School Starts and Theatre Still Matters Here.

Gentle Reader:
This past week the boys both started school.  Aside from the obvious problem of making us get up early (why are we ALL so lame at this?), the reviews are mixed. Sasha is still waiting to see if it gets any "easier or more fun" and he says it has made him appreciate his FAIR School community back home more!  He is learning the complicated art of making friends across cultural barriers (note: humor translates last).  But the school is small and sweet and two of our neighbors Anatole and Lucien (sons of another American Fulbright couple Renee and Brian...so thankful they are here!) also attend.  Daniel is ecstatic about his new Montessori!  He can't wait to go every day and is comforted by the usual Montessori things ("Red Rods! Pink Tower!").  It is a lovely school and we are so grateful for Maria Montessori in Daniel's world.  Here are photos of the exterior of Sasha's school, the boys with Lucien, and Daniel doing "flag work" at his new school.

Sasha walks to school but to get Daniel each day to his, we take a "Marshutka" -- a shuttle van, and two Metro rides. It takes about 45 minutes.  He's a real trooper and both boys are getting so much stronger from all the walking!  City living... St. Petersburg has a population of about 5.5 million.  Minneapolis is about 380,000. So, yeah,  it's bigger here.  All of it.  Lots of walking around curving streets with a mix of old buildings from past centuries next to modern store fronts full of designer/expensive stuff. It's a strange juxtaposition. Kind of like living an episode of Dr. Who when times collide.  This is one of my favorite old buildings in our neighborhood.  The Metro is excellent, fast and efficient. The Metro stops are really beautiful too.

On the walk to Sashas school each day we pass the fire station. The fire fighters let Daniel go in the truck!

 The firefighters chopping at the ice on the sidewalk. Hard work...despite their macho exterior it seems the language of "boys and trucks' is universal and they immediately invited little Daniel inside.  His mother followed, muttering in Russia "thanks so much!" and trying not to scare them by smiling too much.

 The boys are both interested in models of things.  Medieval villages for Daniel and modern (WWII and later) Soviet and Russian submarines, tanks, planes etc for Sasha.  Epic battles happen all around our apartment all day as they dissolve the  time space continuum. Lisa feels quite outnumbered and alienated around all the boy energy (which includes a lot of snow ball fights...something she has NO interest in either) and is thinking about getting a hotel room.

Yesterday, oddly,  we went to see a Cat Show!  Volodya's school friend Ivor (pictured here after several drinks of cognac to celebrate his stunning cat's success) shows his cat "Matisse" regularly and invited us to come along. The boys LOVED seeing all the beautiful cats, hearing Ivor's "life lessons" about brothers loving and not hitting each other (ignored by boys), and the tea room snacks.









After the cat show (left... Lisa has fallen for "Matisse", a most fetching and handsome gentleman cat. The feeling seems mutual) we had a delicious dinner with Sonja, Volodya's daughter.






Volodya had all his children in one place. (No comment on which cultural wing of his offspring shows the most grace and promise....this photo shows there is no contest really).  Sonja is doing really well! Recovering like a champ from a very bad car accident just over a year ago and growing into a very talented artist and sculptor.  She makes her Papa proud. (See resemblance in photo below)



As for Lisa's work:  The teaching goes well. It is amazing to trade notions of what theatre is and what directors "do" with these young actors (they are between 18 and 23).  They are so used to an authoritarian model of the director/actor relationship which is deeply a part of the Russian tradition. They stand when the teacher enters the room and applaud after class (do you hear that UMN students??? They STAND for the MASTER... :)
I explain my notion of the actor and director as collaborators and creators of their own work....at first they needed clarification (perhaps they misunderstood the translation?) and then they break into huge smiles and excited applause. They are very eager to build a new piece directed by me and I am eager to do it as well. I am training them in physical theatre work as I practice it and am once again amazed by the power of what can happen when a group of people commit to the moment and play together.  Language falls away, unnecessary. I am impressed once again, by the incredible discipline and work ethic of the Russian actors. Their history of excellent art has been passed down.  This country still believes in Theatre.  That is a powerful statement.  The work I am seeing by the senior students is astonishing, brave, SKILLED and inspiring.  So, I am humbled and grateful to be exchanging artistic notions with these talented and passionate students. I will teach this group and then eventually, I will be training a group of faculty in my style of working. I look forward to trading techniques with them very much.  I hope to take away even one fifth of their passion and commitment.  As for Volodya, he is making several good connections for future directing work in Russia for himself and enjoying that prospect.  I note that there are absolutely no women on faculty in major teaching positions here.  It is shocking to this American feminist.  Russia is behind America in this regard -- Women as directors is mostly a new idea and not one that all folks can comprehend. I realize I'm possibly a bit of a freak show, ambassador or canary in coal mine...not sure which.

We have not had time to see any professional performances yet. We will most certainly.  We will be seeing DEREVO next week in their new show "Mephisto's Waltz" and are looking forward to it.

Spring has sent her first messengers.  Two crows build a nest in our courtyard outside our kitchen window. Daniel and I watch them and time slows down. The melted ice and snow rains down from the tops of the 19th century curved roofs as we walk by.  We look forward to the full thaw.










Our apartment building and front door in the sun.

Lisa in the sunlight. Note: the cocky stance is the effects of a day when she actually ordered food in Russian, paid for it herself with the "monopoly money" (she still doesn't fully grasp the exchange rate) and carried on a conversation with some minor sense of dignity.  Mostly Lisa is silent and passive in Russia, still annoying dependent and clueless.  She reads, marvels and ponders.












Thanks for reading.
Extra Credit:  Russia word of the day:  Весной (Vesnoy) SPRING