Premiere of Amelya play: Natasha Rostova appeared in Bashkir Theater

The play's premiere based on Nikolai Krasheninnikov's novel "Amelya" took place on the Small Stage of the Mazhit Gafuri Bashkir Academic Drama Theater.

The theater was the first to stage this work of the Russian writer, who was even included in Bashkir schools' program in previous years. The novel was written in 1915 and told the story of the Bashkir orphan Amelya, who was raised in Orenburg as a daughter by a Russian noblewoman Anna Petrovna. Having received a good upbringing and education, having met a decent candidate for marriage, Amelya, feeling the call of blood, nevertheless left for the steppe, to her relatives. The directors identified the main character's self-identification as the central theme of the play.

The art director of the production, the chief director of the theater, Airat Abushakhmanov, dreamed of "his own Natasha Rostova" to appear on the Bashkir theater stage. "I really liked the theme that combines Bashkirs and Russians, Islam, and Orthodoxy. This material is literary very descriptive, many moments in it could be expressed emotionally through plastic arts", Abushakhmanov noted.

As a result, the performance turned out to be in a synthetic genre that combines dramatic action, a rich musical layer, and choreographic means. The new work has become pivotal for Alina Mustaeva, the staff choreographer-director of Bashkir Drama Theater since 2020. Alina admitted that this performance also made her think about her roots, became a point of return to the origins.

This was not the first plastic art experience for the lead part performer Gulnara Kazakbaeva. Previously, she worked with Olga Daukaeva in the play "I Created You".

As always, the performance of the Bashkir Drama Theater is remembered for its acting performances. The purely dramatic roles of Anna Petrovna, Akhmet Bakirich, Maman were played by experienced masters - People's Artists of Bashkortostan Gulnara Amirova, Almas Amirov, Alsu Galina. The role of Dornbild was played by the actor Ural Aminev, who already played the great Rudolf Nureyev on the Bashkir stage several years. 8-year-old Fatima Nurieva treated her role of Amelya in childhood with great responsibility.

The multi-layered musical score gives an unforgettable charm to the performance. The original music, created by the St. Petersburg composer and musician Oleg Gudachev, is combined with Rachmaninov's classical vocalism and the plays of Ural Idelbaev. Bashkir folk songs performed by Alsu Bakhtiyeva and the kurai player Sagidulla Bayeget sound like the very call of blood that cannot be resisted. The live orchestra of the theater plays a major role in the musical richness of the performance.

The entire theatrical action takes place in a laconic set design (artist from St. Petersburg Ekaterina Malinina) and with minimal props. Airat Abushakhmanov admits the possibility that the performance can be transferred to a large stage.