Neighbor News
Sharp Romantic Comedy Splinter Returns April 29th and 30th in Evanston
Interview with Dmitry Yakubov, Director of the play Splinter, Part I
New Romantic Comedy Play Explores the Splinter in Your Heart
Following a glorious Chicagoland premiere of Splinter: A Romantic Comedy in Wheeling, IL, last month, the play will be performed in Evanston on Saturday April 29th at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday April 30th at 6:00 p.m. at Puth Family Theater of Music Institute of Chicago, 1702 Sherman Ave, Evanston, IL 60201.
Get Tickets now: bit.ly/3m5eh2v
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Interview with Dmitry Yakubov, Director of the play Splinter, Part I
Vadim Dekhtyar: Good afternoon, Dmitry. Today we will talk about the premiere of your play Splinter. First of all, I congratulate you with all my heart on this event. It was incredible to watch how it succeeded. The performance is wonderful.
Dmitry Yakubov: Thank you so much for this flattering compliment.
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VD: You’re welcome. Let's start with the material of the play, which is solid. At the heart of this play, it is the same beat as the masterpieces of French dramaturgy. When I watched the performance, I saw wonderful actors, and they were praised. But somehow I felt very keenly that the performance is from the mind of the director.
Dmitry: Thank you.
VD: Yes. The director took all the little things into account, how the stage looks, the lighting. Of course, this is working with actors. The director's work with actors can only be compared with a professional coach. In the theater, as in sports, in order to achieve results, the team must be well-practiced, well-coordinated ... But this does not happen without a coach, without a person who will see everyone, notice everyone and teach them to interact with others and so on. Clearly the directing was on point to bring the play together beautifully. From the director’s perspective, what are your feelings after the last premiere?
Dmitriy: I can't quite believe my success in the drama field, it’s exciting! Many people know me as an author. I published articles on American, European, and German poets. However, my first and main education is as a theater director, and for a long time I dreamed of my own theater, and preparing for a production. Finally, that wonderful day came when I opened my theater.
Before the premiere, honestly, I was very worried— would the audience come to get acquainted with this new, young theater? It wasn't until I finally saw the auditorium was full that I experienced some relief. With the applause, I experienced incomparable joy. I am very pleased that we succeeded.
VD: I attended the premiere and was also happy, just as a spectator. After a good performance, there is always a pleasant feeling of connecting with something wonderful and exciting.
Your creative destiny is kind of a perfect demonstration of what this performance is about. After all, this comedy is about the backstage, about the invisible, real life of actors. And just like a real actor cannot help but act, a real director cannot help but stage performances —and this formula suits you very well.
Dmitriy: Absolutely.
VD: This is the thorn or “splinter” that was discussed in this performance.
Dmitriy: Love for the theater is an inexorable, merciless and constant reminder of itself in one way or another. In any given situation, it’s a constant aching melancholy. If you are a true creator, then the love of creativity never leaves you.
VD: Every creative person has his own splinter, this is the attachment that attracts, calls, and maybe even itches and does not leave. This is what the performance is about, and you and your performance are a good example of this. But we will not retell the content of the play. I’ll stop there so readers can come see more!
When I watched the performance, I thought, ‘what's the trick, why does it look like it all happens in one breath?’ And the answer is the psychology of the characters, their relationships and how we perceive them. On the stage, I saw the wonderful truth and depth of human relationships. It's worth talking about. Perhaps this was not an end in itself, but to accurately convey the psychological shades of relationships is an excellent means of conveying the meaning of the play, in this unusual comedy. And one more thing: psychological accuracy is your directing style. You are very talented in arranging and describing what is happening. In the play, I saw the classic model of domestic conflict and how it develops.
Dmitriy: Yes. One of my tasks was to track and build step by step the development of the conflict between the characters, the dramatic development of their relationship.
VD: That's what I saw. Spiral conflict. As a lover of psychology, I want to note that such a model of conflict, like the heroes of this romantic comedy, is described in the so-called Karpman triangle model (The Karpman drama triangle). That is, although it is a comedy, it is quite smart, with a background, and a deep meaning. I can’t wait to see how it this deep meaning is implemented in your performance. This play will delight true theater lovers.
