When I first found out we would be watching King Lear, I was somewhat excited. I wrote my scene analysis on this play, and in reading and analyzing it, I found that I quite enjoyed it. I was excited to see if Shakespeare’s longest, and one of the most tragic shows would actually be entertaining when put on. When I heard that we would be watching King Lear in Ukrainian, without subtitles, I was less excited. But, I knew the text pretty well, so I believed that I could follow the story. I was wrong once more.
I wondered why this show was in Ukrainian. When Shawn explained that this show was created as a result of the war between Ukraine and Russia, I was stunned.
When Russia invaded, Thousands of Ukrainians found refuge in the small town of Uzhhorod of western Ukraine. The local theatre director of the town, Vyacheslav Yehorov , found parallels of the refugee’s experience and that of the story of King Lear. I found this so interesting, I had to learn more of how it came about.
According to an interview with The Guardian, the director was actually a directing student. He was inspired to create this production, after noticing the positive impact of the theatre on the children he worked with. He wanted to create the same impact for the adults, who also needed something to cope with.
Most of the cast and those who auditioned to be in the show were displaced people. Who for the most part had little to no theatre or performance experience. The cast of 12 are made up of teachers, doctors, students, and laborers.
Learning these details changed my initial outlook of this production. The story of King Lear as I knew it, was being interpreted. Instead of the classical play, it was going to be more of an interpretive piece. I changed the way I have been seeing all of the pieces of theatre. I have been very analytical, either over the set design or acting. But less to be critical, and more to learn and be inspired by the great theatre London offers. With this show, I had to turn that off. Which was a lot harder than I imagined.
When the show first started, the actors came out dressed in linens. The clothes looked like undergarments of some kind. The stagehands brought out a chest right in the middle of the stage, and the actors took each of their costumes. Once they each had their costume, they just looked at the audience, with their hands out. It made for a very vulnerable moment, and I could not wrap my head around why. That was until I talked with my peers. Someone mentioned how that scene, was them putting on a costume. Like saying, “Hey this isn’t who we are, we are people, who want to share a story”. None of them are professionals, so this isn’t just a show they got hired to do. But something that means so much to them, that they are doing it willingly. That scene set up the rest of the show for me.
With that said, I spent most of the show trying to figure out what scene or what character was on stage. I thought not knowing the language would make understanding the story more difficult, but I found myself being able to somehow understand what was trying to be said. It was weird but cool that I could still follow along. Although this production wasn’t the most amazing performance or design, it was a reminder of what theatre can be used for. Theatre can be an escape from reality or a way to cope. That is what made this show special. It is of real people, who have undergone so much pain and suffering and created beautiful art under tough circumstances.
I am so glad I got to be part of the special performance. To think the Royal Shakespeare Company was only putting on this show the weekend we arrived at Stratford Upon Avon. It feels like we were destined to watch it.
Well that is it for now friends!
Farewell!
Theatre in London U of A 