ArmInfo. We are a real blockade theater, and we have something to tell, although we try not to remember it. This is how public figure and founder of the Stepanakert Russian Drama Theater (SRDT) Alexander Bordov, in a conversation with an ArmInfo correspondent, spoke about the theater,  which, having survived the blockade and exile, continued its  activities in Yerevan.

As Bordov noted, the idea of creating the SRDT arose during the work on the "House of Russian Culture" project, which, according to the idea of the theater's founder, was to be located in the center of Stepanakert, in the building of the former "Russia" cinema after its reconstruction. The main goal of the project was to strengthen the cultural potential of the republic. "It was surprising to me then that in the entire history of Karabakh there was no Russian theater. The troupe of the SRDT at the time of its foundation was formed from actors of the student art studio of the Mesrop Mashtots University, which was created in 2013 by Zhanna Krikorova (now the artistic director of the SRDT - Ed.). It should be noted that Zhanna Krikorova trained a number of actors who today serve in various theaters,"  Bordov said. 

Since the beginning of the blockade of Artsakh on December 12, 2022, the republic has faced many difficulties, which have only worsened with each passing day. The theater was no exception and found itself in a difficult situation: its activities were hampered by gas and electricity outages and fuel shortages.  However, according to Alexander Bordov, this did not become an obstacle for the theater team, since everyone realized their important role in these difficult days for Artsakh.

"We understood perfectly well during that difficult period how  important the activities of our theater, named after the capital of  the NKR, were. First of all, for the people who lacked everything they needed for a full life - from food and medicine to hygiene products and the ability to move freely. We tried our best to preserve ourselves and our homeland. It was a time of trials and tests, and Artsakh coped with them. Our fellow countrymen, for the most part, showed themselves from the best side. There were days when performances took place in pitch darkness due to unplanned power outages, but no one left the crowded, unheated hall. And instead of flowers, the actors were given vegetables and fruits while they were still available, at the very beginning of the blockade. Then we were supported by our friends and comrades from the DIALOG organization  under the leadership of Yuri Navoyan and Doctor of Law Samvel Karakhanyan.  It was thanks to their sensitive attitude to what was happening in Artsakh and their active participation in the fate of the theater that we were able to present three blockade premieres that were sold out. During the blockade, viewers walked to us, many from remote areas of the city. We could not even imagine that military actions awaited us ahead, leading to the expulsion of the entire Karabakh population - at that time more than one hundred thousand people."

The situation in Artsakh was deteriorating every day, but its  residents continued to fight for life on their native land, despite  all the difficulties. This continued until September 19, 2023, when Azerbaijan launched a full-scale military action against the Republic of Artsakh, as a result of which cities and villages were subjected to intense shelling, and 120,000 residents of Artsakh were forced to flee to Armenia under the threat of physical violence. The aggression, which ended in complete ethnic cleansing, left more than 150 thousand Artsakh residents homeless.

The expulsion of the Artsakh people led to the fact that people left behind not only their homes and property acquired over the years, but also the most valuable thing - their homeland. The theater also found itself in a difficult situation: as a result of the expulsion, it lost its cozy workshop in the center of Stepanakert, as well as costumes and props.

"We left our dreams of a theater building in our homeland, the  reconstruction project of which remained on paper due to the tragedy that occurred. In addition, already in Yerevan, some actors were forced to leave Armenia due to family circumstances. But at the end of 2023, it was extremely important for us to preserve the theater. Our troupe was supported by the famous theater director Petr Nemoy,  who shared his invaluable experience with the actors. Since January 2024, the DIALOG organization has taken full responsibility for the SDDT in the new conditions, and its director Yuri Navoyan has headed the Board of Trustees of the theater. As a result, all the necessary conditions were created and new opportunities for further development opened up: thus, the SDDT was revived and continued its activities."

At the same time, the theater's productions involved honored artists of Armenia - such as Artashes Shahverdyan and Robert Hakobyan, as well as the popular actor and director of the Yerevan State Russian Theater named after K. Stanislavsky Armen Markaryan, who, at the invitation of Zhanna Krikorova, acted as the director of the recent premiere of Ray Cooney's play "The Overmarried Taxi Driver". 

In addition, with the systematic support of DIALOGUE, the youth studio of the SRDT is actively operating. Bordov emphasized that this is the future of the theater - a real forge of personnel under the leadership of Zhanna Krikorova, who has amazing abilities to reveal talents: her students, who came out of the student art studio of the Mesrop Mashtots University, in addition to the SRDT also played in the Stepanakert State Armenian Drama Theater named after V. Papazyan,  and today - in the Yerevan State Russian Drama Theater named after K.  Stanislavsky. 

"It is not surprising that Zhanna Alekseyevna decided on a bold  experiment, staging two very different immersive performances at once: "The Iranian Conference" based on the play by Ivan Vyrypaev and "Dangerous Turn" by John B. Priestley. These are two truly powerful performances in which the viewer becomes a participant in a conference or a trial."

It is also interesting that the theatre, which survived the blockade, today presents its productions not only in Armenia, but also abroad. Due to the fact that all performances are in Russian, the theatre has the opportunity to represent the republic in Russia and the CIS countries. Thus, the SRDT recently participated in the second International Festival "Arctic Scene" in Murmansk, where it represented Armenia along with Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Serbia, returning to Yerevan with two awards from the professional and alternative jury. "Preservation of the cultural Artsakh is the most important task. The existence of the Stepanakert theater is of colossal importance, because in addition to everything else, it is  also the only one of the operating theaters in Artsakh. The very name of the theater, which bears the name of the capital of our homeland, a city that practically does not exist today, is already the history of Artsakh. The entire cast is made up of Karabakh people - bearers of a specific culture, imbued over the past centuries with Christian traditions, Armenianism and Russianness. And, of course, it is necessary to note the contribution of the theater to the strengthening of Russian-Armenian cultural ties, which are so important, especially today," shared Bordov.

In this vein, the founder of the theater shared that the first  production in Armenia was the play "At the Top of My Voice" - a  dramatization by Zhanna Krikorova based on the works of Vladimir Mayakovsky, in which the voice of the great Russian poet becomes the voice of Artsakh. "This was our last blockade performance. The second part of the play is called "The Voice of Artsakh". I did not see anyone in the audience without tears in their eyes. When it was shown in Artsakh, we did not yet know that we were on the verge of the tragedy that occurred in September 2023. This is, of course, a significant performance for us. 

In Yerevan, after the expulsion, it sounded differently than in  besieged Stepanakert. It was no longer the voice of besieged Artsakh, but of the exiled one." At the same time, Alexander Sergeevich emphasized that the capital's audience warmly supported the Stepanakert theater. 

"We immediately felt this participation, the empathy of our  compatriots. It immediately became clear that we were among our own. We were made to feel that we were at home not only because we were on Armenian soil, but among people close to us in spirit, in cultural and moral values. Artsakh has always been an integral part of the Armenian cultural space, no matter how anyone tried to present it differently.  Over the past 30 years, Armenian education has strengthened in the NKR, and it is for this reason that the new generation is fluent in their native Armenian language. By the way, knowledge of the Russian language did not suffer from this in any way, even in the absence of Russian schools in Artsakh: both young  and old communicated easily and with pleasure in the great and mighty language, as they say. The theater certainly carries a unifying mission, linking different cultures, peoples and countries. This, in my opinion, is the most important mission, especially in our days," Alexander Bordov summed up.