KVS/de bottelarij - DAStheater

In 'Rusland voor Beginners' they are again on stage together: Johan Dehollander, Dirk Van Dijk and Ryszard Turbiasz, who used to perform as 'De Enthousiasten' from 1989 to 1994. They departed for a working visit to St. Petersburg in 2002, accompanied by the other members of the theatre collective, which had been put together for this occasion. The trip's aim was to gather material for a production designed to convey the realities of life in Russia to the unacquainted. The result was many-facetted, it included photo, film, sound recording, books, musical scores ...This is also reflected in the revue-like structure of these performances built around a prologue, seven plots and an epilogue. Actors and musicians pick their way through history and art of the former Soviet Union: from party gatherings to homes for the elderly, from the serial murderer to the crooner. The performance is an ironic evocation of Russia, or rather of the way, how we perceive Russia and its Twentieth century history. It is the Russia of vodka, the fur coats, of hammer and sickle and Lenin, of ballet and top athletes.