Director Margy Kinmonth writes:
I revisit the National Gallery London, which reopens after 111 days of pandemic lockdown and find it transformed.
Read full article by Margy Kinmonth: RUSSIA UNLOCKS AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY published in Russian Art + Culture on 12 July 2020.
“AFTERPLAY” is a play about what happens after – inspired by the great Russian playwright writer Anton Chekhov, and written by Brian Friel, widely recognised as one of Ireland’s greatest dramatists. In his masterful one act play Friel (1929 – 2015) revisits two iconic characters created by Chekhov (1860 – 1904) from “Three Sisters” and “Uncle Vanya”, and hauntingly evokes what might have happened next.
“Afterplay” starring Rory Keenan, premiered in early March at The Coronet Theatre in London. Our contributor, Margy Kinmonth was lucky enough to catch it before the production was forced to close due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The theatre went dark and many involved either caught Covid19 or were furloughed, but the taste of this play remained strongly in her mind. With all that is going on, what is it really about? […]
Read full article by Margy Kinmonth: CREATIVITY IN TIMES OF COVID: FILM DIRECTOR MARGY KINMONTH IN CONVERSATION WITH ACTOR RORY KEENAN published in Russian Art + Culture on 4 June 2020.
Love In a Nutshell is a stage adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s selected short stories exploring love and relationships – poignant and hilarious stories.
Film Director Margy Kinmonth went to see the performance:
The intimate atmosphere and proximity of the cast reminds me of my experiences while researching my Russian films, watching performances in Moscow and St Petersburg, where music, poetry and plays are regularly staged in the small apartment museums.
(See my film REVOLUTION – NEW ART FOR A NEW WORLD available on DVD: store.foxtrotfilms.com.)
One of Russia’s greatest writers, Anton Chekhov (1860 – 1904) wrote hundreds of short stories. He started out writing jokes and anecdotes for popular magazines to earn money, while studying to become a doctor. He knew how to help others.
He gives his characters boundless imagination and a sense of humour as their means of escape. And in today’s times, laughter is the best medicine.
Read full article by Margy Kinmonth: Timeless Chekhov Short Stories published in Russian Art + Culture on 3 April 2020.
Director Margy Kinmonth writes:
When researching my Russian films I delved into the vast collection of Russian theatre memorabilia, at the State Theatre Museum in St Petersburg, including Checkhov’s original costumes and photos.
I saw the play Uncle Vanya recently and here’s my piece for Russian Art + Culture, published on 18 March 2020:
UNCLE VANYA: a tragicomical tale of unrequited love, ageing and disappointment
My evening at the Russian Ballet Icons Gala Russian Ballet Icons Gala at the London Coliseum sparked many dazzling memories for me. Experiencing those amazing dancers perform nearly a dozen different pieces from traditional classical masterpieces to contemporary repertoire, transported me to magic moments of some of the ballet films I have directed, especially the Mariinsky Theatre film, celebrating it’s 225th anniversary in Saint Petersburg as the pinnacle.
I filmed ballet over a period of several years, working closely with Maestro Valery Gergiev, witnessing the teaching process of “handing down” and capturing the very best performances on film. Observational filming took place at the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St Petersburg, home of the Imperial Russian classical ballet. […]
Read full article by Margy Kinmonth: RUSSIAN BALLET ICONS: “THE OTHER WORLD” published in Russian Art + Culture on 27 February 2020.
I visited the new Gulag History Museum in Moscow. Entering the small modest red brick building, tucked away in a side street in the North of Moscow, little prepares you for what lies within…
You enter a dark expanse. At first glance it feels just like an art gallery – a vast warehouse space with what seem like large paintings hanging in limbo, each one dramatically lit. On closer inspection these turn out to be doors – different colours, textures, battered by use, plastered with locks, bolts, caged peepholes and scrawled with numbers. Preserved and now transported thousands of miles to this location for exhibition, these gateways are what remain of Russia’s Gulag prison system. […]
Read full article by Margy Kinmonth: THINKING ABOUT ARTISTS IN GULAG HISTORY published in Russian Art + Culture on 14 February 2020.
