Arlekin’s Zero Gravity (zero-G) Lab & The Cherry Orchard Festival Foundation present

chekhovOS /an experimental game/

LIVE | VIRTUAL | INTERACTIVE
May-June 2021 Dates Announced | Limited Space | Book Early

Tickets are free; Donations encouraged

---

RESERVE TICKETS BELOW!

Sunday, May 16 at 8:00pm ET – RESERVE TICKETS
Co-presented by BostonFIG & Snowrunner Productions
Followed by live talkback with members of the cast & creative team
Moderated by Tom Abernathy, Studio Narrative Director at ArenaNet

Sunday, May 23 at 5:00pm PT/8:00pm ET – Los Angeles – RESERVE TICKETS
Co-presented by UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA) and
Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA)
Followed by a live talkback with CAP UCLA Executive & Artistic Director Kristy Edmunds, Jessica Hecht, Igor Golyak (Director) and Sara Stackhouse (co-Producer)
Moderated by Sara Stackhouse, chekhovOS Co-Producer

Thursday, May 27 1:00pm ET | 7:00pm BST | 6:00pm CEST – Europe | RESERVE TICKETS
Co-presented by Gift of Life (UK and Europe)
Followed by live talkback with members of the cast & creative team
Moderated by Sara Stackhouse, chekhovOS Co-Producer

Sunday, May 30 at 11:00am ET | 5:00pm CEST – Europe – RESERVE TICKETS
Co-presented by International Online Theater Festival/Theatre Times
Followed by live talkback with members of the cast & creative team
Moderated by Magda Romanska, Editor-in-Chief, TheTheatreTimes.com

Sunday, June 6 at 8:00pm ET – Boston – RESERVE TICKETS
Co-presented by ArtsEmerson
Followed by live talkback with members of the cast and creative team
Moderated by Rob Orchard, Founder & Creative Consultant, ArtsEmerson

Sunday, June 13 at 8:00pm ET – US – RESERVE TICKETS
Co-presented by Podari.Life US
Followed by live talkback with members of the cast & creative team
Moderated by Joyce Kulhawik, President of the Boston Theater Critics Association

Sunday, June 20 at 8:00pm ET – New York | Canada – RESERVE TICKETS
Co-presented by Cherry Orchard Festival Foundation & ShowOne Productions
Followed by live talkback with members of the cast & creative team

Thursday, June 24 – 8:00pm ET – New York | Canada – RESERVE TICKETS
Co-presented by Cherry Orchard Festival Foundation & ShowOne Productions
Followed by live talkback with members of the cast & creative team

ChekhovOS is made possible with generous support from producing sponsor .ART, ArtsEmerson,Baryshnikov Arts Center,BroadBand Collaborative, Cherry Orchard Festival Foundation, Fooksman Family Foundation, Meghan Coleman, Robin Hanley,ZiphyCare, gifts from Arlekin’s Zero Gravity Kickstarter Campaign and Aximmetry Technologies Ltd., the official software provider for Arlekin’s Zero Gravity (zero-G) Lab.

---

Click on three dots above and select FULL SCREEN. Use your left/right arrow keys to scroll through the pages.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

ARTISTIC TEAM

chekhovOS /an experimental game/

Based on The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov
Conceived & Directed by Igor Golyak
Produced by Igor Golyak & Sara Stackhouse
Featuring Jessica Hecht and Mikhail Baryshnikov as Anton Chekhov

Virtual Performance Technical Director: Vladimir Gusev
Game Engine & Interaction Design: Will Brierly, Snowrunner Productions
Narrative Writer: Tom Abernathy
Assistant Director: Blair Cadden
Virtual Set & Environment Designer: Anna Fedorova 
Web developer:  Anatoly Krivonos
Composer: Jakov Jakoulov
Properties Assistant: Irina Vilenchik
Live Production Technicians: Anton Nikolaev and Igor Golyak
Platform: The Soft Layer by Snowrunner Productions

CAST

FILM CREW

Director of Photography: Guillermo Cameo
Associate Producer: Joshua A. Friedman
2nd Camera / Editor: Anton Nikolaev
Sound: Sebastian Holst
Gaffer: Sashank Sana
Assistant Editor: Anna Gruman
Production Assistant: Violet de Besche

For Immediate Release
April 29, 2021

Media Contact: Mark W. Soucy
mark@arlekinplayers.com   978-289-9887

Arlekin Players Theatre Announces Spring Dates for
chekhovOS /an experimental game/ 
A Live and Interactive Virtual Theater Experience
Hosted on ZeroGravity.ART through a New Partnership with .ART

Starring Jessica Hecht
And Anna Baryshnikov, Anna Bortnick, Darya Denisova, Jeffrey Hayenga, 
Melanie Moore, Nael Nacer & Mark Nelson

