Niche Petersburg Experience or How I Fell in Love with Studio Theater

A non-obvious fact about the channel's author: I performed in a university theater studio. That's why any visit to intimate performances feels like a very special "La La Land" experience. There is a certain magic in such local spaces, where you almost physically feel the breath of the stage, and everything that happens seems maximally intimate and deeply familiar.

At first, I went to see "The Maids" (based on the play by Jean Genet) with certain cinephile expectations, but the director outwitted everyone in the audience. Once you pick up on the theme of split personality and masked tragedy, everything falls into place. It was incredibly interesting to follow this imagery: how one personality shatters into fragments, how they try on other people's lives, playing until madness.

It's clear that the space was approached with intelligence and love, which is typical for local productions—it's always endearing. It turned out to be a multi-layered experience, food for both mind and heart.

Thank you to Kumquat for the invitation ❣️