Azerbaijan Theater takes part in McDonagh Festival
By Amina Nazarli
Azerbaijan State Theatre of Young Spectators took part in the first International Festival of Martin McDonagh.
The event was held in Perm, Russia from October 7 to 14. Azerbaijani group staged "The Lonesome West" (from Leenane Trilogy) of the same name spectacle of playwright, screenwriter and film director Martin McDonagh.
It was the first time that the Azerbaijani group was taking part at the festival with the contemporary Oscar-winning play of the British playwright.
The trilogy consists of three plays including Beauty Queen of Leenane, a Skull of Connemara and the Lonesome West.
The play was staged in Azerbaijani language with a simultaneous interpretation into Russian.
The participation at the festival is a remarkable event and a very big achievement for Azerbaijan, as the national theatre received a special prize from the President of McDonagh festival.
Martin McDonagh is viewed as one of the greatest modern playwrights; astute, sharp-witted, wise author. He is usually compared with Chekhov and Ostrovsky. Martin McDonagh's plays are being staged in different countries.
The Lonesome West spectacle was staged on the theater of Perm "U Mosta" on October 12.
After the performance, the jury members discussed the piece and highly praised it. Thus, the spectacle was awarded with diploma and the special prize of the festival.
The festival also welcomed the theatre groups from Germany,
Poland, Russia, Austria, Great Britain, Czech Republic and Bosnia
and Herzegovina, which staged other pieces of Martin McDonagh.
The stage director of the play "The Lonesome West" was Jan Willem
van den Bosch, invited from UK, director, Gulnar Hajiyeva, lighting
designer, Michael Manen, art director, Elizabeth Cook, artist,
Elshan Sarkhanoglu and musical arrangement Zaur Rashidov.