Tin and gold

Tin and gold a theatrical and poetic collage based on the works of Joseph Brodsky.

... During the years of crises, of which there were many, starting in the 80s of the 19th century, the Russian government issued a decree according to which the domes of churches in the capital (St. Petersburg) were to be covered not with leaf (thin sheet) gold, but with mousse gold. That is, not with gold at all, but with paint based on tin sulfide, which has a similar glow. True, after 5-6 years the paint faded and became grayish-greenish. In the swampy atmosphere of St. Petersburg, everything happened even faster..

The mono show "Tin and Gold" is dedicated not only to the relationship between Joseph Brodsky and St. Petersburg, but also to the theme of the change of islands: Vasilievsky to Manhattan as a symbol of the change of countries... In the play, Joseph Brodsky's lyrical St. Petersburg texts are unobtrusively and subtly woven into the harsh, sarcastic dramatic poem "Performance".

But since four puppets participate in the action on stage, expressing in its own way the opinion on the themes of everyday life and the meaning of life, this theatrical evening can be described as "A buffoonish drama with exits and antics, walk throughs and rogues." The text of the "Presentation", taut as a string, unexpectedly and capaciously "relaxes" with St. Petersburg lyricism, which allows one to make a split between kitchen philosophizing and philosophical buffoonery. Only by catastrophic efforts, first of all, by the clownish grimace of acting, can one hold back the parallel actions - buffoonery and kitchen, personal and collective-communal, keep them from breaking apart, from falling into complete absurdity. The theater is trying to follow Brodsky's symbolic path from one Empire to another: from the Moscow Art Theater to Manhattan.

Clown: Grigory Kofman

Kitchen: Dolls supported by Grigory Kofman

Duration: 70 min. in one act

Grigory Kofman

Actor, director, theater teacher, poet. Founder of one of the first off-theatres in St. Petersburg (1990) Since 1994 in Berlin. About 40 productions in Russian and German. More than 50 roles in the theatre, 15 roles in cinema. Organizer of two long term theatre and music festivals in Russia and Lithuania. “Theatre is like poetry, a most insidious thing: every time from a blank slate – previous trump cards don’t count. That’s why I love it.”

The performance will be held in Russian.

Tickets on this event are non-refundable