Letters to Felice

Following the successful experiment of “The Swedish Matchstick,“ a Crystal Turandot-winning production created by graduates of Oleg Kudryashov's acting course at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts, the Theatre of Nations continued its tradition of opening its doors to young artists. This time a group of graduates of the St. Petersburg Academy of Theatre Arts was given the go-ahead to create “Letters to Felice.”

Kirill Sbitnev and three of his classmates composed a surprising, eccentric production that takes an unorthodox look at the work and personality of Franz Kafka. “Letters to Felice” tells the story of Kafka's love for a young woman named Felice Bauer. Three actresses explore the life of the famous writer, peering into the secret corners of his soul and revealing for the spectator an unexpected view of Kafka as a poetic, tender, touching, passionate and even slightly absurd lover. In this production, one of the greatest, most mysterious, and most pessimistic writers of the 20th century is portrayed as a living, breathing person who has the same flaws and weaknesses as all other humans. A phrase originally belonging to Heinrich Heine, but paraphrased by Kafka in his own diary, might well be the most apt epigraph for this production: “She was charming and he loved her”.