Décréation

Décréation

Alexander Plotnikov

An original play never before staged in France by Zhenya Berkovitch and her company.

Décréation is a play presented for the first time in France. It was created with the actresses of director Zhenya Berkovich’s company, together with director Alexandre Plotnikov. Following a residency at the Sens Interdits Festival in Lyon, bringing the production to the Avignon Festival became an obvious choice, in order to shed light on the current situation in Russia.

Zhenya Berkovich and her playwright, Svetlana Petriichuk, were sentenced to six years in prison in Russia for their play Finist, the Bright Falcon after the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They are both still imprisoned today.

Décréation explores the destruction of theatre and of the individual through war, as well as the bonds that connect people. The play draws a thread between Simone Weil and Zhenya Berkovich and stands as a hymn to theatre despite every obstacle placed in its way.

Simone Weil offers an existential reflection on life in wartime. After learning about the living conditions of prisoners in German concentration camps, she reduced her own daily food ration so that it would not exceed theirs.

Live your long and happy life, Our dear friend. Let us hope King Herod's time Never comes to end.

Alexander Plotnikov - Metteur en scène

Director of the performance “Decreation”

Distribution

Directed by Alexandre Plotnikov

Set Design Ksenia Sorokina, Artem Tarasenkov

Lighting Design Elena Perelman

Performed by Iana Irteneva, Alena Konstantinova, Marietta Tsigal-Polishchuk

In the press

"Two “Golden Masks” during the 2020–2021 season for *Finist, the Luminous Falcon*, sold-out performances, and enthusiastic acclaim from critics and audiences alike: all of this has made a must-see event on the theater scene."

London Cult.

"The performances which are both socially engaged and philosophically insightful, demonstrate that Russian theater can exist outside the usual hierarchical structures and, in doing so, gain in significance, relevance, and timeliness."

The Blueprint

"Berkovitch’s play is a hymn to the intrinsic value of every human life—a hymn that is at once desperate and poignant, funny and absurd, tender and moving. It is a farce, a comedy, a clown show—but behind these elements lies a profound and poignant tragedy, as well as true poetry."

La Revue théâtrale de Saint-Pétersbourg