With Mikhail Baryshnikov as Anton Chekhov

Publicity Materials

April 26, 2021 – Needham, MA – Arlekin Players Theatre today announces spring dates for sharings of chekhovOS /an experimental game/, the latest workshop from (zero-G).  The project will be co-presented from May to June by local, national, and international partners from the worlds of theater and gaming, including ArtsEmerson, BostonFIG, UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA), Cherry Orchard Festival Foundation, International Online Theatre Festival (IOTF)/Theatre Times, ShowOne Productions (Canada), Snowrunner Productions, with special charity screenings in Europe and the US in partnership with the charity founded by Russian actress Chulpan Khamatova, Gift of Life in the UK and Podari.Life in the US, all hosted on ZeroGravity.ART.

chekhovOS /an experimental game/, is a performance experiment in development by Arlekin Players Theatre’s founder and director Igor Golyak, who has been a leading innovator of virtual theater since the start of the pandemic. His recent State vs. Natasha Banina was a Critic’s Pick in The New York Times by Maya Phillips who declared “The verdict is in:  the virtual can, in fact, be an effective new stage for theater.” Golyak’s latest work fuses film, theater, and video game technology to create a new medium where viewers are able to interact with the performers. Inspired by Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard and drawing from recordings of Chekhov’s letters and dreams, this interactive online theater experience accesses the operating system behind both Chekhov’s computer and the world in which his characters live, searching for happiness.

“The Post-pandemic theater has to reexamine and reimagine itself. Through this experiment we are finding out how humankind can find each other in the virtual while continuing to treasure the in-person encounter, which makes for a new kind of site-specific theater,” says Golyak. “And I find myself in constant dialogue with The Cherry Orchard—during a time of loss and recovery, it helps us explore connection, transition, loss, and the human yearning for happiness. We are grateful to our co-presenters for sharing this internationally with a broader audience and for the opportunity to do so on the incredible .ART platform. It is thrilling to be developing work in this new genre with these visionary partners.”

“We are proud to continue our partnership with Igor Golyak and Arlekin Players Theatre over the past year as they quickly reinvented themselves with  imaginative, timely online theater projects like State vs. Natasha Banina, which we presented last August, and now chekhovOS /an experimental game/.  They are doing important work using traditional Russian theater approaches while exploring technologies to create a new form of theater in their new (zero-G) Virtual Theater Lab, and we are delighted to have the opportunity to share this latest project with our audiences.” says David C. Howse, Executive Director, ArtsEmerson.

Arlekin is also thrilled to announce a new partnership between .ART, the Art World’s Digital Domain, and Arlekin’s Zero Gravity (zero-G) Virtual Theater Lab. Beginning with chekhovOS /an experimental game/, (zero-G)’s virtual theatre productions will be hosted on .ART at the address ZeroGravity.ART as the two companies work together to cultivate an international hub for virtual theater performance. 

“We are pleased today to announce our new partnership with Arlekin’s Zero Gravity (zero-G) Lab. As the world shut down a year ago in the midst of the global pandemic, artists and the creative community, especially the ones in the live arts such as theatre, dance and music, had to reinvent themselves. Arlekin Players Theater didn’t shy away from the occasion. Instead, they converted their black box into the Zero Gravity (zero-G) Virtual Theater Lab and they are now a world leader in digital theater innovation. We are excited to invent and innovate with them as this new genre continues to develop.” says Ulvi Kasimov, Founder of .ART and nominee ART POWER 50 by Observer.

The cast of chekhovOS /an experimental game/ comprises a cadre of well-known stage, television, and film actors including Tony-Nominee Jessica Hecht. Hecht says, “I have been longing to explore The Cherry Orchard with Igor and our company in a way that gives us the most intimate and relatable portrait of a family in crisis. I believe we can create something raw and modern, without losing an authenticity to Chekhov’s vision.”

The presentation also features other celebrated performers, including Anna Baryshnikov (Apple TV+’s Dickinson); Arlekin’s Darya Denisova; Boston’s Anna Bortnick, Jeffrey Hayenga (The Elephant Man); Melanie Moore (Finding Neverland, So You Think You Can Dance); Mark Nelson (Angels in America, The Invention of Love); and acclaimed Boston-based actor Nael Nacer. Baryshnikov Arts Center Founder and Artistic Director Mikhail Baryshnikov makes a special appearance in the role of Anton Chekhov. The work was developed and filmed, in part, at Baryshnikov Arts Center in January with strict adherence to COVID health and safety protocols.

chekhovOS /an experimental game/ is a work-in-progress created during the pandemic, a way for artists to work through the themes of the play, the encroaching virus, and a moment of change in the world around us.  The project was developed in the new and emerging genre of virtual theater at Arlekin’s (zero-G) from a small but mighty group of collaborators, helmed by Igor Golyak. This international team of designers and technical engineers collaborated with Golyak both virtually and onsite in Arlekin’s new Zero Gravity (zero-G) Virtual Performance Lab in Needham, MA for several months to create the functionality and online environment for this project, which includes software support from Aximmetry Technologies Ltd., the official software provider for Arlekin’s Zero Gravity Lab and a new platform called “The Soft Layer” from Will Brierly of Snowrunner Productions, with back-end/design work from Vladimir Gusev, Anna Fedorova, and Anton Nikolaev.

