The Swain (Le Gar)

“The Swain“ marked the first foray of the Theatre of Nations into the genre of soundrama, and was a project that brought together some of the top artists of the Russian and French avant-garde. Vladimir Pankov (Russia) and Lucie Berelowitch (France) staged this unusual production jointly, basing it on a poem that the great Russian poet Marina Tsvetaeva wrote in both Russian ("Molodets) and French (“Le Gar”).

“The Swain” is a play about Love and Death, themes that are inextricable both in Tsvetaeva's poem, and in this, the first ever theatrical production of it. The poet's tale of mystical love between a young woman and a vampire is handled with the utmost emotional reserve. Taking their lead from the author, the directors reached back into the traditions of Russian and French folklore — to ancient laments, ritual songs and lullabies — and wedded them with a rock music base. The result was a completely original show that had no precursors in theatrical practice. The cadence and word play of Tsvetaeva's poetry is realized in this unusual production by means of a synthesis of music, singing, declamation, rhythm and dance. The Russian text is woven together with the French text and the actors (regardless of their native tongue) speak and sing in both languages.

The production commences as if a concert were about to begin but soon develops into a gripping drama. Passions run wild against the ascetic, black-and-white, high-tech visual background. The performers are dressed in elegant concert blacks. The sole images referring to the folkloric basis of Tsvetaeva's poem are the branches of elderberry that weave themselves around the legs of a piano, and the candles that stand atop the piano's lid.

The cast consists of Russian actors and musicians, who are veterans of theatrical and musical projects, and French performers who work in musical and dramatic theatres in France.

The French premiere of this show, which was prepared during rehearsals in France and Russia, took place in October 2007 at the Trident Theatre, Scene Nationale de Cherbourg-Octeville. “The Swain“ enjoyed a tremendous reception in Cherbourg, famed as a city of love and parting thanks to Jacques Demis and Michel LeGrand's cult film “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.“

About the Directors:
Vladimir Pankov is an actor, musician and the artistic director of the SounDrama Studio. He has directed numerous popular productions in various theatres, including: “Red Thread“ (a co-production of Teatr.doc and the Playwright and Director Center); “Passage“ (a co-production of the Playwright and Director Center and the SounDrama Studio); “Doc.tor” (a co-production of Teatr.doc and the SounDrama Studio); “Morphine” (Et Cetera Theatre); “Gogol. Evenings. Part I and II” (a co-production of the SounDrama Studio and the Meyerhold Center). After a long hiatus from acting, Pankov again performed on stage in “The Swain.”

Lucie Berelowitch studied for one year as a classmate of Vladimir Pankov's in Oleg Kudryashov's acting course at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts. She began staging her own musical productions in France in 1997. She has worked on joint productions with the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, and she directed a version of Mikhail Bulgakov's “Morphine” for the Festival Iles flottantes, a la Cartoucherie de Vincennes.