Tears in China and sold-outs in Russia: Svetlana Naumenko spoke about the phenomenal success of RTBD abroad

Touring abroad is the best way to understand the real professional value of a theater team. About this on the air of the program "Markov". Nothing personal" on ONT told the Director of the Theater of Belarusian Drama Svetlana Naumenko.

Svetlana Naumenko: This is our third trip to China. Look, this is a completely different civilization. What kind, sincere, trusting people they are! At some point, the sale of tickets fell a little – relatively speaking, for the performance suddenly remained unsold for 5 tickets. For us, 5 unsold tickets are an emergency! And after a trip to China, when we read the reviews of Chinese viewers (we were translated everything they wrote in chats on the Internet), suddenly there was such a sense of self-importance. We feel that we are fulfilling a very important mission – the mission of a cultural bridge. Chinese viewers are crying and worrying just like us. We have never seen such success before.”.

According to the director of the theater, such trips give an understanding of what you are worth.

Svetlana Naumenko: On the first visit, the Shanghai side somehow checked everything and looked after it. And when we arrived for the second time, as a direct and broad person, I say to the director of the festival: “I came to you as a cousin, since you receive us so warmly.” She even cried. You see, very thin audiences, very cautious and internally educated. This trip is primarily a bridge. And when people go (and the first time there were two performances, quite a lot of people), it gives an understanding of what you are worth.

Svetlana Naumenko also told about the tour to Russia.

Svetlana Naumenko: When we go to Russia... First of all, that’s where everything was born: it’s not us asking to tour. The Russian side is inviting us. For example, the Vladimir Academic Theatre. We came to see them at the festival with the play "Adamav Gritty". How Russian viewers laughed! First, they tried to watch the translation in headphones for the first 10 minutes. But I like to stage performances in such a way that it is possible to “put down the glass and turn off the sound” – and still everything remained clear without words. Anyway, they liked us. The director of this theatre and festival said: Svetlana Viktorovna, we would be very interested to see how you interpret our Russian classics. You play very differently. Bring us Russian classics in Russian, bring us such joy. And I say, "That's no problem!" Because for us, since we are bilingual, there is really no problem with that.”.