This experimental sharing constitutes Phase One of a larger hybrid (live/virtual) chekhovOS project in development for 2022, and is made possible with generous support from producing sponsor .ART, ArtsEmerson, Baryshnikov Arts Center, BroadBand Collaborative, Cherry Orchard Festival Foundation, Fooksman Family Foundation, Meghan Coleman, Robin Hanley, ZiphyCare, gifts from Arlekin’s Zero Gravity Kickstarter Campaign and Aximmetry Technologies Ltd., the official software provider for Arlekin’s Zero Gravity (zero-G) Lab.

//

AT A GLANCE:

Arlekin’s Zero Gravity (zero-G) Lab & The Cherry Orchard Festival Foundation present

chekhovOS /an experimental game/
Inspired by The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov
Conceived & Directed by Igor Golyak
Produced by Igor Golyak & Sara Stackhouse
Featuring Jessica Hecht and Mikhail Baryshnikov as Anton Chekhov
Hosted on ZeroGravity.ART

SCHEDULE

Sunday, May 16 at 8:00pm ET –  
Co-presented by BostonFIG & Snowrunner Productions
Followed by live talkback with members of the cast & creative team
Moderated by Tom Abernathy, Studio Narrative Director at ArenaNet

Sunday, May 23 at 5:00pm PT/8:00pm ET – Los Angeles
Co-presented by UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA)
Followed by live talkback with Jessica Hecht & Igor Golyak (Director)
Moderated by Sara Stackhouse, chekhovOS Co-Producer

Thursday, May 27 1:00pm ET | 7:00pm BST | 6:00pm CEST – Europe | UK
Co-presented by Gift of Life (UK and Europe)
Followed by live talkback with members of the cast & creative team
Moderated by Sara Stackhouse, chekhovOS Co-Producer

Sunday, May 30 at 11:00am ET | 5:00pm CEST – Europe 
Co-presented by International Online Theater Festival/Theatre Times
Followed by live talkback with members of the cast & creative team
Moderated by Magda Romanska, Editor-in-Chief, TheTheatreTimes.com

Sunday, June 6 at 8:00pm ET – Boston
Co-presented by ArtsEmerson
Followed by live talkback with members of the cast and creative team
Moderated by Rob Orchard, Founder & Creative Consultant, ArtsEmerson

Sunday, June 13 at 8:00pm ET – US 
Co-presented by Podari.Life US
Followed by live talkback with members of the cast & creative team
Moderated by Joyce Kulhawik, President of the Boston Theater Critics Association

Sunday, June 20 at 8:00pm ET – New York | Canada
Co-presented by Cherry Orchard Festival Foundation & ShowOne Productions
Followed by live talkback with members of the cast & creative team

Thursday, June 24 – 8:00pm ET – New York | Canada
Co-presented by Cherry Orchard Festival Foundation & ShowOne Productions
Followed by live talkback with members of the cast & creative team

Creative Team
Conceived & Directed by Igor Golyak
Producers: Igor Golyak and Sara Stackhouse
Virtual Performance Technical Director: Vladimir Gusev
Game Engine & Interaction Design: Will Brierly, Snowrunner Productions
Narrative Writer: Tom Abernathy
Assistant Director: Blair Cadden
Virtual Set & Environment Designer: Anna Fedorova 
Web Developer:  Anatoly Krivonos
Composer: Jakov Jakoulov
Properties Assistant: Irina Vilenchik
Live Production Technicians: Anton Nikolaev and Igor Golyak
Platform: The Soft Layer by Snowrunner Productions

Cast
Jessica Hecht 
Mark Nelson
Anna Baryshnikov
Melanie Moore
Nael Nacer
Jeffrey Hayenga
Darya Denisova
Anna Bortnick
With Mikhail Baryshnikov as Anton Chekhov

Film Crew
Director of Photography: Guillermo Cameo
Associate Producer: Joshua A. Friedman
2nd Camera and Editor: Anton Nikolaev
Sound: Sebastian Holst
Gaffer: Sashank Sana
Assistant Editor: Anna Gruman
Production Assistant: Violet de Besche

