Presentation of Stage Design works by Zinovy Marglin

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Presentation of Stage Design works by Zinovy Marglin Zinovy Margolin / Russia I am a freelancer, and I do not work with any theatre steadily, so the choice of time and work are relatively free.

1 Presentation of Stage Design works by Zinovy Marglin Zinovy Margolin / Russia I am a freelancer, and I do not work with any theatre steadily, so the choice of time and work are relatively free. I think the theatre is a very practical place. Compared with the theory of learning, students should start from the first grade to exercise on the stage. The sooner they practice; the sooner they understand what they really do. On the stage, you need to deal with all kinds of people: not only with the director and actor, but you also need to solve all kinds of financial problems. This knowledge comes from experience. Today I mainly talk about some of my own creations in operas and musicals. The musical originated in the United States and Spain, so in Russia it is a relatively new subject. But because the plot is simple and the images of characters are not strong, it does not need too much money - it s called "The opera for poor people" in Russia. In my experience as a director, I require every work has its own characteristics. I think the most important thing in an opera is stage design, like how to place the prop and the decoration. I always make some models before the performance. Of course, the sketch must also be carefully painted, the mind will have the entire stage scene ready before I have sketched it. Every theatre in the world has financial problems and would want to do the best work with less money, so usually artists make the theatre bankrupt. But that's our job. We spend other s money and we need to convince them that it is necessary. But whether it is in the struggle with the theatre, or the compromise with them, it is important to achieve your desired stage effect. In Russia, the theatre is a state property, it s very difficult to seek funding and have communication with the authority. So we have to be prepared wherever we work and maintain a good attitude. 1

2 The play is based on the ancient Greek playwright Alfonso Fochler J's literary works, "Antti Gore Ne", which has many images. In literary works, there are so many characters that they cannot be moved into a theatrical production one by one, which means some must be appropriately be deleted. The props in plays at small theatres are part of a temporary collection, which is a European tradition, and there is not a huge stock for us to pick from. In Europe, playing the corpse is not a glorious thing, so people who play the corpse are poor. The division of the stage production is also very important. Like, someone responsible for painting these props, then all plans must be arranged according to the time of painting, in order to ensure the smooth progress of the whole work. The American musical Sound of Music, is a story about what actually happened in the United States after the World War II. The theme of the Second World War is very popular in Russia, because many families suffered during the conflict. The scene requires a lot of electrical equipment to ensure the stage effect, these decorations were very expensive, but we still succeeded. When you start designing a play, we need to ensure each play has something new, and find a novel way to present it. 2

3 Our production of the French romantic musical Les Parapluies De Cherbourg, is based on a famous French film adaptation. It s a love story between a young girl and a workman--- people are always interested in civilian love stories. This stage can be divided into two layers, which can bring different effects according to the different sets. The most expensive prop on stage is the car which was made of plastic so it s easier to store. Imbalances of payments often happened in the theatre, so we must consider carefully before we selected the props and theatres, we need to think comprehensively about how to save money. In the present state of Russian fiscal affairs, the economic situation of each theater is not good, and many small theaters were forced to close, so everything must be chosen carefully. The choice of music is also very important - we chose our favorite, suitable for the plot. 3

But because of political tensions it is no longer put on stage. The play s setting was like a big chess board, and the chess pieces were controlled by the computer.

4 L'italiana in Algeri was composed by Rossini. It is about a beautiful Italian girl who was kidnapped in Algeria by an Algerian wanted to take her for his own, which ignites a series of love stories. But because of political tensions it is no longer put on stage. The play s setting was like a big chess board, and the chess pieces were controlled by the computer. The stage effect of this performance was very good, even during the tensions between Russia and Algeria, the show was still very successful, and surpassed all expectations. At work, if you meet some very difficult scripts you do not know how to deal with, you can choose to reject first, and then find more suitable partners. 4

One of Russia's most famous operas is The Tale of Igor's Campaign, which was performed at the Moscow Theatre. The story was based on the history of Russia, it s about a group of brave soldiers.

5 One of Russia's most famous operas is The Tale of Igor's Campaign, which was performed at the Moscow Theatre. The story was based on the history of Russia, it s about a group of brave soldiers. The process of this production and design was one of the most eventful adventures of my life, because the director was 94 years old at that time, one of the most famous directors in Russia, who had experienced every period of Russia, and witnessed various great events. Actually it was quite hard to work with him, as he was quite old after all, and he was ill during the rehearsal, so I did not know whether this drama would be completed in the end. It was quite hard to communicate with him or convince him with new ideas sometimes, because of his age. The visual effect of the design sketches were very strong, the premiere achieved great success, and we received favorable feedback. Johann Strauss opera Bats was played in the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia. The script was recomposed by a German writer, this production cost more than one million euros. The scene of this opera were changing, and here is a wonderful dancing party in the picture. As you can see there are plenty of shining dots, and it was difficult to place screens everywhere. At the end of the opera is a huge prop----a big ship moved back and forth, with a fountain in the middle of the stage, and the ballet dancer s dance around it. It s really a dramatic performance, like a show. Although I think the performance is quite good, it did not continue to play. We should accept the destiny of each opera we make, that is part of our job-----accept failure. Whether to please the audiences, or keep good relationships with directors, we also have to accept the accusations of the theatre (spent lots of money without achievement), as a stage designer, these are the situations we have to think upon and face. 5

