The performance by Beniamin Kots and his team was chosen from draft-projects of five ‘Laboratory 17’ finalists. ‘Laboratory 17’ is a competition for young directors, launched by the Alexandrinsky Theatre last summer. Theatre’s Principal Director Nikolai Roshchin mentors the competition. Its goal is to develop into a space for debate and communication between debuting directors and dramatists, who present unconventional productions of contemporary plays and stories.

Laboratory’s Directors Collegium got more than 60 applications, and only five prospective directors were given further opportunity of presenting performance draft sketches after a week of rehearsals: Oleg Khristoloubsky (performance ‘Body. Home’, play by Ksenia Saveljeva), Beniamin Kots (performance ‘A Diary’, play by Anna Safronova and Anastasia Fyodorova), Ivan Komarov (performance ‘Flying Swings’, play by Konstantin Steshik), Maksim Fomin (performance ‘Outsider’, play by Anastasia Bukreeva), Maria Seledets (performance ‘Teacher’s Day’, play by Foma Popov and Maria Seledets). It was Beniamin Kots’ application that eventually won the competition.

A remarkable work of Polish twentieth century literature, ‘The Diary’ by world-renowned writer and dramatist Witold Gombrowicz (1904-1969) became the source for the play by Anna Safronova and Anastasia Fyodorova (translation: Juri Tchainikov). Gombrowicz is both ‘The Diary’s author and personage, fighting his individual conflicts as if they were global. He is an Ego, which defines himself among other ‘selfs’ through producing individualistic philosophy non-stop. He is a physical being, sinking into material world in pain and burning passions. In a word, ‘The Diary’ by Witold Gombrowicz is a European’s hipster must-have. 

Premiered on March 14, 2018