On August 27, the historic building of GITIS hosted the grand opening of the InteRussia program for foreign specialists in theatrical arts. Young actors aged 21 to 35 from South Africa, Brazil, India, Argentina, Iran, and China arrived at GITIS for the fellowship. This is the first program for young actors developed within the framework of the InteRussia project by the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts - GITIS, at the suggestion and invitation of the Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Support Fund and the international media network TV BRICS, with support from the Presidential Grants Fund. The fellowship runs from August 26 to September 22.
The program includes training in acting, stage movement, and speech, lectures on the history of Russian theater, Konstantin Stanislavsky's creative journey and his system, as well as the method of active analysis of plays and roles. Participants will have the opportunity to work with experienced GITIS teachers, exchange experiences with colleagues from different countries, and improve their acting skills.
According to Marina Kiryushkina, Vice-Rector for General Affairs and Project Management at GITIS, the program's goal is to familiarize participants with Russian psychological theater and the Russian theatrical school.
"The fellowship for young theater and film artists helps develop international cooperation with BRICS+ countries," stated Zhanna Tolstikova, CEO of TV BRICS, at the opening ceremony.
"In the current political situation, interaction between different cultures through theater is the most effective, sometimes even the only way to establish connections and build 'bridges' from country to country," explained Lyana Dymova, coordinator of scientific programs at the Gorchakov Fund.
Fellowship participants have already attended their first practical classes and lectures, where they learned about the Stanislavsky system. At the opening ceremony, they were introduced to Russian musical theater through a welcome concert by GITIS students and graduates.
"Russian theater is famous worldwide. We study it in Brazil, but I'm not sure we can fully understand it. Therefore, my goal for this fellowship is to turn to Russian theater as a primary source and understand how it relates to what we study in Brazil. It would also be interesting to study active analysis and try it in practice, not just in theory," says Barbara, a fellowship participant.
"GITIS is a great institution. This fellowship is a good opportunity to remind ourselves of this. I would like the fellows to take everything they can from GITIS. I'm familiar with their program and think they can benefit enormously if they continue to be as sincerely interested in learning as they are today," explained Professor Alexander Barmak.
The InteRussia fellowship for foreign specialists in theatrical arts is implemented by ANO "Mezhdunarodniky" in collaboration with the Gorchakov Fund and GITIS, with financial support from the Presidential Grants Fund.