The problem of the crisis of national values in the performance “Altynch[ae]ch” (The G. Kariev Kazan Tatar Youth Theater)

• Elena Nikolaevna Shevchenko

  Институт языка, литературы и искусства им. Г. Ибрагимова Академии наук Республики Татарстан

  Author

The article analyzes the performance of the Kazan State Tatar Theater for Young Spectators named after G. Kariev “Altynch[ae]ch”, in which the directors in a vivid, spectacular, sometimes provocative form talk about the serious problems of today: loss of roots, leveling and commercialization of national values, the pressure of mass culture, identity crisis. The playwright Louise Jansoir and director Reseda Garipova focus on the iconic image of the golden – haired beauty Altynchech, the heroine of folk tales, in Tatar culture. Using the example of her transformation in the modern mass consciousness, the creators of the play show the process of youth's loss of historical memory and knowledge of national culture. The problem of the extinction of traditions is also revealed through the devaluation of the concept of «national hero», disdain for national cuisine, etc. Thus, the play “Altynch[ae]ch” organically fits into an extremely important modern discourse of globalization and its consequences for national cultures, including the sphere of art. The play “Altynch[ae]ch” is important from the point of view of both the ideological content and the innovative art form. In this regard, the author's goal is, on the one hand, to study the complex of issues raised by the Kariev Theater in the play “Altynch[ae]ch”, on the other hand, to identify the features of the theatrical language in which its creators conduct a conversation with a teenage audience. The results of the analysis show that in order to find a response from the youth audience and conduct a serious, at the same time fascinating dialogue with them on the topic of national values, the theater resorts to a synthetic language that includes artistic means and techniques of cinema, animation, circus eccentricities, cabaret, elements of digital technology, etc. Modern teenagers living in the world of gadgets, who have fragmented thinking and are accustomed to dealing with frequently changing visual images and pictures, observe with interest what is happening on stage, perceiving what they see rationally, often intuitively and emotionally. And although the performance can be blamed for some unevenness and excessive layering of individual scenes and images, it is an important step towards updating the theatrical language in performances for children and adolescents.

1. Elena Nikolaevna Shevchenko, Институт языка, литературы и искусства им. Г. Ибрагимова Академии наук Республики Татарстан

   Cand. of Sciences (Philology), senior resear­cher

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