This summer, we're inviting our visitors to help us set the stage for five special performances, each inspired by a different culture from around the world. Read on to find out more about Evgenia Golubeva, the artist behind a Russian retelling of Romeo and Juliet.
Evgenia Golubeva is an award winning animation director, illustrator and screenwriter of Russian origin living in Stratford-upon-Avon. She designs characters for children TV shows and illustrates books for children. Her last animated short film screened at the 123 International Film Festival and won eight prestigious awards.
Evgenia is passionate about different cultures and the way they interact and influence each other. She is especially fascinated by Russian culture, history and folklore. For this project, Evgenia has created a space focusing on the traditional aesthetics of Russian folk art and use of wood, as a popular craft material.
The red and white colour scheme represents the two sides of the army in the Russian Revolution following the civil war; the red fighting for the Bolshevik form of socialism, and the white with interests favouring monarchism, capitalism and alternative forms of socialism. It also makes parallels to the warring families of the Montagues and Capulets in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo and Juliet is a well-known play in Russia among school students, the later translation of Shakespeare’s language making it accessible to all. Evgenia has included in her design, other examples of famous Russian love stories through the use of comic-strip panels.
With the original title The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, the play was written in 1595 and is one of Shakespeare’s best-loved and most-performed works. It tell the story of two “star-cross’d lovers” separated by hate and the reconciliation that only occurs after the tragedy of death.