6 In the modern opera Dead Serfs, the leading character travels a lot in the performance, so the scenes have to change constantly. The theatre presents different shows every day, so we have to remove the setting right away after the performance to get preparation for the next play. In Europe, the schedule of the performances is fixed, the arrangements of works are regular and reasonable, and every department needs to finish their works on time. The opera Nose which was composed by Shostakovich, performed at Mariinsky 6

The opera Northeasterly wind; the installation can be separated and swung up and down. There happened to be a terrorist attack during the performance.

7 Theatre. This is an absurdist story: Early one morning, there was a man in search of a nose. This work was written in1920s, at the same time there sprang up many avantgarde musicians, which blend well into this theatre of the absurd. The opera Northeasterly wind; the installation can be separated and swung up and down. There happened to be a terrorist attack during the performance. I thought theatre is a cheerful place, a source of inspiration, it s hard to imagine that this would be linked to war. Many people were killed during the turmoil, including my friend. Every time when I see these pictures, I feel terrible. The opera Onegin, it s a story about a noble young man who rejected a beautiful aristocratic girl, but then he found out this beauty is his one true love. The opera was performed in Lithuania. Because of the financial problems, we had to show all of the 7

preliminary sketches and models (made by paper). After we made sure we could procure human resources, goods, materials etc. we started producing the performance.

8 preliminary sketches and models (made by paper). After we made sure we could procure human resources, goods, materials etc. we started producing the performance. One of Shakespeare s four great tragedies----othello, presented in the Mariinsky Theatre. The new theatre in Mariinsky installed some new equipment, set a large screen, enriched the stage effect, and we made a big success, Othello is still a repertory of Mariinsky Theater. The tower was also very detailed and realistic. The actor would perform on the top of this tower at the end of the story. 8

The stage is designed in accordance with its cheerful music form, showing a very bright and joyful scene.

9 The Mermaid, a repertoire of Mariinsky Theatre. The three walls in the picture can compose different and variable scenes through movement. The opera The Marriage of Figaro, was presented at the Moscow Grand Theater. This is an interpretation of the classic repertoire. The stage is designed in accordance with its cheerful music form, showing a very bright and joyful scene. Special attention should be paid to the sense of ages in classic works, all costumes and stage property need to be restored to its original state. I really like the Dutch painter, Mondrian. And 9

Of course, this work by Goethe cannot be surpassed.

10 the stage design is also based on his paintings, which is colorful, and with strong impact. Faust's Trial, was performed in Munich, Germany. This is a story about a man selling his soul to the devil, a subject which Europeans are fond of. Many literary works of this kind have appeared after it. Of course, this work by Goethe cannot be surpassed. With its premiere in Paris, France, the process of this play is also very hard to be continued, because of the highly demanding technical requirements. When it was put on the stage in Germany, open fire can be lit up in theaters there, however this is not permitted in Russian theaters. Peter the Great, tells the story of the conflicts and the armed insurrection within the 10

11 court when Peter the Great struggled into power. At that time Peter the Great (in St. Petersburg) and his sister Sofia (in Moscow) were fighting with each other. Because there was no means of transportation and the information couldn t be exchanged quickly, a more complex political situation was realized. It is adapted and designed according to the real scene of the railway station. Russia is a nation which cherishes its tradition and loves literature. Therefore, as for some classic repertoire, they must meet the audience's approval, so we should know the historical background in advance, and we need also to pay attention to the costumes and the stage property. There is an inexorable law in theatres: it is necessary to satisfy the audience without being too commercialized. So designers need to make adequate preparations ahead of time. When I share these pictures with you, it feels as if they were my children, I see them growing little by little, and recall my own experience of life at the same time. The theater is like a large workshop, which needs to display its imagination in the constant production. And meanwhile, it should improve the interpersonal relationships as well, so that everyone will gather around you, and do not let your work become boring. We should be happy and enjoy our work, and believe what we do each time is a major event. If you do not have fun, the audience will not enjoy themselves. Never do what you are unwilling to do, love your work, and do not use it simply as a job to make a living. 11

What Is Drama? Drama is literature written for performance to be acted out for a live audience.

Drama What Is Drama? Drama is literature written for performance to be acted out for a live audience. Dramatic Structure Like the plot of a story, the plot of a play involves characters who face a problem