HELLO, MOM
V. Privalova`s Independent Project, Moscow
Presented in the frame of Russian Case 2020
Director, set designer:
Vika Privalova
Vika Privalova
This performance by Vika Privalova is an audio-guided tour through the spaces of memory. The exhibition features a table overflowing with candy, a wardrobe one can hide in, a fridge one can leave a message on – items connected in one way or another to the documented stories every member of the audience hears in the headphones. Participants of the performance, millennials, share their childhood memories and talk about the key moments in relationships with their mothers, while audience members eat Snickers bars, listen to the music while sitting inside the wardrobe, or hide under the table. The stories of performance participants become a platform for the internal psychotherapeutic dialogue of each member with their own mother. This dialogue can begin when you smell her perfume, nuzzle in her fur coat, or leave her a note on the fridge.
In Russia we used to the fact that the main instrument of the documentary theater is text. The most popular non-fiction performance format in our country is verbatim when the actors interview the characters and then give their monologues from the stage. But in general, the instruments of the modern documentary theater are much wider as “Hello, Mom” demonstrates. The spectators not only listen to audio monologues of heroes - they look at and touch things, smell and feel tastes. It is not just a collection of stories, but the whole world. You choose the route in this world yourself: the project is organized as an exhibition, not as a familiar performance with the beginning, middle and end.
“Hello, Mom” is not a performance in the traditional sense of this word. There is no auditorium with chairs, no stage and no actors. The theater space becomes a maze of dramatic situations, touching memories and frank confessions.
“It seems to everyone that something must be happening in the theater and cinema all the time: actors must scream, cry, worry and love. However, there is a more subtle, in my opinion, story about inner emotions. I wanted to make a very intimate performance so that the spectators could be themselves, but not feel alone, because you are not alone with your problems.”
Basic Production Information. Click here
Anastasia Pauker
In Russia we used to the fact that the main instrument of the documentary theater is text. The most popular non-fiction performance format in our country is verbatim when the actors interview the characters and then give their monologues from the stage. But in general, the instruments of the modern documentary theater are much wider as “Hello, Mom” demonstrates. The spectators not only listen to audio monologues of heroes - they look at and touch things, smell and feel tastes. It is not just a collection of stories, but the whole world. You choose the route in this world yourself: the project is organized as an exhibition, not as a familiar performance with the beginning, middle and end.
Thecity.24m.ru
“Hello, Mom” is not a performance in the traditional sense of this word. There is no auditorium with chairs, no stage and no actors. The theater space becomes a maze of dramatic situations, touching memories and frank confessions.
Timepad.ru
“It seems to everyone that something must be happening in the theater and cinema all the time: actors must scream, cry, worry and love. However, there is a more subtle, in my opinion, story about inner emotions. I wanted to make a very intimate performance so that the spectators could be themselves, but not feel alone, because you are not alone with your problems.”
From Vika Privalova`s interview
Basic Production Information. Click here
