The Kyivska Pektoral awards celebrate the best of theater in the capital - but also reveal its shortcomings.
If an award ceremony is supposed to reflect the best a given field has to offer, then there’s arguably something rotten in the state of Kyiv theater. No, the Kyivska Pektoral awards night, held March 27 to coincide with International Theater Day, was not a flop, but there were a number of conspicuous no‑shows, some dubious choices of entertainment and several examples of poor organization.
First introduced in 1992, the Pektoral was intended to celebrate the best directors, actors, composers and set designers in the capital. It took its name from the Golden Pectoral – a lavishly worked Scythian necklace on display in the Pecherska Lavra jewelry museum.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the Pektoral was bigger than ever. Some 30 state‑owned and private Kyiv theaters premiered some 60 plays since the start of the season last fall. A panel of professional critics was responsible for nominating the best of these for consideration by the Pektoral jury, who went on to select winners in each awards category.
Appropriately enough, the winner of this year’s award for Best Play was the Drama and Comedy Theater’s production of “The Audience Is Forbidden to Watch the Performance,” a comedy about Kyiv theater life, poking fun at some of its best‑known personalities and common stereotypes. The triumph represented the sixth Pektoral for the play’s 36‑year‑old director, Yury Odynoky. Runners‑up in the category were the Ivan Franko Theater’s presentation of “Othello” and “Sanctus” courtesy of the Free Theater company.
Two plays shared the award in the Best Play for a Chamber Theater or Small Stage category: “Remembrance of Things Past – a Life,” a collaboration between Dakh Contemporary Arts Center and the Bojichi folk group; and “Liars” by the Drama and Comedy Theater.
A joint first‑prize Pektoral was also awarded for Best Children’s Play: to the Young Spectators’ Theater for its take on the classic tale “Fox Mykyta” by Ivan Franko and to the Musical Theater for Children and Youth for “How the Cossacks Tamed the Serpent.”
The situation was more clear‑cut for Best Director. Stanislav Moiseyev received top honors for two plays at the Molodoi Theater: “Hedda Gabler” and “Lion and Lioness.” Vitaly Malakhov received a nomination for “Othello” and Yury Odynoky for “Audience.”
But “Audience” then bounced back in the Best Actress category, with star Neonila Biletska winning the Pektoral. In the Best Actor category, the Pektoral jury again agreed not to agree – and gave the honor jointly to Bohdan Stupka for his portrayal of Leo Tolstoy in “Lion and Lioness” and Anatoly Khostikoyev for “Othello.”
Anti‑climatically, however, neither Stupka nor Khostikoyev was on hand to receive his award. And several other award winners also failed to turn up for the ceremony; some were busy performing elsewhere and others simply chose to give it a miss.
In many ways, though, they didn’t miss much. Even the best‑run awards ceremonies can be tedious at times, but the Pektorals succeeded in scaring off a good part of the audience by intermission. The main reason was the entertainment.
The concert program had little to do with theater; the reason everyone was present. Instead, it dabbled in ballet, folk songs and even pop music. The selection of pieces seemed random. Perhaps that was because organizers were in a reflective mood and appeared determined to squeeze the whole of Ukraine’s past, present and future into the show – including an appearance by an actor portraying Yaroslav the Wise, a set depicting 11th‑century Kyiv as well as a group of young award‑winning young musicians singing of Ukraine in saccharine‑sweet tones, “We are a young independent country.”
Of course, it was when Ukraine was an even younger independent country that the Kyivska Pektoral awards were launched. On hand to reflect on that was actor, professor and Pektoral co‑founder Mykola Rushkovsky.
“Ten years ago the Pektoral was one of the first theatrical awards in the CIS,” he said. “We were proud to hear our Russian colleagues saying ‘We wish we had one too.’”
A decade on, Rushkovsky also finds himself in a wistful, wishful frame‑of‑mind – largely because 10 years of a transition economy haven’t exactly been beneficial to Ukrainian theater – resulting in lowered budgets, slashed salaries, limited promotion and declining audiences. Alleged inside‑dealing in matters of grants (and awards) hasn’t done much to remedy the situation.
“I don’t think there has been tangible growth since independence,” Rushkovsky said. “Theater isn’t producing any real events; there are many nice works, but nothing truly palatable has emerged lately.”
The situation was well reflected at the Pektoral awards night. Even an individual connected to the award‑winning Best Play, and who asked not to be identified, felt he had to qualify the achievement.
“‘|The Audience Is Forbidden to Watch’ is a hilarious play – the funniest in Kyiv – but it has so many imperfections,” he said. “When you consider that it has been named the Kyiv play of the year, and the ideal to strive for, the situation is pretty gloomy.”
Of course, for those who enjoy a challenge, they should be content to view the Kyiv theater world for what it is: a work in progress – and then proceed to check out this year’s Pektoral nominees and winners or get a jump on next‑year’s prospects.