Arlekin Players Theatre, founded by Artistic Director Igor Golyak, was created in Boston in 2009 and has since toured to New York, Chicago, and Hartford, as well as to international festivals in Russia, Armenia, Ukraine, and Monaco. It’s production of State vs Natasha Banina has received world-wide acclaim, including the New York Times Critics’ Pick. Arlekin has received multiple awards for its work including four 2020 Elliot Norton Awards from the Boston Theater Critics Association for its recent productions of The Stone and The Seagull. Arlekin takes strong pride in their emphasis on self-identity; they are a company of immigrants performing works that play on the ideas of cross-culture, home, and traditions, challenging the idea of nationality, and finding common themes that unite us all. In 2020, Arlekin launched it’s Zero Gravity (zero-G) Virtual Theater Lab to explore new theater possibilities for a new time. The company makes its home in Needham, MA. For more information, visit www.arlekinplayers.com and ZeroGravity.ART.

.ART is the art world’s digital domain of choice. Not bound by geographical location or industrial constraints it aims to support, empower and generate value for the creative community. It is also intending to be an innovation activator with its own solutions as well as promoting the ones of others creative community members. .ART is a space where artists, institutions, professionals and creative can register a clear and concise website address that reflects their passion, occupation and belonging to the art world.

Cherry Orchard Festival Foundation (www.CherryOrchardFestival.org), a registered 501c) (3) arts organization, is a leading independent international arts organization with a solid reputation for presenting musical performances, theatrical productions, multidisciplinary performing and visual arts attractions by a stunning array of global artists to audiences in the US. Founded by executive producer Maria Shclover and artistic director Irina Shabshis in 2012, the festival has presented over 60 unique world class events, concerts, and theatrical performances to over 150,000 audience members across the US. The presentation of “Cherry Orchard” at the Baryshnikov Arts Center will be the second collaboration between the Festival and Arlekin Theatre, after the successful online run of The State vs. Natasha Banina in 2020. The ongoing mission of the Cherry Orchard Festival is to introduce and promote global cultural activity and exchange of ideas, aiming to enlighten and engage audiences through educational entertainment programs and events. For more information about the festival, please visit cherryorchardfestival.org. 

Arlekin Players Theatre Press Contact: Mark Soucy, mark@arlekinplayers.com, 978-289-9887

###

---

The New York Times – ‘chekhovOS /an experimental game/’ Review: Life on a Merry-Go-Round

Below is a link to and a quote from Elisabeth Vincentelli’s review of chekhovOS /an experimental game/ in The New York Times.  “Critics Pick! An ingenious interactive show… a leap…

Continue Reading The New York Times – ‘chekhovOS /an experimental game/’ Review: Life on a Merry-Go-Round

The New Yorker Review

Mikhail Baryshnikov, at seventy-four years old, isn’t done experimenting. At the midtown venue that bears his name, Baryshnikov Arts Center, he stars in “The Orchard”, a four-dimensional adaptation of Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard,” conceived by the Ukrainian-born director Igor Golyak.

Continue Reading The New Yorker Review

Jessica Hecht stars in off-Broadway play “The Orchard”

You’ve probably seen Jessica Hecht on the small screen, big screen, Broadway or off-Broadway. You might recognize her as Ross’ ex-wife’s wife Susan from “Friends” or her role on “Breaking Bad” or turn on Broadway in “Fiddler on the Roof.” And now she’s starring in the off-Broadway play, “The Orchard.”

Continue Reading Jessica Hecht stars in off-Broadway play “The Orchard”

Broadway Girl 1st Preview

The Orchard is an unlikely adaptation of The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov. I say “unlikely” because it is super high tech and one of the main characters is a robot?!! (A non-binary robot with it’s own Instagram handle, I might add: follow instagram.com/ronintherobot for quality content!)

Continue Reading Broadway Girl 1st Preview

Broadway Girl Embedded at The Orchard

The Orchard invites us into the fragile world of a family yearning for connection and struggling with the end of their world as they know it. Threatened with foreclosure and the loss of their beloved orchard, they face unstoppable, destructive forces that dismantle their lives like the breaking of a string.

Continue Reading Broadway Girl Embedded at The Orchard

South End News, Witness, chekhosOS/an experimental game/

Boston area theater staged a welcome comeback in 2021—even if initially in zoom and live stream productions.

Continue Reading South End News, Witness, chekhosOS/an experimental game/

Arlekin Players Theatre present:

AN ONLINE INTERACTIVE LIVE PERFORMANCE

State vs. Natasha Banina

“A CAPTIVATING THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE!”

