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Performance
THE SERPENT
Based on narrative novel by M.Eliade
Mircea
Eliade "The Son of the Snake", Mythological thriller.
Adapted by: Viesturs Kairiss,
Kaspars Odins
Directed by: Viesturs Kairiss
Stage Design, costumes by:
Ieva Jurjane
Music by: Arturs Maskats
Choreography by: Ernests
Spics
Duration
of the performance: 1h30
No intermission
Stage: 7 x 9 m
Actors: 8
Produced
by: the New Theatre Institute of Latvia and the New Riga Theater
in
coproduction
of:
“As
always in my fantastic stories, it all starts with some banal, everyday
situation,” says Mircea Eliade. “There’s an individual, a gesture
– and the world changes imperceptibly.
Every night I sat down at the typewriter, not knowing anything.
I had the beginning clear in my mind, and then gradually the rest
became revealed…”
A
jolly crowd of friends is going on picnic to old monastery. On the way a
young man joins them. Everybody finds him very charming, especially
women. At the monastery, after few glasses of wine, the young man
invites everybody to play a strange game in forest. The aim of the game
is to get to know the way time is flowing. This night in forest reveals
hidden instincts of people playing this game. Then everybody realizes
that the young man personifies some incomprehensible world.
The
artistic team has already produced a performance ”Virgin
Christina” based on prose by Mircea Eliade. The second encounter with
Mircea Eliade is not a coincidence: Romanian background writer with his
deep interest in religions and myths, his respect in mystery of
existence of the Universe is the true reason to continue theatrical
reflections in the Space.
The
first time Latvian performances are involved in that big international
European theatre projects. V.Kairiðs is the first young Latvian
director who has been highly estimated and included among the best and
most promising young East European directors. The performance
“Serpent” participates in international project “Theorem”.
Theorem
Theorem
is the program in the framework of festival d`Avignon and its main goal
is to show 15
selected performances from Eastern Europe in the year 2000. The
co-producers and supporters of the performances are several West
European festivals. Theorem project supports the new directors from
Eastern Europe selected by the organizers and festival directors in the
period of several years (since 1998) with the goal to introduce the
directions, styles and trends of the new directors from the Eastern
Europe. The works of the
Latvian director Viesturs Kairiss have convinced the organizers and he
has been chosen to represent Latvia.
http://www.festival-avignon.com/theorem/
Viesturs
Kairiðs (1971)
is
a younger generation Latvian theatre director graduated both as film and
theatre director. Until now he has produced all his performances
together with visual artist Ieva Jurjâne.
The
most important performances and participating in international
festivals:
- 1999
“Idiot” by F.Dostoevsky New Riga Theatre, participated in Baltic
Circle, Helsinki, Finland 2000
- 1999
“Eugene Onegin” by P.Tchaikovsky Latvian National Opera
- “Midsummer
night” EXPO’98 Lisabon, Portugal
- 1998
“Tailor Days in Silmaèi”by R. Blaumanis (1998) New Riga
Theatre, participated in Helsinki Finnland (1999)
- 1997
“Virgin Christina” by M Eliade, New Riga Theatre
- (1999)
“Tunnel” by E Sabato, “Unbereable Theatre Union”
- paticipated
in “EAST goes West”, London (1999)
Films:
“Wedding”
(2000) (30 min., 35mm)“Train”,
(1998) (10 min.,35mm), “Strange Sky”(1997) (10 min., 35 mm)
Ieva
Jurjâne (1972)
Latvian
painter, stage and costume designer
Participated
in more than 25 group exhibitions in Latvia, Lithuania, Australia,
Israel, USA, Germany, France
One
woman shows:
- “Serial”
Riga Gallery, Rîga (2000)
- Q
- Teatteri, Finland (2000)
- “Proportions
- Relations” Gallery “Daugava”, Rîga (1997),
- Gallery
“Anna Pawlownahuis” The Netherlands (1995)
- “Swimming
in gold” Gallery “Centrs” Rîga (1994)
Press
reviews
·
by Normunds Naumanis, daily
"Diena", 21 January 2000
·
by Silvija Radzobe, morning paper
"Neatkariga Cina", January 29, 2000
·
by Ieva Zole, daily "Diena",
January 31, 2000
·
by Normunds Naumanis, Daily "Diena'',
January 27, 2000
·
by Gunars
Treimanis, Evening paper "Rigas Balss", January 27,
2000
*****************
“True,
if Viesturs Kairiðs links the language of the new theatre with a
slow run between cinema (base of fanatic visual experience) and theatre
(traditions of culture, a lot of already formulated styles, etc.), then
result of it could be very interesting. If you could add to this also
positive sense of life (healthy cynical parts in his productions are not
so important), something like religious halo (word of teaching I could
not suspect…) and longing for harmony between himself in his
profession and his job, then…”
(Normunds Naumanis)
“The
snake swallows its tail. This
is known as a symbol of self-discovery.
