From July 24-27, situated in the beautiful Garden of the British Ambassador’s Residence, Moscow will make its first acquaintance with a whole new kind of cultural event: An amateur play performed in English with the aim of raising funds for a charitable cause.
The play being performed is Shakespeare’s "A Midsummer Night’s Dream," and all revenues from ticket sales are being donated to the Otradnoye shelter for homeless adolescents.
This event is the brainchild of two women — Natalia Ivanova of Russia and Alice Babington Hill of the United Kingdom. Together, they formed The Moscow Players, with Hill as director and Ivanova as producer.
LifeStyle met the two women in their bohemian apartment in the center of Moscow. I did the interview in between their haircuts and numerous phone calls (the women’s stylist was in residence in the kitchen). "We are so busy with everything related to the performance" they explained jokingly, "we have to multi-task – and this includes finding the time to take care of ourselves. This theater project has turned out to be a fulltime occupation. The premiere is only three weeks away and we still have so many things to do." If they were stressed, it was at least not affecting their moods, all the time I was there they were cracking jokes and laughing.

LifeStyle: What is the Moscow Players?
Alice Babbington Hill: It is a non-profit organization, an amateur theater group that we established to put on English-language theater productions in Russia.

LS: Who came up with the idea to perform a play in Moscow?
ABH: When I moved to Moscow last autumn, I had a vision about directing a play here. I had no idea how, but in my suitcase I brought 12 copies of "A Midsummer Night’s Dream." Then I met Natasha [Ivanova] who was totally excited about the concept, so in January we registered The Moscow Players and started the process of arranging auditions
.
LS: Why Shakespeare’s "A Midsummer Night’s Dream"?
ABH: Totally by chance. There were the most copies of this play in the bookshop (laughing)…

LS: Do you have any previous theatrical experience?
Natalia Ivanova: In a word, yes. I was involved with the theater world at Oxford University when I studied economics there.
ABH: I studied at Durham University. There I directed the musical "The Boyfriend," which won an award and toured to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and I’ve sung in several semi-pro operas. More recently I played Sorel in the Chelsea Players’ production of "Hay Fever" in London. I’m acting for them again next April.

LS: Alice, Did you speak Russian when you came here?
ABH: (Laughing) No, and I still don’t speak very good Russian. But that didn’t put me off.

LS: How did you find the actors and who are they?
ABH: We advertised in the papers, hung up ads for the auditions at expat sites and sent out E-mails. We had no idea what the response would be like, but in the end 70 people showed up. Among the cast, we have both amateurs and educated actors, we have journalists, students, diplomats, and managers of international companies. It is a very mixed group of five different nationalities, but that’s the whole point. And it’s extremely satisfying for me as the director to encourage amateurs to reach a professional level of acting.

LS: What are the differences between setting up a play here opposed to the United Kingdom?
NI: In Russia, there isn’t really a tradition of amateur theater, so occasionally we have encountered a snobbish attitude toward what we are doing, but most people are supportive and can totally relate to the idea.

LS: Your performance is outdoors. What if it rains?
NI: We have an emergency wet weather plan. We are not going to cancel the performances.

LS: Natasha, how is the play financed?
NI: Through sponsorship. Although we have a professional production team, such as Detali Design Bureau, working for us for free, there are obviously costs involved. An amateur cultural event like ours, which also has a charitable cause, is new to Russia, but a lot of companies are receiving the concept positively. Lovells, PWCL, Ahmad Tea and the RBCC have all been fantastic and we couldn’t have done this without them.

LS: How did you choose Otradnoye as the receiver of your donation?
NI: When I was doing research about charitable organizations I came across an ad from Otradnoye so we visited and found that the children all seemed socially well-adjusted and happy. This is because the center not only provides the children with a home, but also rehabilitates them so they can return to society as well-functioning individuals. They have plans for development and we share their vision.

LS: Are you challenged by the size of your project?
NI: It is certainly an ambitious first project and a lot of hard work, but we are not letting that worry us. We have encountered many problems, and we just solve them as best we can along the way. Most important is that we are working with such a positive crowd of people. Everyone associated with the production is doing his or her absolute best. And we are also having loads of fun.

LS: Do you have any plans for future projects?
ABH: Oh, absolutely. We’re both ambitious, organized and full of wild ideas… unstoppable perhaps! (laughing)
NI: Alice and I are quite a dynamic duo. We really generate positive energy with each other and make things happen. Besides, it is legally very difficult to liquidate a non-profit organization, so I guess we will be stuck with each other for a long time ahead!
For info and reservations visit: www.themoscowplayers.com/mnd.htm •