Press releases

MINSK, 20 February (BelTA) – The organizers of the tenth international youth theater forum М@rt.contact to be hosted by Mogilev from 21 to 27 March decided to go without a professional jury this year, Director of the Mogilev Regional Drama Theater Andrei Novikov said at a press conference in Minsk on 19 February, BelTA has learned.

Andrei Novikov noted that the organizers of the jubilee edition of the forum decided to have only the youth jury in 2015. Partaking in the festival will be theater troupes from ten countries. It would be difficult for a professional jury to see and evaluate 19 theatrical productions in the course of seven days. The decision to give up on the tradition of a professional jury will probably be temporary. The issue is still being debated. Andrei Novikov explained that theatrical festivals usually do not include competitions.

The program of this year’s edition of М@rt.contact features performances of different genres, but the classics will prevail. There will be no traditional workshops with famous foreign theatrical personalities. However, the program of the jubilee youth forum includes critical discussions of the productions that will be presented by the participants.

The international youth theater forum was founded in Mogilev ten years ago to show the best productions for the youth, about the youth, and with the participation of young people. It is expected to develop the artistic taste of the audience. Today it is quite difficult to compete with television and private theater companies, Andrei Novikov noted. However, the festival remains a kind of education program for young actors and directors.

This year the forum will gather participants from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Germany, and Israel.