It’s likely that the passion which director Viesturs Kairiðs
has for the work of Mircea Eliade (1907-1986), A Romanian diplomat,
philosopher and writer, is simultaneously mystical and intellectual in
nature. His peculiar novels, essays and philosophical writings
dedicated to the history of religion – these study and give a name to
very non-material phenomena of the world – those which are covered by
the words ‘man’s spiritual life’ … Snake is a romantic and
gloomy story about the secret substance of love, about the nature of
senses and wisdom, full of mysticism and the music of quiet.”
Normunds Naumanis
Diena,
21 January 2000
back to press reviews
*****************
My
opinion about the performance “ The Serpent” directed by Viesturs
Kairiss presented in the Riga New Theatre was by no means a priori
positive. I was no longer feeling indifferent about the arrogantly
presumptuous pose that is characteristic of him and that he in this time
demonstrated in his interview for the newspaper “ Literature and Art
in Latvia” telling all the Latvian theater to go – you know
yourselves where to and declaring himself for the only innovator in the
national dramatic art.
It
was not only me but also the actors who had not managed to isolate
themselves from the exciting euphoria of the pre - serpent period in the
first – night performance when the instinctive wish to reward the
given handicap was even more raised because of the audience consisting
of nobody but prominences and the advertised foreign festival directors.
The feverish way of playing made the theatric interpretation of Mircea
Eliade’s prose an artificially made up and insipidly jeering version
of “ The Midsummer Night’s Dream” in the course of which only
G.Krumins, S. Klavina and V. Roga regained consciousness for a few
moments.
When
I forced myself to go to the theatre for the second time after three
days I got the proof that the first – night truly was a caricature of
the director's conception. And that in reality this was probably the
best performance that V.Kairiss has staged though being still in an
active phase of advancement and improvement, especially what refers to
the acting.
Why
did it seem to me that I have already been into the world of “The
Serpent”? Regardless of the fact that I am aware of that the reality
there – on the stage – is completely new and original. It is
probably because the performance is deeply national and it embodies
those feelings that I have discovered wandering through the forests of
the Latvian Literature classics primarily.
The
mysterious That is associated with at least three parameters. First of
all with stunning emotional amplitude – from the strongest form of
irony – farce to subtle lyrics with engrossing climbing back and forth
onto all the stages between the two extremes. Secondly - testimony of
selectiveness. Although people, unaware of that, love to play jesters
still they all are human beings. Because they have lived, they live and
they want to live. Nevertheless there are some ( the selected, the
cursed) among them who are destined to another fate. To incline to The
Utmost , the Absolute, to brake away from the normal existence. Is it
inclination or yielding? In other words – is everyone given a chance?
It seems that the director thinks it is so. Because, after all The
Serpent is tempting everyone while the temptation is used by people very
differently. The Bride is the only one who rows her way to the island to
be joined in matrimony with The Absolute – The Dream, The Island, The
Perfection or Love that is condensation of all the mentioned words and
many more alike. In this way the story is undeniably about the people
and the People. With all the consequent poesy, pain and yes, also
contempt for those who did not row and will never row anywhere, always
staying in the saving stability of the solid ground. As the third comes
the revelation of the horror of the existence. In a very subtle,
beautiful and embarrassingly intimate form. The presentation of such
things that many people do not find out during all their lifetimes and
even when they have left it. Or such things that are perceived as
lifeless phrases when being heard or heard.
(..)
If this kind of figurativeness and the understanding of the world has to
be formulated theoretically one may use such notions as romanticism
symbolism, art nouveau.
(..)
It is no wonder – M. Eiade also breeds his prose out of theoretically
and artistically apprehended basis of the myth.
Symptomatically
– the tragics appears not in the form of the tragical in the
performance as it is in the decadent wing of the West European symbolism
when also The Absolute equals The Death. In the Latvian art and also in
the performance of V. Kairiss the tragical is manifested by the means of
poesy – more fragile ( and stronger!) mean of expression.
Fantastic
is the set design by I.Jurjane – dark green thicket of leaves
inframing the stage and blue, red ( and other bright changing colours)
screened on the background of the stage with the black images of the
actors projected on it. The designer together with the director is
building up the fantastic layer of the performance, making the
underground to participate actively from where not only munks and
serpents crawl up onto the surface but also red flower – beds
appearing on the Magic Island.
(..)
For the time being, in my opinion, the leading heroes of the performance
are the ones who are in the closest position to the essence of the
characters they depict – S. Klavina( Dorina or The Bride) and
G.Krumins ( Andronic or The Serpent). A. Keiss ( Manuila) and V.Roga (
Stere) are succeeding in combining the aesthetics of farce and some
separate bewildered moments of Awakening. T. Soboleva ( Mrs.Solomon),J.
