Repaying the debt to the living and the dead: a graduate student of MSU is the author of a play about the Mariupol Drama Theater

The premiere of the meta-play "Tickets are Valid!" by playwright Igor Matyushin (creative pseudonym Igor Tur), who is pursuing a PhD in Cultural Studies at Mariupol State University, took place at the Parisian anti-war festival of documentary theater and cinema Le Doc en scène.

The play unfolds during the siege of Mariupol by Russian military forces. The actors portrayed the images of civilians who were hiding in the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theater. Due to the full-scale invasion, thousands of people lost their homes, and the building of theater became their only shelter. The time frame of the meta-play covered the night and morning of March 16, 2022, before the enemy dropped a bomb on the theater.

The playwright is not just telling a story he heard or read about. He, his wife, and his daughter were among those "residents." Moreover, Igor Tur was still the chief administrator of the theater and continued to fulfill his duties in the new conditions. He became the leader because those who officially led the theater went over to the enemy’s side. 

Why was this play written? Firstly, I consider its emergence as my moral debt to the deceased and the survivors of Mariupol who were in the theater. The second reason is that people should remember this tragedy. Even in Ukraine, they start mentioning it only on the anniversaries, turning it into a short-lived information occasion. The third reason is that I was ordered by the commander of my unit to come to the theater, lay down my arms, perform the duties of an administrator, survive, and tell the truth. I believe that at this stage, I have repaid my debt and fulfilled my mission,

– says playwright Igor Tur.

Both professional and non-professional actors were involved in the production, mostly Ukrainians. The premiere took place on March 23, having gathered French and Ukrainian viewers in one hall. Among the audience were masters of the theater and cinema industry.

The life of ordinary Mariupol residents was raging on the theatrical stage, as they used theater posters as window replacements, fetched water from a fire pond for household needs, cooked food on a fire, and helped the needy in a self-created medical service. The play unfolded before the audience was a theater within a theater. Characters questioned themselves about which theater they exist in and why, unlike the theater of cruelty, humanity has not invented a theater of love or truth.

The festival debut of the meta-play “Tickets are Active!” was successful. More shows are planned in Paris and another capital of a European country.