Produced by: Igor Golyak and Sara Stackhouse

Past Educational Partnerships

Discounted Show for Students and Educators: September 20th

Boston University: September 23rd at 8:30 PM

Boston Conservatory: September 25th at 8:30 PM

Middlebury College: October 24th at 8 PM

---

WARNING! THIS IS A LIVE INTERACTIVE ART EXPERIENCE

She makes her case; the audience decides her fate. This is State vs. Natasha Banina.

Performed live by Darya Denisova (2020 Elliot Norton Award-winner for Outstanding Actress), State vs. Natasha Banina unfolds as a Russian teenager tells the story of her life in a small-town orphanage, and how her desire to be free led to a crime of passion. From the inside of a “Zoom court room,” she makes unique appeals to the audience/jury, letting them into her world where she dreams of love, family, and her future. Is Natasha guilty of manslaughter? You, the audience, will decide.

Based on Natasha’s Dream by the Russian playwright Yaroslava Pulinovich, this New York Times Critic’s Pick is a brilliant example of how live theatre can break boundaries and shock viewers even when experienced at home on a laptop. This particular event is reserved for students and educators only. You must register with a school-affiliated (.edu) email address.

---

WORKSHOP & PERFORMANCE OFFERINGS

“I’ve watched dozens of livestreamed presentations during the pandemic lockdown, from dance, theater, and music to literature, art, and political discussions. But the future of online productions might be best represented so far by Arlekin Players Theatre’s “State vs. Natasha Banina…”

This Week in New York

Conceived and developed during the time of the COVID pandemic, Arlekin Players’ “State vs Natasha Banina” has captured the imaginations of audiences, theater artists and critics around the world. Devised in a living room in a 4×6 space, Arlekin’s Artistic Director cooked up an innovative use of technologies and applied it to an artistic piece, performed by Eliot Norton Award Winner Darya Denisova, that defies genre and works at the cutting edge of theater.

WORKSHOP & PERFORMANCE OFFERINGS

For higher education, high schools, and theater programs

Live Virtual Performance “State vs Natasha Banina”

WARNING! THIS IS A LIVE INTERACTIVE ART EXPERIMENT.

In telling the story of Natasha Banina, performed live by Darya Denisova (2020 Elliot Norton Award-winner for Outstanding Actress by the Boston Critics Association), Denisova will interact with the audience as the jurors who decide her fate. In State vs Natasha Banina (based on Natasha’s Dream by Yaroslava Pulinovich), a girl tells the story of her life in a small-town orphanage, and her desire to be free; break out of her world. From the inside of a “ZOOM” court room, she will make twists and turns through her unique appeal to audiences as the jurors, letting them into her world where she dreams about love, family, acceptance, adjusting and her future. Ultimately the two worlds collide and you get to decide her fate.

A CAPTIVATING THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE!

the New York Times Critics’ Pick

Virtual Talk Back with actress Darya Denisova and director Igor Golyak

Customized and moderated for your students or audience (included with performance).

Directing & Producing in the Cloud Workshop

• Required Preparation: See “The State vs. Natasha Banina” (September 20th)
• Recommended Preparation: The Seagull by Anton Chekhov

We are in an unprecedented chapter of human distancing and isolation. As theater makers, how do we move forward? In this 2 hour session, designed by Igor Golyak, Arlekin Artistic Director and the innovator behind “The State vs. Natasha Banina”, and Boston University directing MFA student Blair Cadden, Arlekin will share and discuss video examples based on Natasha (a 1-woman play) and Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull.. The group will discuss and explore how to choose resonant material and how to choose and modify the right technologies to create meaningful live art experiences. Arlekin will also share some basic Virtual Theater technology solutions for artists and classrooms.

Customized Interdisciplinary Panels & Discussions

Arlekin Players can work with your theater department, or with your theater department in collaboration with other disciplines, programs and departments (such as literature, social studies, social justice, law, media arts) to customize a panel, discussion, or interactive class to explore themes and ideas related to “Natasha” that are germane to your students.

Possible topics/intersections:

• Guilty of Innocent: Imperfect Justice & How Systems Affect Young People
• An Examination of Justice in Literature: No Exit, Stranger, Crime and Punishment, The Plague
• International Justice: Politics and justice systems in Russia and the US
• Immigrant Voices & Stories Surveillance and Media
• Other Topics to be co-designed

PRICING FOR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

• Performance & Talk Back $1800 Performance
• Talk Back & Workshop $2200 Performance
• Talk Back, Workshop & Customized Panel/Discussion $2500

Information & Scheduling | saraestackhouse@gmail.com

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Meet our Artistic Team!

