They are cursed. Their work goes unnoticed. They are easily betrayed by those they helped. On television, they are depicted in terms befitting fairy tales or horror movies. And they forget about their own best interests and go where things are tough, sometimes unbearable. And they work there. Why? What is burn-out syndrome, how many vegetables should you get in a prison dinner, and what happens when you stop answering calls at night?
An alphabet of Russian human rights defenders: help for the desperate from A to Z.
Teatr.Doc dedicated the performance to a neighbor (Mały Kazionnyj Zaułek, house No. 5), the first Russian human rights defender, Dr. Haass.
Maxim Kurochkin, playwright, "This is a very powerful spectacle, because all the irritation, joy and respect that arise - all these emotions are reflected in the actors' dialogues. In this sense, this spectacle is wonderful and very forthright. I was not bored for a second. "
Pavel Rudniev, theater critic, "In terms of form, Anna Dobrowolska's text is anti-theatrical, which can be both a problem and a value: its structure consists of documentary statements by human rights defenders, arranged in alphabetical order and interspersed with the story of Dr. Friedrich Haass - a precursor of the human rights defenders' movement, a man who was extremely selfless and a defender of the people. Paradoxically, it turns out that Dr. Haass lived quite near the current location of the Teatr.doc, which is symptomatic and inspirational. There is no accident here - the mission of Teatr.doc gains symbolic justification in this way."
Viewer, "I am not involved in the defense of human rights. I am quite embarrassed that I did not know any of the people mentioned. These are huge stories and you can't invent anything more important. You should know and talk about these heroes. I'm embarrassed that I didn't know anything about them. It's important to me to have heard about them."
Author: Anna Dobrovolska
Cast: Grigory Perel, Nargis Abdullayev, Marina Kleshcheva, Konstantin Kozhevnikov, Olga Lysak
Directors: Olga Lysak, Yelena Griemina
Production manager: Mikhail Ugarov
Performance premiere: November 18, 2016. Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes, no intermission
Age restrictions: viewers must be at least 16 years of age.
The performance will be translated from Russian to Polish.
Information about the series can be found here.
The event is a part of a series accompanying the festival called "To the Success of Our Lost Cause! Human Rights Defenders in Russia," co-organized by The Centre for Polish-Russian Dialogue and Understanding and For Free Russia Association.
