On 27 of March an International theatre day is celebrated. As one famous hero from Oscar Wilde stories said: “I love theater. It’s more realistic than life.” About theatre, own vision of Zhytomyr’s development and other important things has told us Petro Avramenko, an actor and director of Zhytomyr musical-drama theatre named after Ivan Kocherha.

“Some of our philosophers, I don’t remember who exactly said” Governments exists only when theatre exists as well.” It’s clear, theatre can show everything that even cinema can’t. Person visits theatre and we give an opportunity to think, we show important things, which hurt…and the person starts understanding what we wanted to share. That’s why they come here, and they do it more often. For example, there are 900 seats in our theatre: every day we have a show and it’s always fully-packed!”

“People say that theatre must come laden with educational function. It’s truly does! The main aim of theatre is to have a shy at people, to give a boost, to sting to the quick for trigging any emotions”.
“For having a quality product in the end, there’s a need to consolidate. It’s great that nowadays there are a lot of initiative young people around…However, current problem is not about initiative youth, but about professionals! Let your idea be thousand times better, but you should take cue from professional and realize your idea in a proper way”.

“I want Zhytomyr to have professional municipal theatre very much! One should find a place without a modern repairing even but with a normal foundation for performing experimental shows, oriented to youth. It would be great theatre! Firstly, it’s history. If it appeared, I’m sure it would definitely overlive us. Secondly, people who graduate from Danchuk’s (editor’s note – Zhytomyr National Institute of Culture and Art) will earn money by their occupation”
“Various projects, let’s say, have the right to exist. Their disadvantage is being short-time, but I’d like to make something long-lasting. By the way, on the basis of the same municipal theatre one could create street theatre. Do you remember an artistic project “City’s day. Cultural version”? Well, those times we invited Lviv’s theatre here. Yes, it was amazing but we can do something similar or even better ourselves!”

Nowadays there is a problem which is almost unnoticed and it’s exchange of values. I noticed the next: once I’ve been to cinema and watched a movie about vampire. I love fantasy, sometimes I watch action movies too, even though they’re stupid but I abstract well of everything (Laughs). In general, I understand that a hero is bad, drinks blood and on the whole it’s a different race. But script writers make him be so cool! He takes people’s lives, beat everything and everyone, but no casualties are noticed. Instead, he saves one pretty lady, who you fall in love in the end with and that’s all – he is superhero! Children are amazed – what a cool guy the vampire is! How is it possible?”
“Children are our future! If we point at a wrong direction, they’ll turn against us. What do kids need? That’s right, get priorities straight! Child must know who he is and where his root is from”.

“Talking about Ukrainian kids, we’d better think well how to create a national hero in our own society. For example, it’s Pea-Roll-Among. He was thousand times better than Batman! Because Pea-Roll-Among was born from a pea, he can throw stones and cosmic iron starts falling, etc. We must have our own, more…”
“I was thinking about emigration…The question is where to go? You know, people live a good life, they have everything but there’s a lot of impaction, lack of inner freedom which we do have. Yes, I’d like to travel more and to perform in other theatres, but not to emigrate forever: I love our country and our city”.
P.S. Congratulations, everybody! All those who share a fest with us, who are involved in Its Majesty Theatre – wish you all the best. Perform, love and share your art with thankful viewers!
Translated by Aliona Matushevich