University of Michigan's Residential College hosts Moscow theater artists' residency

On March 14-17, theater professor/director Kate Mendeloff and U-M's Residential College will host three events examining the work of visiting Russian playwright Maxsym Kurochkin — who's in America because 1 of his plays will be performed at the upcoming Humana Festival in Louisville, Kentucky — as well as John Freedman, theater critic for The Moscow Times (and Kurochkin's translator), and Yelena Kovolskaya, a Moscow-based critic and dramaturge. All events are free and open to the public.

Poster detailing Maxsym Kurochkin events at U-M. (Click the image to view it full-size.)

The first event, on Sunday, March 14 at 7 p.m., will be a workshop reading of Kurochkin's "The Schooling of Bento Bontsov," at East Quad's Keene Theater, on East University Avenue. The satirical play is set at a university in the future, when sex is only understood by anthropologists. Bento, a graduate student of sexual studies, realizes that sex is all a sham and becomes a voice of criticism — ironically, while falling in love.

The staged reading will be performed by U-M undergraduate students and directed by Mendeloff, and the presentation will be followed by a discussion of contemporary Russian drama, led by dramaturge Leonora Ivanitsky. On Tuesday, March 16 at 7 p.m., the Keene Theater will be the venue for an informal discussion about contemporary theater in Moscow, featuring Kurochkin, Freedman and Kovolskya.

The evening will include presentations of scenes from several of Kurochkin's recent plays, including "Schooling," as well as a study of artistic integrity in a world of media celebrity, "Repress and Excite," and scenes from Kurochkin's experimental play "Kitchen." The scenes are directed by Mendeloff and Ivanitsky, and the casts include U-M students and faculty, as well as local actors.

Finally, on Wednesday, March 17 at 7 p.m., in East Quad's Room 126 Anderson, there will be an interactive performance of playwright Maxsym Kurochkin's "Kitchen," which brings together the characters from the myth of the Nibelungs with contemporary kitchen workers. Directed by Ivanitsky and Mendeloff, the performance features student and faculty performers, as well as local actors.

The performance will be followed by a discussion with the playwright, Freedman and Kovolskya.

For more information about these events, view the event listings linked in More Info or visit the RC's event listings.

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.