Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Moscow Government – Moscow Government –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
On the stage "Under the Roof" Mossovet State Academic Theatre The premiere of the children's play "Dunno" based on Nikolai Nosov's book "The Adventures of Dunno and His Friends" took place.
The production by director Fyodor Parasyuk and stage adaptation by Anna Bogacheva won the award in the "Mossovet Theatre for Children" creative workshop. The competition jury included the theater's artistic director, Yevgeny Marchelli; People's Artists of Russia Olga Ostroumova and Yevgeny Steblov; Honored Artist of Russia Olga Kabo; actress Anna Mikhailovskaya, among others.
Residents of Flower City
The performance features 10 young actresses from the theatre: Ksenia Komarova, Anastasia Belova, Evdokia Kareva, Yulia Burova, Maria Kolesnikova, Daria Taran, Kamilya Fasakhova, Evgenia Lyakh, Ekaterina Devkina and Lili Bolgashvili.
The decision to cast women in the male roles proved to be a very successful one for the fairy tale. This story is an immersion into the world of childhood, and the actresses charge the stage with the energy of youth. The fragility, irony, mischief, and unbridled imagination they bring to the action are captivatingly expressed in the playful, short characters. What emerges is not serious satire, but the light poetry of childhood.
"I looked at the actors in this theater. They're all stately, tall, and masculine, and that's wonderful. But I imagined them playing short men—I immediately felt uneasy. For me, this is a story about children playing adults. Children naturally want to be doctors, mechanics—they put on airs, but in a childish way. I thought girls would help achieve this effect. They're lighthearted, playful, more like children than grown men. If an actor said, 'I'm Shpuntik the mechanic,' he would be a mechanic, only for some reason in silly, colorful clothes. But when girls do it, a paradoxical effect arises," Fyodor Parasyuk said of his vision of the roles.
The actresses enthusiastically immerse themselves in this universe of constant play, inviting the viewer to become part of the celebration of transformation.
Creating a world with colored pencils
The small, cozy space of the "Under the Roof" stage transforms into a child's drawing, brought to life before the audience's eyes. The sets are crafted like appliqués—as if cut out of cardboard and painstakingly painted by a child's hand—and the objects (a brush, a pen, Znayka's long tie) seem to have been taken from the human world and, compared to the short characters, appear unnaturally enormous. They emphasize that the world of adult skills, status, and "serious matters" is still incomprehensible, cumbersome, and alien to Znayka.
In search of himself, Dunno draws pictures of the world around him. In his imagination, everything appears exactly like this: simple, bright, and not at all serious. He tries to navigate this alien, rigid reality, where everything must be justified and according to rules, in the only way he can—through play and creativity. In his search for himself, Dunno tries on various professions, and in doing so, he draws pictures of what surrounds him.
"He's an interesting and important character," the director reflects. "He allows us to talk about things that are important to children—self-determination, the search for answers to questions like, 'Who are you? Why are you needed?' There are so many adults who do something and earn a lot of money, but it's not their dream job. It's crucial to listen to yourself, find your dream, and follow it. Dunno tries his hand at various endeavors, always seeking a paradoxical approach. He writes poetry, paintings, and music incorrectly. But then, as we learned years after the book was written, that kind of music, that kind of painting, and those kinds of books began to take over the world. Maybe Dunno was right. It's important for each of us not to lose that Dunno within ourselves, to approach the world with imagination, and not to lose faith in miracles."
The viewer sees Flower Town through the eyes of the most restless and creative little man—this makes the story sincere and touching. Both adults and children experience the complex process of understanding the world through the prism of a child's perception, spontaneous and beautiful in its simplicity.
Don't lose the Dunno in you
"Dunno" will undoubtedly appeal to audiences of all ages. Children will delight in the interactive activities, fall in love with the kind characters, and be captivated by the amusing situations they find themselves in. They will reflect on how wonderful it was to live in a carefree childhood, like Dunno's world. The performance will thrill adults to the time when they themselves were children.
Honored Artist of Russia Olga Kabo, a jury member of the creative laboratory "Mossovet Theatre for Children," calls the production a children's holiday not only because it is a performance for children, but also because all the audience members became children for the duration of the performance and found themselves drawn into this fairy tale.
For Ksenia Komarova, who plays Dunno, working with Fyodor Parasyuk was a tremendous pleasure: "This is a great achievement for our theater—we have a director who embodies light, love, and kindness. All the joy you'll see in the performance is the fruit of the immense pleasure we had during rehearsals."
The most important message this story evokes is that in the world of Dunno, which everyone inevitably becomes as they age, sometimes it's necessary to see the world like Dunno. Perhaps then, reality will take on new colors.
Get the latest news quickly on official Moscow messaging channels. MAX AndTelegram.
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.