Opinions & Interviews

MOGILEV, 21 March (BelTA) – The М@rt.kontakt festival is a major event in the country’s theatrical calendar, Belarusian First Deputy Culture Minister Irina Driga said at the opening of the 12th international youth theater forum М@rt.kontakt in the Belarusian city of Mogilev on 21 March, BelTA has learned.

“The forum in Mogilev is a highlight of the theatrical calendar of the country. It has been growing increasingly popular year on year. Every edition of the festival sees new countries making their debut, and the number of participants is constantly growing. The program of the festival is always eventful with many modern and offbeat productions. The festival invites its participants to discuss the current theater-related issues,” Irina Driga noted.

“Spring in Mogilev is unimaginable without the theater forum М@rt.kontakt. This project is a wonderful opportunity to get immersed in the special theatrical atmosphere with classical productions, creative projects and experiments by beginning directors. This is what makes our festival so great, and this is why people in Mogilev love it so much,” Deputy Chairman of the Mogilev Oblast Executive Committee Andrei Kuntsevich said.

After the solemn opening of the festival, the audience were treated to Yevgeny Marcelli’s production A Month in the Country by Ivan Turgenev presented by Fyodor Volkov Russian State Academic Drama Theater (Yaroslavl). The performance got six nominations at 2016 Golden Mask Award in Russia.

This year, the playbill of the festival features 22 plays by 20 theaters from 10 countries. It also includes theater lab projects, discussions, roundtables and other events that play an important role in the development of young theater performers.

The festival was founded in 2006. Over the past 11 years, it has grown into one of the most important cultural events in Belarus. Over the years the festival has seen 168 performances from 17 countries.

The founders of the festival are the Culture Ministry of Belarus, the Mogilev Oblast Executive Committee, and the Mogilev Regional Drama Theater.