Russian theater artists coming to Senegal

The Russian Institute of Theater Arts and the Grand Theater of Dakar have signed a cooperation agreement, theater critic Grigory Zaslavsky told TASS on Wednesday

Zaslavsky, the rector of the Russian Institute of Theater Arts (GITIS), was invited to Senegal by the CEO of the Grand Theater in Dakar. 

“In Senegal, we have great prospects for cooperation. Here we are very interested in promoting high Russian culture,” he said.

The parties agreed to set up an evening of drama, with plays by the famed Russian playwright Anton Chekhov adapted for the Dakar stage with the participation of the Russian production team. Training and master classes are being planned by the Russian Institute as part of the cooperation agreement.

Several joint performances involving ballet and music have already been planned, as well as a master classes in folk dance.

Zaslavsky took part in the ‘Creative Economy: Development of Cultural Projects and Brands’ session of the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum on July 27. He noted that African countries often become leaders and initiators of new trends in theater. He added that Nigerian theater is thriving at a very high level and there are several strong theater schools.

According to a GITIS article, the legendary play ‘Rwanda, 1994’ played a significant role in today’s trend of documentary and testimonial theater in Africa.