of Australia, Bolgaria, Estonia,  Finland, Germany, Great Britain, India, Montenegro, Mongolia, Poland, Rumania, and Ukraina. 2 men and 3 women. Interior .

THE CRUEL LESSON — drama about social and psychological roots of cruelty, about the invisible line dividing moral actions from immoral ones. A real psychological experiment, which has been carried out in the USA and has received world wide attention, forms the basis of the play. Under a professor’s guidance students torture a woman. All four of the participants of the strange experiments are interwoven by personal relations. Dynamic plot commands the rapt attention of the audience. 2 men, 2 women. Interior .

SMALL TRAGEDIES.  — a triptych of short plays of a keen philosophical content.  They are written in a very modern style with a great imaginative force.  The idea of the plays is how difficult it is for men to hear and understand each other. An unusual theatrical form arouses great audience interest.  The play was first presented by the famous Big Drama Theatre in St. Petersburg and enjoyed major critical and popular success. The story. 1.  Pelicans Of The Wilderness.  Four quite independent lines of action are simultaneously developed in this short play:  a girl meeting her lover, a lonely man who requests a doctor’s visit  to have a human being to talk with, a blind man who is abandoned by his companion, and an old woman waiting in vain for help. All the lines form a whole, which is full of passion and meaning.  2. What Are You Thinking Of?  A man and his wife are talking during their dinner, but their words don’t matter. While talking the man dreams of freedom, love, fame, happiness, and his dreams materialize on the scene.  3. The Wall.  A man and his wife discover one morning that an invisible wall has risen between them. In spite of all their attempts they cannot get over it. This short play — a dialog between the two, who can’t even hear each other. 4 men and 3 women. Interior.

THE DELIGHTS OF ADULTERY.  – A trio of skillfully interconnected short plays which offer three contrasting scenes from the life of a lovers’ couple.  The plays may be presented either singly (as is done in the world famous Big Drama Theatre in St. Petersburg), or as a three-act play.  Easy dialogue, paradoxical plot, comical, sometimes farcical situations, and dramatic skill keep audience spellbound until the last word of the play.  DELIGHTS OF ADULTERY are staged at the very popular Maly Drama Theatre, St. Petersburg.  More than 400 performances have been given to date.  The story.  1. The wedding is to be tomorrow. The happy bride is in the embrace of her lover, but…he is not her bridegroom. They are to decide what to do next.  2. The lovers have a rendezvous in the man’s apartment. 3. The lovers meet again, maybe for the last time. The love and happiness are gone. Why? And who is to blame?  1 man, 1 woman . Interior .

THE DOG.  There are 3 characters in this drama:  a man, a woman and … a dog (who is to be played by a child or by an actress).  The action turns on a simple premise:  the man wants to have his dog killed and leads it  to a veterinary station, where the woman works.  The dog hinders  his lifestyle  — but can love and faithfulness hinder anybody?   Character of the woman — biting, and  sometimes aggressive, but unselfish, ready to love and to help  — determined the play’s title.  This touching play is presented by many theatres with great success.

A Note From the Director Howard Fishman:

“The American Theater Company is proud to introduce itself to New York City with our production of The Dog by Valentin Krasnogorov, the first mounting of this unique and challenging play on any American stage.

My feeling for The Dog has not changed since my first encounter with it several years ago, when I read it on the advice of its translator while living in New Orleans. What I admire it most for is its nobility of spirit, and for the heart that beats so vulnerably within it. Unquestionably it is a difficult play – thorny and elusive, afraid and uncertain. But it is brave enough to admit all these things, and to display them on a stage where we all can recognize those parts of ourselves, which we try so hard to keep hidden.

There is no hero or villain here. We are them and they are us. We all have our different ideas of what life and love mean, of what is necessary to achieve “happiness”. At one time or another, we all had to lie in the dark and face the fury of our conscience. We make choices in life, and for better or worse, we turn around one day to discover that our lives may be defined by these choices. There is no right or wrong, there is simply decision and consequence. We justify, we rationalize, and, sometimes, we even believe ourselves. It the end it is we who must live and abide by those choices we make, which is perhaps the greatest judgment of all. Or the damnedest.

I hope you enjoy the play.”

 THE FALL OF DON_JUAN.  This play combines elements of drama and comedy.

Bride and groom, who are also successful business partners, are forced by circumstances to offer a total stranger (an aging, oddly behaving man) the role of a witness in their wedding ceremony. To kill time, the young couple asks their witness to tell them about women he loved. The result turns out to be quite unexpected. This accidental meeting dramatically changes the fates of all three characters.  The play is performed in several countries with great success. 3 characters: 2 males, 1 female, interior.

 VISIT OF A YOUNG LADY (a short play). A young woman comes to her lover’s house to see his wife with her own eyes and evaluate their relationship. Their dialogue becomes a duel not only of words, but also of thoughts, which makes the actors look for new ways of their scenic existence. The play is included in the series of one-act plays “The Delights of Adultery”. 2 female roles, interior.

