Bio : Founded 2003 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Members: Olga Egorova (Tsaplya) (1968), Dmitry Vilensky (1964), Natalia Pershina (Gluklya) (1969) and Nikolai Oleinikov (1976).
Description : The action unfolds on 21August, 1991, after the victory over the restorationist coup. On this day of unprecedented popular uplift it seemed that democracy had won a final victory in the country and that the people should and would be able to build a new, just society. Perestroika Songspiel is structured like an ancient tragedy: its dramatis personae are divided into a chorus and a group of five heroes. The heroes are key types generated by the perestroika era, each of them with a particular vision of his/her role in history: a democrat, a businessman, a revolutionary, a nationalist, and a feminist. They act and they dream. They analyze their actions, their place in society, and their vision of the country’s political path. The chorus is the incarnation of public opinion. It makes moral judgments on the heroes and it foresees their futures, as if it were gazing on the proceedings from the present day. The work analyzes the specific configuration of forces during this supremely important historical moment of contemporary history. It critiques political na?vet? while also showing how difficult it is for people to realize their vision of the future together.