CREMULATOR
by Maxim Didenko
after Sasha Filipenko’s novel
by Maxim Didenko
after Sasha Filipenko’s novel
photos: VICTORIA NAZAROVA
theater
Tickets
Language: Russian with German subtitles
Duration: 100 min without intermission
16 NOV, SAT 15:00 & 20:00
Author of the novel:
Sasha Filipenko
Director: Maxim Didenko
Performers:
Maxim Sukhanov
Svetlana Mamresheva
Yang Ge
Igor Titov
Set and costume designer:
Alexander Barmenkov
Composer: Sergej Newski
Video artist: Oleg Mikhailov
Live-camera operator:
Frol Podlesny
Lighting designer:
Alexander Kurochkin
Playwright: Johannes Kirsten
General Producer: Svetlana Dolya
Technical Director: Ilya Reizman
Executive Producer: Ilya Kuznetsov
Supported by
NGO Kibbuz and ICF
Sasha Filipenko
Director: Maxim Didenko
Performers:
Maxim Sukhanov
Svetlana Mamresheva
Yang Ge
Igor Titov
Set and costume designer:
Alexander Barmenkov
Composer: Sergej Newski
Video artist: Oleg Mikhailov
Live-camera operator:
Frol Podlesny
Lighting designer:
Alexander Kurochkin
Playwright: Johannes Kirsten
General Producer: Svetlana Dolya
Technical Director: Ilya Reizman
Executive Producer: Ilya Kuznetsov
Supported by
NGO Kibbuz and ICF
This first production of the novel by Belarusian-born writer Sasha Filipenko tells the story of Peter Nesterenko, a White Guard officer who, after a long ordeal of emigration in the early 20th century, made a deal with the Soviet authorities and returned to his homeland.
It is a tale of forgiveness and the pursuit of one's truth, of their enduring flame and their erasure over generations, of emigration and the wars of the last century, of a great love that loses its meaning when its dedicated audience is a tyrant.
Filipenko's book draws from historical evidence and interrogation notes recorded after Nesterenko’s arrest by the NKVD before his execution in 1942. The text was adapted for the theater by German playwright Johannes Kirsten and staged by the renowned director Maxim Didenko, who left Russia in 2022.
It is a tale of forgiveness and the pursuit of one's truth, of their enduring flame and their erasure over generations, of emigration and the wars of the last century, of a great love that loses its meaning when its dedicated audience is a tyrant.
Filipenko's book draws from historical evidence and interrogation notes recorded after Nesterenko’s arrest by the NKVD before his execution in 1942. The text was adapted for the theater by German playwright Johannes Kirsten and staged by the renowned director Maxim Didenko, who left Russia in 2022.
Author of the novel: Sasha Filipenko
Director: Maxim Didenko
Performers:
Maxim Sukhanov
Svetlana Mamresheva
Yang Ge
Igor Titov
Set and costume designer: Alexander Barmenkov
Composer: Sergej Newski
Video artist: Oleg Mikhailov
Live-camera operator: Frol Podlesny
Lighting designer: Alexander Kurochkin
Playwright: Johannes Kirsten
General Producer: Svetlana Dolya
Technical Director: Ilya Reizman
Executive Producer: Ilya Kuznetsov
Supported by
NGO Kibbuz and ICF
Director: Maxim Didenko
Performers:
Maxim Sukhanov
Svetlana Mamresheva
Yang Ge
Igor Titov
Set and costume designer: Alexander Barmenkov
Composer: Sergej Newski
Video artist: Oleg Mikhailov
Live-camera operator: Frol Podlesny
Lighting designer: Alexander Kurochkin
Playwright: Johannes Kirsten
General Producer: Svetlana Dolya
Technical Director: Ilya Reizman
Executive Producer: Ilya Kuznetsov
Supported by
NGO Kibbuz and ICF
Contributors
MAXIM DIDENKO
theater director
theater director
Maxim was one of the most celebrated directors in Russia. His artistic research into Soviet totalitarian culture and society led him to adapt for the stage the works of Boris Pasternak, Isaac Babel, Vladimir Sorokin, and others. Didenko has received numerous awards including the Golden Mask, National Theatre Award, Golden Sophite, Sergey Kuryokin Award, GQ Award, and Best Director at the St. Petersburg Theatre Awards for Young Artists. His directing credits include: Last Word (Berlin 2022), White Factory (London 2023), Lefty, Wozzeck, Slaughterhouse 5, Through the Eyes of a Clown, Red Cavalry, Kharms, Myr, Earth, Young Guard, The Idiot, Chapaev and Pustota, The Trial, The Circus, Ten Days that Shook the World, Heart of a Dog, Run, Alice, Run, The Text, and many more. After Russia began its war on Ukraine, Didenko, who publicly supported Ukraine’s resistance and made pro-peace statements, chose to leave Russia to preserve his artistic and personal freedom.
SASHA FILIPENKO
writer
writer
Belarusian writer, author of six novels and two short story collections, winner of numerous literary prizes. His works have been translated into 18 languages and he is a bestselling author in Germany and Sweden. He has contributed to major European and American newspapers, including Le Monde, The Guardian, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Die Welt, and the Kennan Institute. Until 2022, plays based on Filipenko's novels were staged in Kyiv (Dovzhenko-Center), Moscow (Gogol Center), and St. Petersburg (Alexandrinsky Theater). Since 2023, Filipenko's play has been running in Lithuania (Vilnius Old Theater).
MAKSIM SUKHANOV
theater and film actor, producer
theater and film actor, producer
A Russian actor known for his powerful performances in both theater and film, Maksim Sukhanov graduated from the Shchukin Theatre School. He has worked at the Vakhtangov Theatre and collaborated with the Lenkom, Stanislavsky, and Mayakovsky theaters. His notable stage productions include Cyrano de Bergerac, Khlestakov, Zoykina Kvartira, Lear, Tartuffe, Don Juan, and others. His selected films include The Land of the Deaf, Topi, Boris Godunov, The Role, The Horde, Children of the Arbat, Target, and more. Over the years, he has received numerous awards, including the prestigious "Nika" and "Golden Mask" awards.