• Based on Natasha’s Dream by Yaroslava Pulinovich
• Performer: Darya Denisova
• Translator: John Freedman
• Director and Video Design: Igor Golyak
• Production Associate: Marianna Golyak
• Animator: Anton Iakhontov
• Music Composor: Vadim Khrapatchev
• Produced by Igor Golyak & Sara Stackhouse

—–

Darya Denisova (Natasha Banina) received the 2020 Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Actress for Arlekin’s The Stone. She has performed as the lead actress in various Arlekin Players’ productions, including “Memorial Prayer” in 2014, “Natasha’s Dream” in 2015, “Tales of the Last Wednesday” in 2016, “Dead Man’s Diary” in 2017, “МЫ-US” in 2018, “The Stone” in 2019 and “The Seagull” in 2019. She has also traveled to several international theatre festivals to perform with Arlekin Players Theatre, including the United SOLO festival, off Broadway, New York; SOLO Festival in Moscow, Russia; HighFest theatre festival, Yerevan, Armenia with her award-winning solo performance “Natasha’s Dream.” Darya has been recognized by Boston critics and leading reviewers for her roles at Arlekin Players. She studied acting at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts in Moscow, graduating in 2016. After she received her degree, she moved back to Boston to continue performing in Boston with Arlekin Players Theatre, which she joined in 2013. She has taught documentary theatre at the Startalk School at Harvard University and the Stanislavsky method at the Igor Golyak acting studio.

Igor Golyak (Director, Artistic Director) received the 2020 Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Director for Arlekin’s The Stone and was also nominated in the same year for his direction of Arlekin’s The Seagull. He is an Associate Professor at the Boston Conservatory, and has spent over a decade teaching the art of theatre. He is the founder of the Igor Golyak Acting Studio and Artistic Director of Arlekin Players Theatre which has won numerous awards in the United States and internationally and most recently an Elliot Norton award for his production of Dead Man’s Diary at Arts Emerson. Arlekin Players Theatre is a multicultural, multi-national collaborative that is growing year to year in the number of audience members, company actors, and volunteers. His theatre has been invited to perform on famous stages and at world-renowned festivals all over the world, including Moscow Art Theatre, and festivals in Yerevan, Armenia, New York City, Chicago, Lviv, Ukraine, Monaco, and many others.

“…A captivating theatrical experience! – Maya Phillips

See the full review at The New York Times

---

“…Exciting! A really clever production! A gripping performance! – Jared Bowen

Hear the full review at WGBH

---

“…visionary!” – Nancy Grossman

See the full review at broadwayworld.com

---

“…brilliant portrayal!” – Don Aucoin

See the full review at The Boston Globe

---

“…boldly creative!” – Ed Siegel

See the full review at WBUR

More Dates Coming Soon!

AN ONLINE INTERACTIVE LIVE PERFORMANCE

State vs. Natasha Banina

“A CAPTIVATING THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE!”

Produced by Igor Golyak & Sara Stackhouse

---

WARNING! THIS IS A LIVE INTERACTIVE ART EXPERIENCE

She makes her case; the audience decides her fate. This is State vs. Natasha Banina.

Performed live by Darya Denisova (2020 Elliot Norton Award-winner for Outstanding Actress), State vs. Natasha Banina unfolds as a Russian teenager tells the story of her life in a small-town orphanage, and how her desire to be free led to a crime of passion. From the inside of a “Zoom court room,” she makes unique appeals to the audience/jury, letting them into her world where she dreams of love, family, and her future. Is Natasha guilty of manslaughter? You, the audience, will decide.

Based on Natasha’s Dream by the Russian playwright Yaroslava Pulinovich, this New York Times Critic’s Pick is a brilliant example of how live theatre can break boundaries and shock viewers even when experienced at home on a laptop.

---

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Meet our Artistic Team!

• Based on Natasha’s Dream by Yaroslava Pulinovich
• Performer: Darya Denisova
• Translator: John Freedman
• Director and Video Design: Igor Golyak
• Production Associate: Marianna Golyak
• Animator: Anton Iakhontov
• Music Composor: Vadim Khrapatchev
• Produced by Igor Golyak & Sara Stackhouse

—–

Darya Denisova (Natasha Banina) received the 2020 Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Actress for Arlekin’s The Stone. She has performed as the lead actress in various Arlekin Players’ productions, including “Memorial Prayer” in 2014, “Natasha’s Dream” in 2015, “Tales of the Last Wednesday” in 2016, “Dead Man’s Diary” in 2017, “МЫ-US” in 2018, “The Stone” in 2019 and “The Seagull” in 2019. She has also traveled to several international theatre festivals to perform with Arlekin Players Theatre, including the United SOLO festival, off Broadway, New York; SOLO Festival in Moscow, Russia; HighFest theatre festival, Yerevan, Armenia with her award-winning solo performance “Natasha’s Dream.” Darya has been recognized by Boston critics and leading reviewers for her roles at Arlekin Players. She studied acting at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts in Moscow, graduating in 2016. After she received her degree, she moved back to Boston to continue performing in Boston with Arlekin Players Theatre, which she joined in 2013. She has taught documentary theatre at the Startalk School at Harvard University and the Stanislavsky method at the Igor Golyak acting studio.

