“Putin is skiing, still lives!”
Theatrical productions that document historical events usually do not have a long lifespan. Over time, they cease to be relevant, and their staging loses its meaning. However, the play “Putin Is Skiing” managed to avoid this fate, despite also being a document of specific events related to Vladimir Putin’s rule.
The production is inspired by the writings and reflections of the murdered Russian journalist, Anna Politkovskaya, which not only depict current events and human stories during Putin’s rise to power but also document a governing method that is applicable across time and space. Anna thus foresaw the developments in Russia.
For those who followed the events she wrote about, the current situation – the war in Ukraine – is a logical outcome.
The play “Putin Is Skiing” aimed from the beginning to portray more general principles. With the unfolding situation in Ukraine, it has drastically transformed into a model drama about the methods of totalitarian rule and manipulation. As artists, we might be content that our play is “still alive.” However, as people, we are genuinely horrified. Therefore, by frequently staging this production, we hope to contribute to making the events we depict on stage become an outdated past, so that we would never have to perform this piece again.
During the staging of the play, we encounter enthusiasm and indignation. “Putin Is Skiing” apparently provokes most with its unequivocality – we present the audience with a clear opinion (Anna’s perspective, with which we identify), which provokes some critics and viewers to react surprisingly personally and negatively, labeling our performance as political propaganda.
This attitude seems specific to the Czech environment. Abroad (especially in Poland, where we are often invited with the play “Putin Is Skiing”), we do not encounter such reactions. The response from part of the Czech audience stems from the unwillingness to accept the fact that a theatrical performance is used as a tool for expressing a clear political and human standpoint. We understand this reservation. However, rejecting a decisive opinion in the production also corresponds to a cautious and relativizing approach, which is most commonly represented and propagated by political representatives in the Czech Republic. We fundamentally disagree with such an inability and unwillingness to publicly take a clear stance based on available information, and as individuals, we distance ourselves from it.
By Divadlo Líšeň, Pavla Dombrovská