THE ROAD THERETO, FROM WHERE THERE IS NO ROAD

This drama is a short parable about a long life journey. The action takes place in a certain bus, symbolizing the fast-flowing time. For an hour or so a man and a woman live their childhood, youth, maturity and old age, the flowering of hopes and their withering, love and indifference, faith in the best and disappointment, the beginning of their life and its fading. Episodes succeed one another, and the play rushes quickly, like life itself. The transition from one scene to another should take place fairly quickly, without breaks and interruptions.

There are many personages in this relatively short play, but their roles may be played by a small number of performers. At a minimum, there should be three of them (HE, SHE, and CONDUCTOR), preferably five or six. However, many actors (mainly actresses), and even extras: children, students, bus passengers, can be involved into the play. The actress performs a dozen different roles (this is one of the features of the play) — a school friend, wife, daughter, lover, nurse, etc. A full list of the roles is given at the end of the play.

  1. THE PLAYS IN RUSSIAN

AN INVITATION TO A MURDER. A classic detective play. 6 members of parliament come for a week-end to a lonely remote villa to discuss a hard political situation. A series of unexpected murders takes place at this secluded home.  6 men and 3 women. Interior.

BABEL. Screenplay. A modern version of the Bible story about the Babel Tower.

HIS CASANOVA LIST. A bride and bridegroom ask a strange elderly unknown man, whom they met accidentally, to be witness of their wedding. This meeting drastically changes the fate of all the personnages of the play. 2 men and 1 woman. Exterior.

IMMODEST DESIRES. A comedy with elements of grotesque. Its personages, mainly women, dream of personal happiness, but find something other than what they expected. Realities of hasty life of business and practical XXI century force them to say goodbye to the ideals of the past. 2 men, 5 (3) women (three roles  can be played by one actress).

LOVE MEDICINE.   The story of this ironical comedy takes place at the time of the Golden Age of Spain, with its duels, serenades etc.  In reality it is a very modern play about love.  This clever, hilarious, high-spirited comedy is a long-run success in many drama and musical theatres.  7 men, 3 women. Exterior .

NOT TOMORROW, BUT VERY SOON.  A grotesque distopic comedy. The protagonist finds himself in unfamiliar and strange surroundings, while seeming equaly strange to the people around. The main question is whether the maddness afflicts the protagonist himself, or the society surrounding him. 9 male roles, 2 female roles. If nessecary the male roles could be played by a smaller number of actors.

NOW OR NEVER (PROCESSION OF GNOMES).  An investigation of modern marriage in the form of a brilliant comedy, bitter and very funny.  The critics appreciated the «keen sense and wit of this hilarious, but clever and warning play», its «well-made construction and sparkling dialogue».  The story.  A man (about 30) and his wife invite their friend and girl friend to a party. The four are interconnected with complicated love relationships and each of them wants to sort out his future: tonight or never.  2 men and 2 women. Interior .

SEVERAL HOURS IN THE LIFE OF A MAN AND A WOMAN.- a sad and funny comedy.  This warm and rich play, full of compassion and understanding of the human heart, was presented with great success at the prestigious Alexander Theatre in St. Petersburg — the biggest and oldest theatre of Russia.  Reviewers noted that the «play offers an excellent material for actors».  The story.  A circus athlete, who is renting a room in a woman’s house, falls in love with her. Tired of his migratory life he wants to marry the woman, leave the circus forever and begin a new life, peaceful and happy, in a house of his own. The woman is also tired of her loneliness. Their happiness is almost at hands, but…    1 man, 1 woman .Interior .

SHOW-BOOTH. A modern play in the style of Commedia del arte, based on improvisation of actors and their direct contact with the audience. 2 men and 1 woman . Interior .

SILENT NIAGARA. A Tragicomedy. A man on the brink of breakdown, frustrated by his work, family and life, tries to find some peace and solace in the quiet nature. However, that very path leads him to various tragicomic adventures. 3 male roles, 4 female roles, crowd.

SOMEONE MUST LEAVE.  A sharp satire, written in a grotesque, almost absurd manner.  Quick, witty, unexpected dialogue in a «staccato» style adds a particular charm to the comedy.  The story.  7 employees work at an office and all of them — except one talented shy young man — are doing nothing. But — sudden news! — one of the staff is to be discharged. After a desperate struggle and complicated intrigues it is discovered that the only man who really does his work has to be let go. 4 men, 3 women in an interior setting.

SONG OF SONGS. — A play based on the Bible story about the king Salomo. 7 men and 2 women.