Igor Golyak (Director, Artistic Director) received the 2020 Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Director for Arlekin’s The Stone and was also nominated in the same year for his direction of Arlekin’s The Seagull. He is an Associate Professor at the Boston Conservatory, and has spent over a decade teaching the art of theatre. He is the founder of the Igor Golyak Acting Studio and Artistic Director of Arlekin Players Theatre which has won numerous awards in the United States and internationally and most recently an Elliot Norton award for his production of Dead Man’s Diary at Arts Emerson. Arlekin Players Theatre is a multicultural, multi-national collaborative that is growing year to year in the number of audience members, company actors, and volunteers. His theatre has been invited to perform on famous stages and at world-renowned festivals all over the world, including Moscow Art Theatre, and festivals in Yerevan, Armenia, New York City, Chicago, Lviv, Ukraine, Monaco, and many others.

WORKSHOP & PERFORMANCE OFFERINGS

“I’ve watched dozens of livestreamed presentations during the pandemic lockdown, from dance, theater, and music to literature, art, and political discussions. But the future of online productions might be best represented so far by Arlekin Players Theatre’s “State vs. Natasha Banina…”

This Week in New York

Conceived and developed during the time of the COVID pandemic, Arlekin Players’ “State vs Natasha Banina” has captured the imaginations of audiences, theater artists and critics around the world. Devised in a living room in a 4×6 space, Arlekin’s Artistic Director cooked up an innovative use of technologies and applied it to an artistic piece, performed by Eliot Norton Award Winner Darya Denisova, that defies genre and works at the cutting edge of theater.

WORKSHOP & PERFORMANCE OFFERINGS

For higher education, high schools, and theater programs

Live Virtual Performance “State vs Natasha Banina”

WARNING! THIS IS A LIVE INTERACTIVE ART EXPERIMENT.

In telling the story of Natasha Banina, performed live by Darya Denisova (2020 Elliot Norton Award-winner for Outstanding Actress by the Boston Critics Association), Denisova will interact with the audience as the jurors who decide her fate. In State vs Natasha Banina (based on Natasha’s Dream by Yaroslava Pulinovich), a girl tells the story of her life in a small-town orphanage, and her desire to be free; break out of her world. From the inside of a “ZOOM” court room, she will make twists and turns through her unique appeal to audiences as the jurors, letting them into her world where she dreams about love, family, acceptance, adjusting and her future. Ultimately the two worlds collide and you get to decide her fate.

A CAPTIVATING THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE!

the New York Times Critics’ Pick

Virtual Talk Back with actress Darya Denisova and director Igor Golyak

Customized and moderated for your students or audience (included with performance).

Directing & Producing in the Cloud Workshop

• Required Preparation: See “The State vs. Natasha Banina” (September 20th)
• Recommended Preparation: The Seagull by Anton Chekhov

We are in an unprecedented chapter of human distancing and isolation. As theater makers, how do we move forward? In this 2 hour session, designed by Igor Golyak, Arlekin Artistic Director and the innovator behind “The State vs. Natasha Banina”, and Boston University directing MFA student Blair Cadden, Arlekin will share and discuss video examples based on Natasha (a 1-woman play) and Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull.. The group will discuss and explore how to choose resonant material and how to choose and modify the right technologies to create meaningful live art experiences. Arlekin will also share some basic Virtual Theater technology solutions for artists and classrooms.

Customized Interdisciplinary Panels & Discussions

Arlekin Players can work with your theater department, or with your theater department in collaboration with other disciplines, programs and departments (such as literature, social studies, social justice, law, media arts) to customize a panel, discussion, or interactive class to explore themes and ideas related to “Natasha” that are germane to your students.

Possible topics/intersections:

• Guilty of Innocent: Imperfect Justice & How Systems Affect Young People
• An Examination of Justice in Literature: No Exit, Stranger, Crime and Punishment, The Plague
• International Justice: Politics and justice systems in Russia and the US
• Immigrant Voices & Stories Surveillance and Media
• Other Topics to be co-designed

PRICING FOR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

• Performance & Talk Back $1800 Performance
• Talk Back & Workshop $2200 Performance
• Talk Back, Workshop & Customized Panel/Discussion $2500

Information & Scheduling | saraestackhouse@gmail.com

“…A captivating theatrical experience! – Maya Phillips

See the full review at The New York Times

Review: A Bracing Trial by Zoom in ‘State vs. Natasha Banina’

Anchored by a charismatically off-kilter performance, this one-woman show asks viewers to judge a young Russian accused of a crime of passion.

