"Love should not be tyrannical, but unconditional."

- Why did you choose "Bury Me Behind the Skirting Board" for your mono-performance? What touched you in this material as a director and an artist?

- My leading themes are the making or breaking of a family. And it's just in this novella that I see the catastrophe and feel the emotional burn, the sensual burn. Because the people who are supposed to protect each other are supposed to be at odds with each other, they fight each other. A mum is fighting with her grandmother for a little boy who is alive. And it's not just a fight, it's a war. And the object of this war is not some object or territory, a flat or something else, but a living little child who is being torn apart, who sees all these family horrors. To me, that's scary. I can't say I've had anything similar in my biography, but I see it a lot with people close to me. And it's scary. It shouldn't be like that. Love should not be tyrannical, but unconditional.

- What's it like to be both director and performer at the same time?

- At first I staged this play for my friend Maxim Morozov. It's still running in St Petersburg to this day. In Europe, I tried to cast other actors, but it didn't work. Then I was told: "You know the material - play it yourself". It turned out to be the right decision. I know the text, I lived it emotionally. At first it was difficult - as a director, I was still reflecting during the performance. But over time, I let go. Now I feel stable and honest on stage. The advantage is that I know everything about the material - I don't need an outside view.

- This is not the first time you have performed this play. Does the audience's perception differ in different cities and countries?

- Yes, but it doesn't depend on the country. Sometimes the audience is immediately engaged, laughing, reacting. Sometimes there is silence, but deep involvement. The main thing is the energy of the audience. I'm happy with any reaction. It's wonderful that we are different and react in different ways. What do I expect from the Luxembourg audience? I will just be happy to meet the audience, to give them my energy, to feel their energy;

- What should an audience member know before a performance? Is it necessary to be familiar with the book?

- Familiarity with the book is optional. But it is important to know that the play is not the same as the film. The film is much tougher, and I'm not close to it as a director. I stick to the book. It's an autobiography, and there's a lot of humour in it. The first half is almost a comedy, because a child sees things differently. The play is a tragicomedy. So I can only advise the audience not to think that the play will be the same as the film, that it will be so tough. And you can read the book. But if you are not familiar with the book, then everything will be clear at the performance. Just come and see it.

- How do you handle the workload in a mono performance?

- It's a challenge. I recently did two plays in a row in Lisbon - it was hard, but at some point the body and energy kick in. I try not to eat lunch on the day of the performance, not to spill out emotionally beforehand. It's important to reach the climaxes even in the run-throughs, so as not to disappoint the audience later. It can be hard, but it's a profession. Everyone in their job can be difficult at times.

- What themes of the play seem particularly important to you today, including outside Russia?

- The theme of the broken family is universal. We carry traumas from generation to generation. I think it is clear to any Russian-speaking person, because, unfortunately, this is how it is that from generation to generation we are trying to get out of this hole. The play is set in Soviet times, and we see a grandmother who has been crippled by the state, by denunciations, by relationships. I feel sorry for this generation, and at the same time I feel sorry for the next generation, because they will suffer from the traumas of the previous generation. And it's such an endless circle. Is it relevant? Of course, especially in the context of war, emigration. Family is what we have, loved ones, friends. These are the islands that we try to preserve by changing our place of residence, so that we at least have that left. So, whatever your views are with your relatives, it is important to try to defend your family, even if you have different views, but it is important to keep it. Sooner or later the war will end. And there must always be a family.

- How is Russian drama perceived abroad? Does it have a universal language?

-Yes, she is understood. Chekhov is being staged, new authors are appearing. I'm thinking of translating the play into German. In Germany they will definitely understand it. Because there was the GDR, the FRG, the Berlin Wall, and they understand this context too. They have a lot of similarities. How will it be, for example, in Austria? I don't know, but we can try. In other countries, we'll see. The main thing is that the topic should be understood. Integration is important.

- What productions and directors have influenced your approach?

-  I try to be inspired, but not to copy. I am inspired by Krymov, Yana Tumina, my master Ruslan Kudashov. His school is in me, but I am looking for my own way. He himself always said: "You don't have to be copies".

- How is theatre changing, in your opinion?

-  It's a difficult question because I've changed my place of residence and I'm trying to watch European theatre and it's different after all. I was at the international puppet and object festival in Bochum. It was very cool. Totally different approach. More documentary stories than stories based on artistic material. Europeans, in principle, are more inclined to talk about themselves, about problems that arise in society, they are interested in documentary. So I'm still adapting, learning. I'm interested in trying something in their format. In Germany, I did a documentary performance  "Daring", based on the biographies of women who changed the world. The actors were teenagers. I'm very proud of this work because I hear the problems of the current generation, how they express them, how they assert their boundaries. And that's very important. I guess you could call it my first step towards integration.

- If you could leave the audience with one thought after the performance - what would it be?

-  Love. And a simple thought: let's take care of each other