THAT WEAK GENTLE GENDER.  — set of two very funny short plays.  These well-constructed, fast-moving farces, reminding us of the times of Rabelais and Le Sage, are staged with success by many drama and musical theatres.   The story.   1. A small Night Serenade.  The wife of an old doctor falls in love with a young boy. She finds a way to deceive her strict husband.   2. The Silent Wife.  A man invites a doctor for his young, good but dumb wife. The man wants her to be cured. In vain the doctor tries to dissuade the husband. The man insists. The physician restores the wife’s speech.  She begins talking non-stop until the husband goes mad. He asks the doctor to make his wife dumb again, but there are no ways to make her silent.  2 men, 3 women. Interior.

THE BEILIS CASE. A theatrical representation of a world-famous criminal trial which took place in 1913. Beilis, a Jew from Kiev, Ukraine, was accused of murdering a Christian boy.  Surging anti-Semitic forces in Russia aimed at condemning Beilis in order to provoke huge Jewish pogroms.  The Beilis case attracted world wide attention.  The best lawyers of the time took part in the proceedings.  The play is very timely today, while national problems are severe.  19 men and 6 women . If necessary the play can be played by 12 actors.

THE BRIDE’S ROOM.  — dramatic comedy. Only women (aged from 15 to 70) act. in this unusual play.  The bride, her mother, sister, and girl-friends, as well as other women — relatives of the bridegroom — are gathering in the «bride’s room» of a palace for marriage registration (as it is customary in the Russia).  But nobody knows where  bridegroom is.  Pending his arrival, the events of this play develop. There have been hundreds of performances of the play in Russian theatres.  16 characters of this comedy can be played, if necessary, by 12 actresses.

THE GATES OF HEAVEN.  Several men and women are fighting to the death one with another… for what? They do not know!  5 men and 4 women . Exterior.

THE EMPEROR WILL NOT COME BACK
In 312, the Roman emperor Constantine the Great granted  freedom of religion to Christians by the Edict of Milan and provided the church with substantial financial support. In the following decades, the number of Christians increased rapidly. Being in the minority, they dramatically increased their influence. Emperor Julian, nephew of Constantine, decided to prevent the bishops from striving for monopoly spiritual and political domination. 12 male roles, 2 female, extras. All the characters in the play can be played by 10 to 12 actors.

THE LEGS OF WOMAN #2. Screenplay. A fantasmagory story from the life of contemporary Russia.

THE LOT. — A short play based on an episode from the Jewish history — a tragic culmination of the struggle for the Mazada fortress. 2 men and 1 woman.

THE LOVE TO DISTRACTION. A comedy. A man, suffering from loss of memory, comes to a doctor. The doctor tries to find out symptoms and reasons of the disease, but unsuccessfully: the answers of the patient are so inconsistent that it is impossible to understand anything. Fortunately, the doctor manages to invite the wife of the patient. She answers all questions clearly and confidently, but from her explanations follows that the doctor himself suffers from loss of memory. The situation is even more confused when another woman comes unexpectedly and declares as well, that she is the spouse of the patient. The situation becomes completely absurd. The doctor is almost going mad. This dynamical and ridiculous comedy is developing promptly and vividly, coming to an unexpected end. 3 men, 2 women. Interior.

THE RENDEZVOUS ON WEDNESDAYS. Satirical play with a farcical plot in the style of French la piece bien faite – «well-made play». The adultery intrigue is combined  with a passionate desire of the personages to make their career. The plays won a grand success in the theaters. 3 men, 3 women in an interior setting.

THE SWAN SONG. A synthesis of ironic, almost absurd comedy and melodrama.  The main personages of the play are in the age of summing up. 2 men, 10 women in an interior setting.

THE WOMAN WHO DID NOT EXIST.  Screenplay. There is a surprising episode in the history of the Papacy which has caused many legends and disputes. It is known that only a man can be elected as the Pope. However a legend asserts that once a woman, having given herself out to be a man, became the Pope and successfully occupied the Holy See during ten years. To be a head of the Christian world was a hard task in those years. However, the ruling of the Papesse was very successful. The history informs us only about the major results of the church and political activity of this exclusive woman. However, we know nothing about papesse’s private life, about her character, about her road to the power. Therefore, the story about her course of life, about her love and sufferings, about her dizzy ascension to the top of the world public pyramid is only a subject of the art fiction based on the realities of that time. The screenplay reflects the main steps of the heroine’s life: youth, the first love, her decision to pretend to be a man, her struggle for the Holy See, her election as the Pope and her activity in this quality, her searches for happiness. The screenplay gives a good material for an actress. She has a rare opportunity to play both the woman and the man in a serious non-standard role.

THEATRICAL COMEDY. An evening performance of a classical play of ХVШ age has already began, but the performer of one of the main roles has not yet come. He is urgently replaced by another actor, who doesn’t know the role. It results with numerous tragicomic situations. The plot is complicated with personal conflicts Love, hate, envy, jealousy and flirt of the actors give an additional colour to the comical plot. 3 men and 1 woman.

THREE-CORNERED ROLLS. — a purimspiel. 4 men and 1 woman.

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