Zarins ( Mr. Solomon), K.Zadovska ( Liza), G.Ecis ( Stamate) are still
on their way towards organic revelation of the dualism of their
characters.
by
Silvija Radzobe
Morning paper “ Neatkariga Cina”, January 29, 2000
back to press reviews
*******************
There
are many people who know that “The Serpent” by V.Kairiss was
expected as an event that should shake the world of the theater the
proof of which was the overcrowded hall in both first – night
performances. There were no less people who were aware that this
performance was the first international project produced with the
investment of the European organisations to travel around Europe,
because it was only the first first – night at the New Riga Theater
that it hosted such number of elites.
Few people were not informed that the performances staged by
V.Kairiss have always differed from the productions of the rest of the
Latvian directors first of all with figurativeness, the specific world,
seriousness of the conception
and contents of the chosen material – that is why they left the hall
which of course might be interpreted as a new style of cinema goers but
just as well as certain attitude. Towards the incomprehensible. Because
there is quite enough of the mysterious, enigmatic, unpredictable ( this
term is an essential condition in the attitude of the supporters of bad
academic theatre performances towards modernism). (..)
What
Was Noticed by Those Who Were Willing to Notice?
The
forest. Spring green and mountainous forest that the munks had chosen
for their place of residence (it seemed that the face masks of the munks
designed by Kirils Pantelejevs had been broken into wrinkles by some
eternal experience and knowledge.
On
the other side of the mountain the sun is playing with the colours and a
world is created on the stage. Tremendously beautiful and in the same
time tremendously theatrical that all provokes your wondering about how
it would be like if other performances were designed by painters and how
it will be like in the staging of the “ Magic Flute” at the Latvian
National Opera when V. Kairiss will be working without the participation
of I.Jurjane in the creation of the space of the performance.
The
starting point is not far from the old Shakespeare and “The Midsummer
Night’s Dream”. Only instead of Pack the cards are being mixed by
Andronic.
Together
with the lost watches the time, the logic and the anticipated succession
of the things are being lost. Besides the conventional ways how to leave
the stage – disappearing at different places through the sidewings, in
the performance of Kairiss there is intensive moving between the surface
and the underground with the help of installed hatches. This is where
the smiling and meek munks emerge from holding jugs of wine, singing
Benedictus and where the people disappear one another sights.
“
Keep together and you will be strong” does not work this time provided
that the rules of Andronic’s game forbid the company to keep together
because of what everything is changing into separate scenes performed
between two in order Andronic would meet Dorina for putting it clear to
her that the bizarre pilot is a mere man – serpent. His appearance in
the forest created by M. Eliade is logical because any element of the
nature abounds in souls that are to be noticed by the selected ones. But
you can join with it ( if it is possible in general) only if conquering
the secular wishes for the rational, verbal explication of the world
which is possible if ignoring The Time.
What
You Won’t Be Able to Notice Even Though You Would Have Wanted.
Psychological
depth or nuances in the manner of acting. You won’t find the traces
that would have been left in the minds of the characters or in their
attitude towards different matters or the way they perceive the world
after the contiguity with the mythical. Of course there is one very
strong argument justifying the opposite – there do not exist any
psychological rules in the world of myth and the world that is created
in the process of the performance is based on the idea about a forest as
an irrational realm of spirits and demons, nevertheless … the company
arriving in the forest are real people of the end of the 20th
century who both before the visit to the monastery and in separate
scenes are discussing the most casual problems.
The psychological precision of the character – from where
arises the reaction that is also the cause of every further reaction –
determines the connection between the spoken word and the thought (
weather the text delivers the sense or not) as well as the pace of the
performance. The spoke word is still not functioning in “The
Serpent” fulfilling only the outward function of the first meaning of
the word. However, I do not believe that the phrases “ luckily chicken
was enough for everybody”, “who needs some more coffee?” are just
as important for the director as the ones about the existence within and
outside The Time.
Besides
it is possible to play with the word and the intonation as it is
performed by G.Krumins. If in “ The Tunnel” directed by Kairiss the
existence of actors was in perfect harmony with the space, while in the
rest of his performances the atmosphere is primarily created by the
designed surroundings – the visual and those created by the sound, one
should not forget that “ The Tunnel” was staged for the small hall
that determines different rules. But the highest that a director can
achieve is to gather large space into one whole unit or as Chairs says
– into one world – and to attain the energetic exchange among
hundreds of people.
by
Ieva Zole
Daily “ Diena”, January 31,
2000
back to press reviews
***************
I
have always admired the one tenth of a second that separates the first
prize winner from the second and the second from the third, in other
words the winners from the losers in sports competitions like the
Olympic Games. I have always considered it unfair that …well, you
understand what I am talking about. And all those slogans “the
friendship won”, “ the main is – to participate” are mere
plasters of illusions. There is something unjust even dishonest in the
one hundredth of a second. Does it have anything to do with luck?
