Ward 6 Adapted from the Short Story by A. Chekhov and Directed by Yury Yeremin.

In this highly unusual and
harrowing exploration of man's
definition of self, the actors perform
inside a set enclosed on all sides by
their wooden slatted cell (departing
from Stanislavsky's idea of the
imaginary fourth wall) and the
audience seated around the edges
become 'spies' observing the action.
The production is based on Chekhov's
short story, adapted by director Yury
Yeremin, but recreated afresh by the
actors, who improvise every
performance. Set in a mental ward of a
provincial Russian hospital, the play
challenges our ideas of freedom both
physical and spiritual. It presents a
spectacle of madness, the cruelty of the
'inhuman' hospital workers and the
desperate struggle of one man to find
understanding and truth. This
production became the highlight of the
1988 Russian Season in Paris.

split between curious, twilight
landscapes - partly inspired by photos
of a Bhutto company Adasinskij once
saw - and raucous, lurching passages
of what can only be described as 'anti-
clowning' (Michael Morris).

"The centre of any clown is to find the truth
from the inside, but with Derevo, instead of
trying to find humour and pathos they have
added intense drama to the equation - creating
performance theatre that is stunning to look at
and deeply moving." City Limits.

DEREVO The Zone of Red

Derevo is an original and
provocative performance group from
Leningrad, founded by Anton
Adasinskij, formerly the front-man
and choreographer of the avant-garde
rock band Avia, which was such a hit
at this year's Mayfest. Derevo (Tree)
creates works in which language is not
the primary means of expression. In
performance, Derevo's personality is