The interview of King Lear on his birthday
January 24, 2019 | 09:59 |654
In Ashgabat, on the stage of the Turkmen National Theatre of Youth, the premiere of King Lear, tragedy by great William Shakespeare ttook place. Students of the Turkmen State Institute of Culture – future actors and directors – participated in the performance of Urmatkan Melayeva. Soon after the successful premiere, I met with Anna Mele, People’s Artist of Turkmenistan, who covered the title role, King Lear, and, as it turned out, my visit just came together with his birthday. I found him in a quiet, relaxing place, far from noisy city, at his summer cottage near Kurtli Reservoir, north-western outskirts of Ashgabat, where he stayed alone after big premiere and all the disquiets around, and where I was invited to chat with. - Congratulations on double occasion! Tell me, how does King Lear feel on his birthday? - I’m fine! I first played King Lear when I was 35, and today I have my 57th birthday... – So, you are King with 22 years of experience, aren’t you? - As you can see, I have gained wide experience... - Can you tell us about the most memorable day of crowned life on the stage of the theater as King Lear? - Once in Lviv, I took part in the International Theater Festival “Golden Lion”, which was held at the Academic Theater “Voskresenye”. There I presented King Lear in a one-actor performance. In other words, I played all roles for all. It was like in a dream: there was tremendous success – unexpected for everyone and, first of all, for myself. I still remember every second of that performance.Aleksandr BAIRIYEV
- What would you tell about current premiere?
- In the repertoire of Turkmen theaters, masterpieces of world drama have always had a special place. The interest of our spectators to the theatrical classics has always been very touching and reverent, and their expectations from the performance of actors and stage direction are always high. Therefore, when we worked on King Lear, I and my students conducted a rehearsal, as they say, day and night, month after month, on the one hand, hoping to get on the stage as soon as possible, and, on the other hand, we were worrying a lot if we will be able to pass such a hard examination. Can we, after staging the tragedy by Shakespeare, then look into the eyes of near and dear, and most importantly – into the eyes of the audience? Plays of the peak of the Renaissance and world drama are always a hard act to follow, both for beginners and experienced artists.
- The performance was sold out. According to professional art critics, the premiere was successful. In addition to the King Lear, which became your signature role, what any other dramatic characters or performances was a turning point in your art biography?
Since 1991, I participated in the festivals “Alemgoshar”, which means “Rainbow”. These were new and bright events in the cultural life not only in the local, but also in international theatre life. There I played a number of roles in the performances, including the works by Chingiz Aitmatov, the epic king Shahriyar, the hero of Woman in the Dunes, novel by Kobo Abe, one of the pillars of world literature, etc. Then, with these roles, which are all dear to me, I performed at festivals in many countries.
- Very interesting. However, with your permission, let us get back to the recent premiere. The other roles in this complicated performance were played by students who study acting and directing at the State Institute of Culture. Why did you choose such a difficult dramatic material as King Lear?
- The huge experience of the great masters of drama, directing and acting, who lived many years ago, are milestones of my lessons in the knowledge of the profession, and even of my whole life. At their - as Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavsky said – “Love art in yourself, and not yourself in art”, I studied and keep learning still. In addition, the lessons of Shakespeare’s plays, re-reading which I find something new each time, are an endless way of knowledge for me. Shakespeare for me is as a lighthouse in the giant ocean of art. At the same time, he is the most powerful storm. So, if you can pass this test, you can go further. After Shakespeare, there are two ways only: either go further, or go nowhere.
- Therefore, you decided to make young actors to feel the ocean of passions from the first steps of their career!
- Yes, exactly: I concluded: if my students can pass these tests, can pass exams – and prove not to me, not to teachers or critics, but to Shakespeare, then they can live in art. It is not a point to be a cultural figure, being paid for your profession, but the point is to live with dignity in the name of art.
- Well, it is not easy to be a student of such a mentor like you. Did you afraid of playing King Lear for the first time? After all, the most outstanding actors have performed this role for over four centuries. Here we can point out the great Laurence Olivier, Grigori Kozintsev’s adaptations of King Lear, where Jüri Järvet played the leading role. Or great masterpiece Shakespeare's King Lear by the genius Akira Kurosawa, which caused a lot of discussion among aesthetic film critics... What did you feel at your age of 22, when you took the path of theater line, where the gods of art reigned?
- I went to the place, where, as you mentioned, “the gods of art reigned”, whom I was admired with, and those, who were my teachers. I could not fail to go further. I had many trials and truly difficult moments along the way. At the end, I became what I am now. I can not judge myself if I good or bad man. It is prerogative of the spectators, and also ... of the spirits of my teachers. You have already voiced the names of many of them.
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After these words of Anna Mele, it was a silence. We both were deep in thought. I did not want to break the silence, because I understood with all my being that King Lear continues to live in his world, talking with his teachers, as if he reporting to those with whom he had never met, but who were always in his mind’s and sensual eyes ... I said goodbye and left him in order not to bother in spiritual chatting. I did not even congratulate him on success, since I realized that it was only a step in his path.
