Photo by Andrey Bezukladnikov

The Constant Principle
Part I

Second redaction. A play in three acts, two cemeteries, and one concert
Director: Boris Yukhananov
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Duration: 3 hours with two intermissions

The premiere took place in 3 November 2015.

In 1437, the Portuguese prince Don Fernando is taken prisoner by the Sultan of Morocco after an unsuccessful military expedition. In exchange for his freedom, the prince is ordered by the Sultan to destroy the town of Ceuta, a Catholic stronghold in North Africa. Prince Fernando decides that his life is not worth such a concession. He prefers life as a slave in a Muslim prison.

Fernando died in 1443. He was made a saint by the Catholic Church, and his heroic deed was glorified, in part, becoming the subject of Calderon's philosophical drama, ‘The Constant Prince’ (El Principe constant, 1629).

The Constant Principle. Part II

The performance is accompanied by English-language supertitles

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Boris Yukhananov on 'The Constant Principle':

The goal here isn't to be liked or to entertain. There is a certain pain here that haunts me. By nature I am bound up in things spectacular, by which I mean to say that I love the integrity of theater, although this integrity has fallen ill in my soul. Something has happened to it. Hence, this huge work, in the making for nearly three years, is shot through with pain. In this regard it may shock some or be unbearable to others. There is nothing I can do about that.

That is the nature of the baroque, everything is slipped into specific layers, in which pain and joy lie on top of each other and, sometimes, like lovers, they roll over and exchange places. That's how the baroque arises. It arises in the intersection of culturally taboo limits, and there is no way getting around that.

Performers

The King of Fez
Viktor Terelya
Fenix, Princess of Fez
Alla Kazakova
Muley, Moorish commander
Pavel Kravets
Dervish
Yekaterina Andreeva
Brito, jester
Yekaterina Andreeva
Brito, jester
Anna Kuzminskaya
Don Enrico, Portuguese Prince, Pianistб Performer of Arab folk song
Andrei Yemelyanov
Don Juan Coutinho
Pavel Shumsky
Selim, Throne
Andrei Ostrovsky
Frog
Svetlana Naidyonova
Guards
Andrei Anisimov
Guards
Georgy Grishchenkov
Sword fighters
Asya Belaya
Sword fighters
Yekaterina Andreeva
Sword fighters
Lina Langner
Sword fighters
Alisa Sviridova
Sword fighters
Victoria Bryzgalova
Fallen Warriors
Andrei Anisimov
Fallen Warriors
Anton Kapanin
Fallen Warriors
Vitaly Terekhovsky
Fallen Warriors
Georgy Grishchenkov
Fallen Warriors
Dmitry Mikirtumov
Fallen Warriors
Dmitry Myagky
Fallen Warriors
Mikhail Sokolov
Fallen Warriors
Pavel Kravets
Fallen Warriors
Yevgeny Kapustin
Fallen Warriors
Andrei Ostrovsky
Orchestra (slaves, servants, Moors)
Anton Kapanin
Orchestra (slaves, servants, Moors)
Diana Rakhimova
Orchestra (slaves, servants, Moors)
Yekaterina Andreeva
Orchestra (slaves, servants, Moors)
Pavel Shumsky
Orchestra (slaves, servants, Moors)
Yevgeny Kapustin
Orchestra (slaves, servants, Moors)
Maria Chirkova
Orchestra (slaves, servants, Moors)
Anna Kuzminskaya
Orchestra (slaves, servants, Moors)
Maria Belyaeva
Orchestra (slaves, servants, Moors)
Sonya Yefimova
Orchestra (slaves, servants, Moors)
Lina Langner
Orchestra (slaves, servants, Moors)
Svetlana Naidyonova
Orchestra (slaves, servants, Moors)
Viktor Khatenovskiy
Orchestra (slaves, servants, Moors)
Andrei Ostrovsky
Orchestra (slaves, servants, Moors)
Vera Romanova
Orchestra (slaves, servants, Moors)
Olga Khoreva
Performer
Sergei Vasilyev
Sword fighter
Dmitry Mikirtumov
Alfonse, King of Portugal
Anton Kapanin
Tarudant, King of Morocco
Pavel Kravets
Tarudant, King of Morocco
Yevgeny Kapustin
Tarudant, King of Morocco
Roman Dolgushin
Chorus
Alyona Kakhuta
Chorus
Yelena Byrkina
Chorus
Ilona Bul
Chorus
Tatyana Perevalova
Chorus
Andrei Yemelyanov
Исполнитель мавваль 
Andrei Yemelyanov
Ghost
Svetlana Naidyonova
Conférencier
Vladimir Dolmatovsky
Don Fernando, Portuguese Prince
Igor Yatsko
Старуха
Diana Rakhimova
Старуха
Ekaterina Kuzminskaya

And also

Based on ‘The Constant Prince’ by Pedro Calderon de la Barca, and 'A Feast in a Time of Plague' by Alexander Pushkin
 

Servants — Yekaterina Kuzminskaya, Victoria Pikos / Maria Viktorova
Fallen Warriors — Ivan Rump, Maxim Yakimov
Sword fighters – Anastasia Shelepova, Polina Rozhanskaya
Orchestra (slaves, servants, Moors) — Olga Choreva, Yulia Semina, Ivan Rump, Maxim Yakimov, Victoria Pikos, Maria Viktorova
Musicians — Sergey Kuznetsov, Antonio Gramshi, Oleg Boyko
Old Woman — Yekaterina Kuzminskaya
Man — Ivan Rump
Throne — Vladislav Vishnyakov
Cinematic Book — Andrei Smirennov
Selim — Maria Viktorova / Victoria Pikos
Chorus — Maxim Yakimov

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