Alexander Sharovsky: theatre cannot change the world but it can purify the human soul

Alexander Sharovsky, the artistic director of the Samed Vurgun Russian Drama Theatre, talks about theatrical art in Azerbaijan.

- Tell us some words about the history of the Russian Drama Theatre.

- On December 20 our theatre celebrated its 90th anniversary. In 1920 it was established as the Theatre of Satire. The theatre's founder is Vladimir Schveizer. In 1937 the theatre changed its name to the Azerbaijani State Russian Drama Theatre, and in 1966 to the Samed Vurgun Russian Drama Theatre.

- How did you come to the theatre?

- I was an actor in the Youth Theatre of Baku when the then artistic director of the Samed Vurgun Theatre asked me to join the company of actors. Then I started a career as an artistic director. I have been the artistic director of the Samed Vurgun Theatre for almost twenty years.

- How did the theatre celebrate its anniversary?

- We had a great party. The theatre was visited by many members of the Azerbaijani elite. The famous actor Pold Bul-Bul oglu even brought Mikhail Shvydkoy, a former Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, who is now a Special Representative of the Russian President at the Commonwealth of Independent States.

- Why are your performances so popular?

- Theatre is a necessary institution of any society. Theatre helps people to understand each other, to understand human nature. In our theatre we are trying use classical material in order to give our audience a moral lesson. Theatre cannot change the world, but it can purify the human soul.

- How do present-day audiences differ from the Soviet ones?

- In theatre, times never change. People have been enjoying the art of theatre since the ancient periods of human history. Theatre helps us to understand each other. Theatre will be popular forever.

- Is it possible that a new generation of Russian-speaking intellectuals will be raised in Azerbaijan?

- There is no such thing as a Russian-speaking intellectual. An intellectual remains an intellectual no matter what language they speak. For many years Azerbaijani people used to learn the Russian language and read Russian literature. That's a great experience. For some people, English or Turkish is now more important, perhaps they don't  need the Russian language, but a lot of others do, those who go to Russia to study or to make money. Moreover, the Russian culture is a unique one, we should be thankful that we have a chance to get acquainted with it.

Interview by Ramin Naziyev, Baku. Exclusively to VK