Masakr Elsinor – Ondřej Novotný: Your Silence Will Not Protect You

Description

A glass cage, the outlines of the accused, prosecutors' files, paragraphs, the harsh language of the honorable court. Fear before a barrier greater than that behind it. Tikkun olam is the repair of the world. Vladimir Kara-Murza cannot stand, Olga Misik clutches a whistle, Ingush elder Malsag Užachov sees a thick, predatory, enormous, and hundred-headed monster, some official leans too far out of the window, and Alexei Navalny quotes the Bible: 'This is your hour, power of darkness.' The scenic concert translates the courtroom speeches of contemporary Russian prisoners of conscience, those sentenced for YouTube, TikTok terrorists, but also dissidents and often unwittingly engaged artists. The core of the performance consists of Czech translations of the final courtroom speeches from two dozen cases in recent years, texts presented in the book (not)last words. Journalists, entrepreneurs, artists, activists, professors, students, children. These are all perpetrators in Russia, criminals, and their voices are given only one slight breath in the processes. In a transparent cage, but somehow without cover, they can say what they really think. The project was created based on the book (not)last words. From the Russian original Непоследние слова, published by Freedom Letters in 2023, selected texts were translated by: Karolína Juráková, Hana Kosáková, Olga Pavlova, Zuzana Špinková, Jan Chalupník, Osip Dantev, Kryštof Neřold, and Tim Postovit. The play uses excerpts from the last words of Russian political prisoners who, despite all persecutions, imprisonment, torture, and the threat of death, refused to submit to Russia's perverse politics and were not afraid to stand against it. Some of them are already free (mostly abroad), some are still in prison, and some are no longer alive. They include: Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Malsag Užachov, Armen Aramyan, Dmitry Ivanov, Maria Ponomarenko, Viktor Filinkov, Vasily Kuksov, Alla Gutnikova, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Alexei Navalny, Ilya Yashin, Vladimir Metolkin, Maria Dubovik, Andrei Novashov, Nikita Uvarov, Yulia Galjamina, Olga Misik, Andrei Pivovarov, Yegor Zhukov. The play also includes an excerpt from a letter about the returned citizenship of Olga Kiriyenkova, information about the electric torture of Ilya Shakursky and Dmitry Pchelintsev, about the case of the minor Anya Zhuravleva, Yegor Starshinov, Kirill Smirnov, and Pavel Kushnir. The original texts are variously transformed, supplemented, stylistically adjusted, and intertwined according to the artistic intentions of the script. However, their meaning and message are preserved. SCRIPT: ONDŘEJ NOVOTNÝ DRAMATURGY: MARINA FELTLOVÁ MUSIC: TOMÁŠ VTÍPIL, PETR MÍKA, DJING: TOMÁŠ SOLDÁN SCENERY, PUPPETS, COSTUMES: DARIA GOSTEVA DIRECTION: MASAKR ELSINOR PERFORMERS: DARIA GOSTEVA, VÁCLAV MARHOLD, VOJTĚCH HRABÁK, TOMÁŠ SOLDÁN, PETR MÍKA, AND TOMÁŠ VTÍPIL Duration of the performance: 60 minutes

Highlights

• Scenic concert translating courtroom speeches of Russian prisoners
• Based on the book (not)last words
• Features voices of journalists, artists, and activists

General Information

Masakr Elsinor presents a unique performance at the Muzeum umění Olomouc, focusing on the final courtroom speeches of contemporary Russian prisoners of conscience. The event highlights the struggles of various individuals in Russia, offering a poignant reflection on freedom of expression and the consequences of dissent.

Location

779 00 Olomouc, Czech Republic

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