A Song's Worth a 1000 Words

Quite unusual for the theatre, this Stone Circle performance includes not a single spoken word, instead only Ukrainian folk singing. Produced by the folk ensemble 'Drevo' and Dakh theatre director Vladislav Troitsky, the performance is designed to preserve some of the old lullabies that have been sung for generations as well as introduce some of the less popular tunes to a whole new audience.

"We would listen to the singing of elderly grandmothers and recorded the songs that in our opinion may never come to the world's attention. We call ourselves 'Drevo' or 'old tree'. During our tours to cities in Poland, Belgium and other countries, we performed these rare and ancient songs, keeping them alive" says Yevhen Efremov, leader of the folk group which was first put together back in 1979 by a bunch of graduates of the Kyiv Conservatory of Folklore Study. "After graduation we made numerous expeditions into the villages and backwoods of Ukraine, gathering from our elders, a collection of rare and in many cases forgotten songs so that we could resurrect them by performing them ourselves," recalls Efremov.

In an era where a seemingly endless horde heads for the cities and big towns of Ukraine, there is a fear by the group that the ancient art of folklore is slowly dying. Efremov believes that modern music and lifestyles are largely to blame. New arrivals to the cities leave these old songs behind, remembered only by the older village people. Efremov's admits that although his group is well received, financial problems continue to dog his efforts to find a proper stage for his group to perform. That is where Vladislav Troitsky and his Dakh theatre come in to the picture. If not for the help and support of Troitsky, who offered his theatre free of charge, the chance to bring to life these folksongs may have been lost. "It is so hard to get through the dull uninterested bureaucrats and show our performances in some festivals", complains Efremov, "they simply reply, 'We must adhere to European standards. What are you going to crawl into the European culture with? The songs of old village spinsters?", he says. Efremov thinks that the bureaucrats should consider that perhaps Ukraine may be more and more attractive addition to the European stage, with its rich folklore rather than modern pop songs. Despite these obstacles the Stone

Circle performance by the 'Drevo' ensemble enjoys wide popularity and that is pretty much due to three components: unique folklore singing, an original fairytale plot and colourful masks which make the play look like an old Ukrainian drama - 'vertep'. "It was hard to invent a story-line that would allow the use of some songs that we wanted to include. To the rescue came theatre owner Troitsky again with the idea to mix a tragic Biblical story together with a Ukrainian fairytale", says Efremov. The result is a mixture of Herrod's mad mission to kill the infant Jesus, and a Ukrainian traveling salt merchant, who proves himself immune to the love potions of a bewitching bar maiden. The mystery of the play is what binds the two stories together! The colorful costumes, pure ancient songs that are understandable for everyone, no matter the nationality, is what makes this performance unforgettable.

Nataliya Portna, 07.03.2003