An Evening of Russian Classics at AUCA

February 25, 2014

AN EVENING OF RUSSIAN CLASSICS AT AUCA

 

February 7, 2014 – AUCA played host to a performance of Checkov’s “Jubilee” in room 403 of the main building. The performance saw the debut of several freshman actors and actresses, most of who were NGA alums.

 

Performances like this are not new, however the tradition has been neglected as of late. It was pleasant to see our students resuming the tradition under the capable direction of Russian Language Program faculty members.

 

RLP faculty member and project director Anar Sarygulova said that two months were spent preparing for the play. Organizers and participants (Alina Adylbek k., Nafisa Badalova, Adilet Dubaev, Nazim Ibraimov, Umed Mirzoev, Eliza Meymanalieva, Shumkar Nabiev, Meerim Nurkan k. and Nursultan Edilbekov) had complex and important tasks to perform to get ready for the show. While the workload weighed heavily on all, especially on the actors, the participants fearlessly brought Chekhov’s play to life.

 

Many came to watch the play and judge the newly minted actors’ work. At the end of the evening the performers received a standing ovation.

 

After the event, viewers shared their impressions:

 

Janet Hatrick, NGA director: “I have to confess that I’m surprised. I didn’t expect such natural and professional performances. All of the actors really got the feel for their roles and easily embodied the characters they were portraying. All of them are so close to me, I know them very well, but this evening I saw brand new people. I was delighted. The play was funny, with a lot of positive energy.

 

I knew that NGA admits talented students, but even I couldn’t guess they were so talented. After graduating from our program, they keep finding new things inside themselves to show us. We are pleased. We don’t want this to be it. They just teased us and now we want more: New plays, new actors. It must be continued.”

 

Angelina Popova, “Digital literacy” program faculty: “I liked everything. Despite the fact that my Russian is not so good and I didn’t understand most of words, it was pretty funny anyway. All the roles were performed excellently. They did a fantastic job. In the beginning I was anxious because I noticed that one actor was very nervous. But over the course of play, he forgot his worry and was very good.”

 

Aziza Suynalieva, Anthropology freshman: “I was in the audience and was surprised as I watched our students. I knew the plot of the comedy, but never once lost interest. I watched the play and enjoyed it and laughed with everyone else. Thanks for a great evening!”

 

Salima Osmonalieva, Economics junior: “I enjoyed the freshmen play very much. During the day I did many things, so I was tired and sleepy when I got the show. But these 40 minutes cheered me up! It was impossible to doze off, there were so many of funny moments! I’m little upset because the play (and our enjoyment) didn’t last long enough. Thanks to Anara Islamovna and the freshmen students for giving the audience such great energy!”

 

Paul Radenhausen, English Literature Teacher, Silk Road International School:

       The AUCA Russian Department’s production of Chekov’s “Yubilej” was a delight to be able to watch. The actors, though not native speakers, displayed a mastery of the language that was simultaneously impressive and inspirational to a non-native speaker like me. Naturally, the level of Russian though was not the only draw to the show, as the actors themselves brought delightful energy and enthusiasm to their performances that kept us all entertained and laughing even when we couldn’t understand the words. Speaking purely from a foreigner’s perspective, it was hard to believe that the students were really non - native speakers of the language. That is a testament to Russian Language Program and their preparation. It was an enjoyable experience, both from an entertainment standpoint and from one of a language learner.

 

Butlevich Olga, Sociology, freshmen:

It’s a shame if you weren’t there! Although I have much respect for the organizers of the play, in no way did I expect such a captivating show. Our students gave the audience an outstanding performance by injecting their own unique twist and charisma into the classic. The blossoming talents from this show will surely serve as an example to any future artists and actors at AUCA. Can’t wait for the next Evening of Russian Classics. 

It was a debut and we hope that it was only the first of many such evenings will be held. We congratulate the actors on their successful performances and the organizers of this wonderful evening and wish them all good luck in the dramatic arts!

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