KURBAS IN KYIV (2017)
February 25 to October 30, 2017
“Kurbas in Kyiv” is a new exhibit at the Museum of Theatre, Music and Cinema about the work of Les Kurbas that examines why he can be called one of the most innovative theatre directors of his time and a forerunner in the use of new media in theatre.
The exhibition opens with an introduction to Les Kurbas and his shows at the Young Theatre, which Europeanized Ukrainian theatre. Then it focuses on three productions at the Berezil Artistic Association in Kyiv. A close examination of Kurbas’s production of the German Expressionist play “Gas” (1923) reveals his innovative approach to movement on stage. At the heart of the exhibit is a look at how Kurbas first integrated theatre action with film projection to create a portrait of human thought on stage in “Jimmie Higgins” (1923). Then we focus on why his 1924 production of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” exposed the process of actor transforming into character. The exhibit concludes with Berezil’s participation in the premiere avant-garde arts events of the 1920s: the Exposition of Decorative Arts in Paris in 1925 and the International Theatre Exhibition in New York in 1926.
“Kurbas in Kyiv” opened on February 25, 2017 to celebrate the 130th anniversary of Les Kurbas’s birthday. It is curated by Virlana Tkacz, artistic director of Yara Arts Group, and Tetiana Rudenko, head archivist at the Museum of Theatre, Music and Cinema of Ukraine. Research for this exhibit was supported by a grant from Fulbright Ukraine.
Lectures & talks:
Special events & lectures:
The Kurbas School - March 25, 2017
with Natalia Iermakova on Kurbas and his students
Kurbas and Film - March 19, 2017
with Oleh Sydor-Hybelinda on Films Playing in Kyiv,
Virlana Tkacz on Kurbas Use of Film in Theatre,
Oleksandr Teliuk on Kurbas, VUFKU & Tasin
and Olha Danyliuk on Film & New Media in Theatre
Kurbas in Kyiv special curator's tour with Virlana Tkacz
(in Ukrainian) February 26, March 4 & 16, 2017
(in English) March 13 & 19, 2017
Around Kurbas - on artists around Kurbas March 4, 2017 with Yaryna Tsymbal on Mykhail Semnko,
Tetiana Rudenko on Vadym Meller,
Olena Taranchenko on Anatoli Butsky
Virlana Tkacz on Nadia Shuvarska & Bronislava Nijinska
