The characters in this play all speak the same language, regardless of what country they come from.The two optimistics whose quote appears at the top of the cast list in the program notes for Misha's Party are an American, Richard Nelson, and a Russian, Alexander Gelman. Their unique collaboration grew out of a matchmaking program developed by director Lawrence Sacharow. The initial intent was translation oriented--an American playwright designated to translate (and adapt) the work of a Russian and vice-versa.
--Two optimistic playwrights who speak different language.
MISHA'S PARTY Co-written by American playwright Richard Nelson and Russian playwright Alexander Gelman. Directed by Lawrence Sacharow With Gerry Bamman, Melissa Bowen, P.J. Brown, Kate Burton, Jennifer Dundas. Penny Fuller, Tom Irwin, Laurie Kennedy, Greg Naughton, Harris Yulin Main Stage/Williamstown Theatre Festival Williamstown, MA (413)598-3400 8/20/97(opening 8/21)-8/31/97 |
The playwrights worked together for two weeks during that first meeting, then met again, months later, at the MacDowell Artists' Colony in Petersborough, New Hampshire where they developed the basic story line. When Gelman completed his script treatment of the story line worked out at MacDowell, they met once again (in Moscow). Revisions and translation/adaptation into English and Russian followed. Neither playwright speaks the other's language, so both relied heavily on Moscow and the US translators Ella Levdanskaya and Irina Vechnyak. As Nelson writes in the Williamstown program notes, "they may have written more of this play than they know." On the night of August 20th (the night of Misha's Party), Yeltsin and his followers who had taken refuge in The White House seemed under imminent attack from tanks and KGB troops outside the doors of the building. On August 21, the troops withdrew and Gorbachev was brought back to Moscow which Yeltsin now controlled. The Ukraine, Moldavia and Byelorussia declared themselves independent. It was the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union. |