baryshnikov comes to berkeley rep to perform krymov's in paris

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For photos, interviews, videos, etc. contact:
Terence Keane, Director of Public Relations
(510) 647-2917, tkeane@berkeleyrep.org
BARYSHNIKOV COMES TO BERKELEY REP TO PERFORM KRYMOV’S IN PARIS
20 performances only of romantic new play created by renowned artists born in Russia
MARCH 7, 2012 – Berkeley Repertory Theatre invites audiences to a love story that could
only unfold In Paris. This spring – for 20 performances only – legendary performer
Mikhail Baryshnikov takes the stage with Anna Sinyakina and a talented ensemble assembled
by visionary director Dmitry Krymov.
Based on a story by Nobel Prize-winner Ivan Bunin, In Paris is a dazzling new play set in the
1930s, which mixes movement with a romantic story and spectacular design. This rare
international collaboration – told in French and Russian with English supertitles – unites
renowned artists born in Russia for a vivid visual experience. Visit the city of light and love with
Berkeley Rep, Baryshnikov, and the Dmitry Krymov Laboratory.
In Paris plays a limited engagement of less than three weeks: the run begins on April 25, and the
show must close May 13. Presented in the Roda Theatre, this exciting new play features set and
costume design by Maria Tregubova and original music by Dmitry Volkov. The cast includes
Baryshnikov and Sinyakina alongside Maxim Maminov, Maria Gulik, Dmitry Volkov,
and Polina Butko with Ossi Makkonen and Lasse Lindberg. The production also showcases
the work of Damir Ismagilov (lighting designer), Andrey Shchukin (movement coach),
Alexei Ratmansky (choreographer), and Tei Blow (audio and video designer).
In Paris is a production of the Baryshnikov Arts Center, Dmitry Krymov Laboratory, and the AG
Foundation in association with the Korjaamo Culture Factory of Helsinki, Finland. The executive
producers of this special presentation at Berkeley Rep are Bill Falik and Diana Cohen and the
Strauch Kulhanjian Family. Fidelity Investments and the Bernard Osher Foundation serve as
production sponsors.
“We are delighted to welcome Mikhail Baryshnikov and this enormously talented company to the
Bay Area,” says Tony Taccone, artistic director of Berkeley Rep. “It’s an honor to host a
performer who has continuously sought to challenge himself by creating sophisticated and difficult
work. It is simply thrilling to see an artist of his caliber in fierce pursuit of complicated truths, and
we look forward to sharing that experience with our audience.”
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“Baryshnikov’s acting has always been a part of his greatness,” asserts the Chicago Tribune.
“The Dmitry Krymov Laboratory – a young Moscow-based company – has offered him an
exceptional new leading role. Premiered in Finland in August, In Paris contains little to no dance,
but as theatre it is resoundingly poetic work…an intimate, melancholy story, where even the jokes
are bittersweet,” says the Financial Times. “A chorus of five actors and singers joins the couple,
and both the music and the subtle use of video contribute to the atmosphere of this eerie,
surprising production.”
“Dmitry Krymov is a revolutionary. His theatrical tools are not new, yet every moment is
unexpected,” remarks the Moscow Journal. “Krymov steps over the literal into the poetic. Each
image he creates is like a poem. All the images connect like beads on a necklace, fashioning a
performance. While employing some texts in his productions, the majority of his works are
visually based. The result: unforgettable theatrically-charged moments.”
Dmitry Krymov is a painter, theatre director, and scenic designer. His productions for the
Krymov Laboratory have appeared in Estonia, Finland, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Poland,
Russia, and beyond. Krymov earned the Stanislavsky Prize for Innovation and the Crystal
Thurandot Award for Best Director. Along with his students, he won the Grand-Prix of the Prague
Quadrennial, and their productions have twice been awarded the Golden Mask. As a designer,
Krymov has worked on productions in Bulgaria, Japan, and throughout Russia, including more
than 90 shows with the Moscow Art Theatre and Taganka Theatre. His paintings are included in
the collections of the Vatican Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the State
Russian Museum and the State Theatre Museum in St. Petersburg, and the State Tretyakov
Gallery in Moscow, as well as in numerous private collections. Krymov currently teaches at the
Russian Academy of Theatre Arts (RATI-GITIS) in Moscow, where he is also head of the artistic
course in the department of dramatic directing.
Mikhail Baryshnikov, a native of Riga, Latvia, was born in 1948 and began studying ballet at the
age of 9. As a teenager, he attended the Vaganova Academy in Leningrad, graduating from
student to principal dancer of the Kirov Ballet in 1969. In 1974, he left the Soviet Union to dance
with major ballet companies around the world including the New York City Ballet, where he
worked with George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. In 1980 he began a 10-year tenure as
artistic director of American Ballet Theatre, nurturing a new generation of dancers and
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BARYSHNIVKOV COMES TO BERKELEY REP / 3 OF 4
choreographers. From 1990 to 2002, Baryshnikov was director and dancer with the White Oak
Dance Project, which he co-founded with choreographer Mark Morris to expand the repertoire
and visibility of American modern dance. In 2005, he opened the Baryshnikov Arts Center in
Manhattan, a creative home for local and international artists to develop and present work. Under
his leadership as artistic director, BAC programs serve approximately 500 artists and more than
20,000 audience members each year. Baryshnikov’s many awards include the Chubb Fellowship,
the Commonwealth Award, the Jerome Robbins Award, the Kennedy Center Honors, and the
National Medal of Honor. Most recently he was awarded the rank of Officer of the French Legion
of Honor.