Prospects? Conditions?
(..)
You will claim that art is not the same as sports. But what about the
winners in the field of art? What kind of one hundredth of second
announce superiority, selectivity of one occurrence in art over the
others?
And
what is going to happen when the certain number of points given by
unanonymous evaluators will turn into one anonymous impassive result?
And the winner is…
It
was exactly what happened in recent past when the Theatre prize
travelled to Kaupens to Liepaja. Arcadia, Idiot, The Eldest Son, Eugene
Onegin, Aida were left behind in Riga…The point I gave become the
total result, the one hundredth of second where there was nothing left
of me. They won but I lost. Probably just the opposite.
Viesturs
is sort of a winner now – it is his performance and not The Little
Sheep or The Mysterious Variations or The Veverisi that the European
festival directors come to see. Is it possible for an artist to remain
immune against his own creative jealousy and against the one of the
others, against the egoistic envy of another artist, against the cruelty
of the public? What is happening in the mind of the artist – sportsman
when clear suspect occurs in this creative organ of his: I am just
about to miss only one fourth of a second…What is going to happen on
the day when Kairiss will lose? How many will be there to grieve with
him and how many of people will be delighted? And the most important
question – where the objective of one hundredth of a second will be
gone?
by
Normunds Naumanis
Daily "Diena''', January 27,2000
back to press reviews
***************
When
analysing “The Serpent” I can assert that the specific way of
thinking of Viesturs Kairiss is being realised ideally in the set and
costumes designed by Ieva Jurjane.
On
the stage of the New Riga Theater the forest becomes animated throughout
the dreaming scenes and it is swaying with rustle. Everybody is jumping
down the stage as if into an abyss. They all are jumping no matter
weather young or old. The tree that is being carried around and
replanted in different places, the island that the participants of the
hide – and – seek reach during the process of the game – all that
serves for the spectator’s vision. This is the reason why it would be
donquihotism to try to describe this performance.
A
performance has to be provoking.
Viesturs
Kairiss in his turn has chosen “ The Serpent” – a novel
by the Romanian diplomat, philosopher and writer Mircea Eliade
written in 1937 for creating a phantasmagoric performance, laying no
claim for logic succession of events but putting in the forefront the
principles of easiness, joy for playing, mysticism and biological
fluids.
The
author is a Gypsy who is particularly keen on myths which is the reason
why the inexplicable and unsolvable mysteriousness of the maze of life
is to prevail in this performance. (..)
The
First International Project of the Latvian Dramatic Theatre,
in
my opinion is a success. I think that also “ The Serpent’’ will
win the foreign audiences because absolutely everything serves to incite
the imagination. (..)
Actors
Trapped in the Maze of Life
are
apt to carry out the most complicated tasks because they have already
been trained for like actions in the Riga New Theater.
Andris
Keiss has been surprising us from role to role now for three years
already. The directors are making the right use of this young man
lavishly gifted outwardly not only for the roles of lovers. Surprising
is the motion, mimic, speech that the actor uses in the role of the
Captain Manuila that are in total accord with the inner form. This
testifies that the character we are observing is not made up
theoretically but fulfilled through imagination with blood and flesh to
appear before us.
(..)
Janis Zarins – who is already being considered for a theatre veteran
– proves himself as an unconventional realist, a juggler who succeeds
in maintaining the balance on the string of the director’s
imagination.
Zarins
is one of the brightest in proving that there is no one who would have
been in hell or explored the mysteries of heaven yet, in this
performance created in the genre of mystery.
Girts
Krumins– the initiator of all the mischief is nuanced and accentuated
on quite realistic basis in the role of Andronic. Though being lissom
and clinging he does not try to provoke the seeming inconspicuousness of
the mystery by the means of fit of passion.
(..)
Taking into consideration the fact that the New Riga Theater has already
raised its own spectator who is not to be manipulated easily and is
future orientated as admits Viesturs Kairiss one should have no doubt
about the success of “ The Serpent”…
Nevertheless,
judging from my experience of theatre mania, I suggest to resume the
whole performance in one act also slightly reducing the text for the
quest performances.
You
should yield to the temptation without asking the childish question:
what was meant by that? This performance does not put the stress on the
question “why?” but proves that it is characteristic to a talented
nature to discover “how” the world is seen as a whole unit.
The
principle of Viesturs Kairiss to strive for the imperceptible within the
territory of the theatre. He has attained it persuasively.
by
Gunars Treimanis
Evening paper “Rigas Balss”, January 27, 2000
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