STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES Very simply said, the power of Charkov and Ukraine lies in a couple of very important departments. First of all it is cheaper to produce in Ukraine than in other parts of Europe. Personal costs are lower. There are very well trained musicians. There are very well trained dancers. People are very committed and hardworking. These are massive assets and make it very attractive to produce in Charkov. Weaker aspects include: There is a very conservative and stuffy way of creating sets and costumes. Regie is very often not geared towards telling a story and human interaction; but “regulating traffic” and old fashioned “stand and sing” technique. There seems to be a very one dimensional way of presenting the stories. Lighting technique and design lack impact, insight, and dramatic effect. It seems therefore very logic to build upon the strengths of Charkov and bring to the production those ingredients that will lift the present qualities to a higher level. But at the same time I seek to import new insights and impulses in the Charkov theatre so a real change for the better can be made. There must be an quality boost in the regie, design and lights department. For Charkov AND for Senf. For the first to develop a higher internationally acclaimed standard in having more value in productions. For the latter to have enough quality on board to become the most important player in the opera-field in Holland. In order to reach this goal I propose to bring a team of internationally renowned artist to Charkov. All members have worked the world over in good houses. But moreover they have worked together before in eastern Europe and Ukraine so they know the pro and con’s of this “meeting of cultures”. I seek to bring together east and west to bring out the best of both worlds. The members of this -small- team have worked together before and are therefore very agile to ply the waters and confront problems on the way. And since their co-operation is time tested they can work fast, they understand each others goals and way of thinking. These people seek moreover to work together with the people in Charkov. This way we hope that in Charkov people will also get inspired by these new impulses and thus create a new élan from within. 9
10 Online Touch Home