Hercules and the Augean Stables by Art Labs premieres in Tobolsk

10 december 2021

December 11 and 12, 2021 will see a new production of Hercules and the Augean Stables based on the play by the German-speaking Swiss playwright Friedrich Dürrenmatt and directed by Pyotr Norets premiere at the Tobolsk P. P. Ershov Drama Theater. The play's production is the output of the drama theater's laboratory project implemented as part of the new Art Labs season of Territoriya, the International Festival and School of Contemporary Art and SIBUR’s Formula for Good Deeds social investment program.

The Hercules and the Augean Stables, the play written by Friedrich Dürrenmatt in 1954, seems to have retained its relevance to this day. By way of telling the story of man and the society we live in, the play examines the age-old problems of our time including the ill-timed and oft confusing decisions of the government, money problems and, of course, romantic experiences.

I read Hercules and the Augean Stables back in 2013 and right away I felt the urge to stage it, but I didn’t yet have the general scenography concept. As is usually the case, life itself prompted it later, and thanks to this discovery, the play acquired a whole new slew of meanings. This involves ecology, the problem of waste, something that in the end should concerns all of us and something that we all exacerbate - just take a walk in your nearest forest to see for yourself. Besides, I'm very fond of satire and caustic humor, and the play is teeming with both, so much so that it spills right over the edge. And, most importantly, I'm very much in sync with the main message of the play, which is perfectly summed up by the following line: "There are no supreme saviors: Neither God, nor Caesar, nor Tribune ". This is to say that each person is responsible for his own well-being not only at his own home, but in a broader sense, too, including in his country and on the entire planet, and that no Hercules will come and deliver us all from misery until everyone is willing and does something to deliver themselves, to take responsibility for themselves", Pyotr Norets, the play’s director and production designer, curator of the Drama Theater Laboratory, commented.

Peter Norets defines the play’s genre as TRASHOW [trash ballet]. He is also behind the production's scenography. Composer Stanislav Zhuravlev, videographer Svetlana Zhadko, and the troupe of the Tobolsk P.P. Ershov Drama Theater also contributed to staging the production.

Tickets are available at the theater’s box office at the following address: Tobolsk, Microdistrict 4, Bldg. 66, as well as on the theater’s website at: https://tobteatr.kto72.ru/

Pursuant to the ordinance issued by Tyumen Oblast’s Governor on October 26, 2021, starting from November 8, spectators over the age of 18 will only be admitted to performances if they can present one of the following:

- a COVID-19 vaccination certificate issued within the last 12 months;

- a QR code confirming one’s getting immunized against COVID-19 within the last 12 months;

- a QR code evidencing a previous sickness and recovery (less than six months must pass since the recovery date);

- or a medical certificate proving the existence of medical contraindications, certified by the attending physician and the head of a medical organization, PLUS a negative laboratory PCR test for COVID-19, taken not more than 72 hours (three days) prior to the event, as well as an ID

Spectators under the age of 18 are not required to have QR codes and PCR test results.