Interactive performance Democracy.doc

This Project is neither a fiction drama nor an ordinary ‘verbatim’ experiment. The creation of the «Democracy.doc» production has been a year long process. In 2005 two Russian playwrights Nina Belenitskaya and Ivan Ugarov and the german director Georg Genoux interviewed over 100 citizens of different Russian regions. Analysing the collected materials the creative team felt the necessity to carry some studies on the subconscious attitude of the Russians towards the issue in order to understand the role of politics and democracy in the contemporary Russian society. Thus, two psychotherapists – Elena Margo and Arman Bekenov – joined the creative team and in winter and spring of 2006 conducted several training sessions in «Theatre.doc». That is how the production «Democracy.doc» was born.

None of the performances will be similar to the previous one as the spectators will also be invited to join the creative team on stage. So the production based originally on the documentary materials concerning the 1991-2005 period will be permanently updated owing to the interactive participation of the audience.

It is an interactive project, there is no play or actors; and the audience itself participates in the action on the stage.

The authors, drawing on principles of the world work with large groups, offer the public to explore the topic of Democracy. And it’s not a question of understanding, it’s a question of feeling it in their everyday life. As it is a ticklish question, each time on the stage we deal with powerful conflicts clearly reflecting tension in the society. In a society where lots of hot topics are suppressed, and sometimes ignored, the theater acquires a completely new task: to reveal all the voices of the society, and especially those which are generally not heard or kept in the background.

It is a project where there are no actors, reciting memorized texts or replicating reality on stage. Right before our eyes people’s feelings create a world where there is room for everything that wants to be announced. People are spectators, directors, actors and characters at the same time.

Democracy.doc was performed in more then 20 regions in Russia and more then 50 times in Moscow. It took parts in different russian theatre festivals.

It also was presented 2012 in Siwtzerland in Basel and Chur during the “Culture Capes” exange between Russia and Switzerland 2012.

The group of Democracy.doc was invited to create a the following project “CRISIS” by the 7th Berlin Bienale of Contemporary Art in Berlin 2012 in the “Theater Hebbel am Ufer” in Berlin.

Democracy.doc was also invited to participate in the Bienale of Contemporary Art 2012 in Moscow.

Deutsche Welle about “Democracy.doc”.

Der Spiegel about “Democracy.doc”

About the project is written a book by Nikolai Gladkeh and filmed two documentary movies.