Igor Golyak always wants to make theater urgent. The Jewish Arlekin Players artistic director, 46, who holds a master of theater arts from the Russian Academy of the Arts, did just that with last year’s deservedly acclaimed staging of “The Dybbuk” at Boston’s Vilna Shul. Now, Golyak is bringing his award-winning production of the provocative Tadeusz Slobodzianek play “Our Class” to the Calderwood Pavilion in Boston. Recently, the Kiev-born director spoke with the Journal about his approach to the Catholic Polish playwright’s 2010 drama.
Stressing the timeliness of Slobodzianek’s play, Golyak said, “It’s a tale about the past, but it’s resonating now. We’re not telling a story about the past but about the future.”
That story – adapted by Norman Allen from a literal translation by Catherine Grosvenor – focuses on the disturbingly revolving relationships of 10 Polish classmates, five Jewish and five Catholic. Stretching from 1925 to 2003, this cautionary tale powerfully illustrates how antisemitism in particular and hate in general can turn friends into enemies. The most disturbing form of the ensuing hatred is a massacre of the Jewish population of Jedwabne by Polish citizens themselves.
Tellingly, the play in Polish is subtitled “A History in Fourteen Lessons.” In fact, the 10 classmates – Abram, Rachelka (later known as Marianna), Jakub, Menachem, Dora, Rysiek, Wladek, Zocha, Zygmunt, and Heniek – share their dreams for the future at the start of the play.
Taking his cue from the “lessons,” Golyak is employing “a black wall – designed by Jan Pappelbaum – that reminds us of the chalkboard that people used in schools. The Soviets come. The Germans come. Things are written and erased. It’s like a memorial to the 20th century, almost.”
He added that “the wall is also used as a projection surface” – for example, an image of Polish leader Józef Piłsudski, who repealed antisemitic legislation in 1926. Here, as well as in other aspects of these staging’s design, “we’re bringing the story to be contemporary in an unconventional way,” Golyak observed. To this end, he said, “the costumes [designed by Sasha Ageeva] are not time-specific.” At the same time, Golyak noted that the lighting by Jeff Adelberg (who also designed for “The Dybbuk”) is going to be “very different from conventional lighting.” Calling his approach “subtle,” he offered “the point we’re trying to make is that people don’t really change.”
Composer Anna Drubich (an Oscar winner for “Navalny”) contributes importantly to this contrast of serious and lighter moments in the play. Describing her music, Golyak said “It’s Jewish. It’s contemporary. It captures the soul of the piece. It’s comedy and tragedy living side by side.”
Golyak is especially proud that the Boston cast includes Jewish, Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, and American actors. Reprising their roles in the earlier New York staging are Richard Topol as Abram and Ilia Volok as Wladek. Internationally renowned Russian actress Chulpan Khamatova will play Rachelka. Deborah Martin will portray Zocha, and Gigi Watson will play Dora. Rounding out the cast are Gene Ravvin as Menachem, Zach Fike Hodges as Jakub, Jeremy Beazlie as Heniek, Ryan Czerwonko as Zygmunt, and Kirill Rubtsov as Rysiek.
“We can recognize these stories [the lessons of the classmates] in us,” Golyak suggested. Insisting that “It’s not a direct implication,” the head of the Needham-based Arlekin Players hopes that audiences will come away from “Our Class” realizing “how easily we can spiral into hate.” Θ
“Our Class” will be on stage at the Wimberly Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont St., Boston, June 13-22. For tickets, call 617-933-8600 or visit arlekinplayers.com.