So join us In Paris. Tickets to this romantic rendezvous range from $45 to $125 (subject to
change). Additional savings are available for groups, seniors, students, and anyone under 30
years of age – meaning discounted seats can be obtained for as little as $22.50. On
Wednesday, April 25, Bistro Liaison hosts a pre-show dinner for Berkeley Rep’s donors and VIPs,
and at 7:00 PM on select evenings patrons can whet their palates for the play with free tastings
from these culinary artisans: Peterson Winery on Friday, May 4; Calstar Cellars on Saturday, May
5; Cater Too on Friday, May 11; and Via Pacifica Selections on Saturday, May 12.
The Roda Theatre is located at 2015 Addison Street, near bus lines, bike routes, and parking lots
– and only half a block from BART. For tickets or information, call (510) 647-2949 or click
berkeleyrep.org.
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Berkeley Repertory Theatre has grown from a storefront stage to a national leader in innovative
theatre. Known for its core values of imagination and excellence, as well as its educated and
adventurous audience, the nonprofit has provided a welcoming home for emerging and
established artists since 1968. With two stages, a school, and a Tony Award for Outstanding
Regional Theatre, Berkeley Rep is proud to premiere exhilarating new plays. In the last six years,
the company has helped send six shows to Broadway. Seven more landed off Broadway, one
moved to London, two turned into films, and others toured the nation. Come see tomorrow’s plays
today at Berkeley Rep.
The Dmitry Krymov Laboratory was founded in 2005. Its first production was Not a Fairytale,
made by the first-year students of RATI-GITIS. Based on Russian folk fairytales, the performance
was without words. Anatoly Vasiliev, one of the most significant theatre directors of our time and
head of Moscow Theatre’s School of Dramatic Art, saw Not a Fairytale and offered to produce it
on a regular basis at his theatre, as well as to support the laboratory of Krymov’s student-artists.
Since then, a rotating cast of students and six young actors, all graduates from RATI-GITIS and
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BARYSHNIVKOV COMES TO BERKELEY REP / 4 OF 4
the Boris Shchukin Theatre Institute, have worked in the Laboratory to create nine productions.
The Laboratory continues to foster an unusual theatre of artists, with its own unique aesthetic.
The Baryshnikov Arts Center is the realization of a long-held vision by artistic director Mikhail
Baryshnikov, who sought to build an arts center in Manhattan that would serve as a gathering
place for artists from all disciplines. BAC’s opening in 2005 heralded the launch of this mission,
establishing a thriving creative laboratory and performance space for artists from around the
world. BAC’s activities encompass a robust residency program augmented by a range of
professional services, including commissions of new work, as well as the presentation of
performances by artists of excellence at varying stages of their careers. In tandem with its
commitment to supporting artists, BAC is dedicated to building audiences for the arts by
presenting contemporary, innovative work at affordable ticket prices. In 2010, BAC opened the
Jerome Robbins Theater, which serves as an organic extension of the existing center, featuring
multidisciplinary work, emerging talent, and international artists, and including artist-centered
activity that fosters creative exploration. For more information, visit www.bacnyc.org.
The AG Foundation is a cultural charity organization established in 2006, implementing socially
important projects in the sphere of culture, education, and children’s health. The mission of the
Foundation is to transform and enlighten its audience through the aesthetic and incentive force of
art, and to raise funds to help young children in need. Its activities are guided by the best
Russian and Western charity traditions. The Foundation supports the work of individual artists
and collaborates with a variety of cultural organizations from the performance arts to
contemporary installation and art festivals, with special emphasis on the next generation of
artists.
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IN PARIS
FACT SHEET
WHO: Adapted from the short story by Ivan Bunin
Direction and adaptation by Dmitry Krymov
Set and costume design by Maria Tregubova
Music by Dmitry Volkov
Performed by Mikhail Baryshnikov and Anna Sinyakina, Maxim Maminov, Maria
Gulik, Dmitry Volkov, and Polina Butko with Ossi Makkonen and Lasse Lindberg
Featuring the work of Damir Ismagilov (lighting designer), Andrey Shchukin
(movement coach), Alexei Ratmansky (choreographer), and Tei Blow (audio
and video designer)
WHAT: In Paris
Visit the city of light and love with Berkeley Rep, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and the
Dmitry Krymov Laboratory. A vivid visual experience, this romantic new play is told
in French and Russian with English subtitles.
WHERE: Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison Street @ Shattuck, Berkeley, CA 94704
WHEN: 20 PERFORMANCES ONLY: April 25 – May 13, 2012
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays @ 8:00 PM
Wednesdays @ 7:00 PM (except VIP night on 4/25 @ 8:00 PM)
Saturdays @ 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM
Sundays @ 2:00 PM
HOW MUCH: $22.50 - $125 (subject to change)
Discounts: • Half-price tickets available for anyone under 30 years of age
• $10 discount for students and seniors one hour before curtain
• Groups of 15 or more, contact (510) 647-2918 or groups@berkeleyrep.org
PHOTOS: http://www.berkeleyrep.org/press/photos-12ip.asp
TIX & INFO: (510) 647-2949 – berkeleyrep.org