Continue Reading Review: A Bracing Trial by Zoom in ‘State vs. Natasha Banina’

State vs. Natasha – NewYorkTheatreCritic.com

Below are some of our favorite excerpts from Steve Capra’s review of State vs. Natasha Banina. We thank them for their review, and we have provided a link below to read it in full. […] “Indeed, Darya Denisova’s bravura performance needs no ornamentation. It’s splendid, mesmerizing acting. So layered is this performance that we see…

Continue Reading State vs. Natasha – NewYorkTheatreCritic.com

State vs. Natasha – Theatre Talk Boston

Below are some of our favorite excerpts from Theatre Talk Boston’s review of State vs. Natasha Banina. We thank them for their review, and we have provided a link below to read it in full. ” […] As Natasha’s story came closer to its end, I became aware that I would have to make a…

Continue Reading State vs. Natasha – Theatre Talk Boston

State vs. Natasha – the ARTery

Rather than excerpting the review on WBUR’s the ARTery with Cristela Guerra, about State vs. Natasha Banina’s success, we have linked the full version here for you to listen to.  We appreciate their review, and suggest you read/hear more from them here.

Continue Reading State vs. Natasha – the ARTery

State vs Natasha – New York Times (Critic’s Pick)

Below are excerpts from the New York Time’s Critic’s Pick review, praising State vs. Natasha Banina.  We thank them for their review, and we have attached its full article link below. “The Boston-based Arlekin Players Theater’s digital production of “State vs. Natasha Banina” reimagines the utility of the medium beyond everyday office meetings and virtual…

Continue Reading State vs Natasha – New York Times (Critic’s Pick)

State vs. Natasha – Boston Public Radio + Open Studio

Rather than excerpting the interview on Boston Public Radio with Jared Bowen, about State vs. Natasha Banina’s success, we have linked the full version here for you to listen to.  We appreciate their review, and suggest you read/hear more from them here.

Continue Reading State vs. Natasha – Boston Public Radio + Open Studio

State vs. Natasha – City Pleasures

Below are some of our favorite excerpts from the City Pleasure’s review of State vs. Natasha Banina. We thank them for their review, and we have provided a link below to read it in full. To add suspense to the drama, the audience has no idea what crime Natasha’s accused of until the very end.  …

Continue Reading State vs. Natasha – City Pleasures

State vs. Natasha – Broadway World

Below are some of our favorite excerpts from Broadway World’s review of State vs. Natasha Banina. We thank them for their review, and we have provided a link below to read it in full. “However, in the end, the most compelling part of Denisova’s performance is her closing plea to the jury just before we…

Continue Reading State vs. Natasha – Broadway World

State vs. Natasha – The Daily Californian

Below are some of our favorite excerpts from the Daily Californian’s review of State vs. Natasha Banina. We thank them for their review, and we have provided a link below to read it in full. “The verdict of Natasha’s case is not the first time that the production asks its audience to participate in a…

Continue Reading State vs. Natasha – The Daily Californian

State vs. Natasha – Theater Pizzazz

Below are some of our favorite excerpts from the Theater Pizzazz’s review of State vs. Natasha Banina. We thank them for their review, and we have provided a link below to read it in full. “Arlekin Players Theatre has tested the bounds of Zoom, instinctively, pulling out their subtle and intricate background design to make…

Continue Reading State vs. Natasha – Theater Pizzazz

State vs. Natasha – the Boston Globe

Below are some of our favorite excerpts from the Boston Globe’s review of State vs. Natasha Banina. We thank them for their review, and we have provided a link below to read it in full. […] “There’s an awful lot happening within that enclosed space in “State vs. Natasha Banina,” a marriage of theater and…

Continue Reading State vs. Natasha – the Boston Globe

State vs. Natasha – New York Times

Below are some excerpts from an article from the New York Times lauding our performance of State vs. Natasha Banina. We thank them for their reviews, and have linked the full article below. “PHILLIPS Both “Mad Forest” and “State vs. Natasha Banina” demonstrated how plays that explore broken institutions, social unrest and isolation may be…

Continue Reading State vs. Natasha – New York Times

---

“…Exciting! A really clever production! A gripping performance! – Jared Bowen

Hear the full review at WGBH

---

“…visionary!” – Nancy Grossman

See the full review at broadwayworld.com

---

“…brilliant portrayal!” – Don Aucoin

See the full review at The Boston Globe

---

“…boldly creative!” – Ed Siegel

See the full review at WBUR