Miss Julie

On Theatre of Nations' Main Stage

August Strindberg

Scenic version by Mikhail Durnenkov

Director — Thomas Ostermeier (Germany)

Set design — Jan Pappelbaum (Germany)

Costume design — Gabriele Voehringer (Germany)

Musical score — Nils Ostendorf, Daniel Freitag (Germany)

Lighting designer — Erich Schneider (Germany)

Video — Sebastien Dupouey (France)

The title heroine in Miss Julie by great Swedish playwright August Strindberg written in 1888 became a kind of symbol of the “new type” heroine. In the late 19th century the story of “moral lapse” of a count's daughter who for one night became the consort of her father's lackey was perceived as „too bold and too naturalistic because it touched upon the theme of intimate physiological relations. The play wasn't published and its premiere at the Students Union House on March 14, 1889 was assessed by Danish critics as a failure. The title role was played by the playwright's wife Siri von Essen. In Sweden Miss Julie was censored until 1906. Today it is one of the Swedish playwright's most popular and most frequently staged works.

It is not the first time the well-known German director Thomas Ostermeier attempts to look into the psychology of this type of personage. With the legendary Schaubuhne Company he is now in charge of Ostermeier staged Ibsen's Nora (2002) and Hedda Gabler (2006). The title female characters in these plays written at about the same time as Miss Julie are sisters of Strindberg's heroine. Seven years ago the Russian audiences had the opportunity to see Ostermeier's production of Nora in which the title heroine abandons her “doll house” after shooting her husband. The action of the play is set in the present day and the production became a major event for Russian theatre-goers and one of the highlights of the NET Festival in Moscow at which it was shown.

This production of Miss Julie promises to become a no less significant theatre event. The action of the play is set in contemporary Russia for which one of Russia's most called-for new generation playwrights Mikhail Durnenkov wrote specially for Theatre of Nations a new version of the play. All the main story lines are preserved while the dialogues have been rewritten in modern lexicon. Like in Strindberg's original play the action is focused on the eternal triangle — Miss Julie, servant Jean and maid Christina. These characters are performed by Russia's leading actors Chulpan Khamatova, Yevgeny Mironov and Julia Peresild. At the core of the production are the complex relationships between the characters masterfully “weaved out“ by Ostermeier“.There are “a hundred tons” of love and „a hundred tons” of hate. As always Ostermeier works with his brilliant production team from Germany — Jan Pappelbaum (set design), Gabriele Voehringer (costume design), Nils Ostendorf, Daniel Freitag (musical score), Erich Schneider (lighting design). The only non-German member of this team is Sebastien Dupouey (France) — one of Europe's best experts in video effects. Partner of progect



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