Articles

Abstract

The practice of international cross-cultural studies and communication for all authors of this paper is a subject-matter of increased interest. In particular, as postgraduate students from China, we would like to have the opportunity to experience classical Russian culture. In this regard, we welcome that 2022 has become a kind of Year of Cross-cultural Studies at Department of Aesthetics at Faculty of Philosophy, Lomonosov Moscow State University. The Department has planned a number of events with elements of crosscultural dialogue, supported by administration and the entire researcheral collective of the Department. The theoretical base for this work turned the regular seminar on the problematic field of aesthetic experience, which outlined specific cross-cultural activities until the end of the current academic year.

As the initiating event in this cycle, on March 14, 2022, we are now presenting graduation performance by fourth-year students of the M. S. Shchepkin High Theatre School at the Maly Ttheatre of Russia We express our sincere gratitude to Department of Philosophy and Cultural Studies of the School that hosted us and personally to the organizer from the School, Professor E.A. Dzikevich for the warm welcome and detailed excursion into the world of professional theatre education. We were sincerely amazed by the level of correctness, hospitality, attention and erudition of everyone with whom we communicated within the walls of the oldest theatre educational institution of Russia. This is a very energetical university. Despite its very respectable age, this institution gives impression of young enthusiasm, openness to all innovations in global culture, which is so important for people of new generations. We felt the charm and effective interaction between different cultures. It was an inspiring cultural journey for us, where we felt the passion and energy of the young generation of Russian cultural figures.

After an impressive tour around the School, we watched graduation performance of students based on the play Ivanov, written by A.P. Chekhov in 1887. At the end of the official presentation of the performance, we had a serious and interesting conversation about interpretation of the classical drama of the great writer in contemporary culture, about the problems of students’ work on the performance and about perception of a different culture audience of action on the stage. We think that this play embodies one of the greatest Chekhov’s creations and that it finally determines transformation of the Russian theatre from the traditional Western classic model of stage performance to contemporary theatre.