The International Theatre Programme of the XIV Platonov Arts Festival was opened with a
production by the Delia Olivella National Arts Center and People’s Theatre workshop (Colombia)
based on the story by Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez, No One Writes to the Colonel.
The theatre group from Colombia came to Voronezh for the first time as part of the Regional
Programme of the Chekhov International Theatre Festival. A press conference was held on the
eve of the premiere, which was attended by:
— Héctor Isidro Arenas Neira, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Colombia to the
Russian Federation;
— Maria Mazur, Minister of Culture of the Voronezh Region;
— Karina Tsaturova, General Director of the Chekhov International Theatre Festival;
— Yuri Zaitsev, Director of the Festival Directorate of the Voronezh Region;
— Germán Jaramillo, theatre and film actor (Colombia), leading actor in the play No One Writes to the Colonel.
The Ambassador thanked the Directorate for their hospitality and reminded everyone of the 90th
anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Colombia and Russia. The countries
cooperate in many areas, especially in culture. Colombian actors know and respect the Russian
theatre school and stage many plays based on our classics. In Russia, Colombian authors are
known and read, for example Gabriel García Márquez. In conclusion, Mr. Héctor Isidro Arenas
Neira wished the Platonov Festival to flourish, and expressed hope to return to Voronezh to
showcase performances by Colombian directors and to introduce Latin American culture to the
people of our city.
The Minister of Culture of the Voronezh Region, Maria Mazur, thanked the Ambassador for his
attention to the Platonov Arts Festival and noted that the arrival of the Colombian theatre group
was a unique event for the region, made possible through cooperation between the Chekhov and
Platonov Festivals. She also expressed her gratitude to Karina Tsaturova, General Director of the
Chekhov Festival, and warmly invited guests to explore Voronezh: ‘Our aim today is to show
Voronezh, tell our history. We are planning a large excursion program because we live in a very
welcoming city that always awaits its dear guests.’
The Chekhov International Theatre Festival is Russia’s first and largest international theatre forum.
It has maintained a long-standing friendship and cooperation with the Platonov Arts Festival.
Thanks to this partnership, Russian audiences have a unique opportunity to discover outstanding
foreign productions and help to showcase Russia’s theatrical life worldwide. Festival Director
Karina Tsaturova noted: ‘I am very glad that during your wonderful festival
we have been cooperating annually by presenting performances at the Platonov Festival within
the framework of the Regional Programme of the Chekhov Forum. This is our traditional friendly
cultural collaboration. Since 2011, we have staged 14 performances comprising 39 shows. This
year alone, we have three performances.’
As part of the International Theatre Programme at the XIV Platonov Arts Festival, there will also be shows by:
The State Russian Drama Theatre named after K. Stanislavsky (Armenia) — Money.
Passion. Power, based on a novel by Ivan Goncharov; the City Theatre Company (Brazil) in
collaboration with Valle University (Colombia) — A Gentle Creature, based on a story by Fyodor
Dostoevsky.
Yuri Zaitsev, Director of the Voronezh Region Festival Directorate, expressed gratitude to the
Chekhov Festival for their cooperation and hoped that this friendship would continue to grow
expanding their repertoire and delighting audiences with new productions: ‘We will make Russian
culture accessible abroad and bring back some of what’s best from around the world,’ he said.
After the press conference, festival guests explored Voronezh: they learned its history, admired
Petrovskaya Embankment and Ship-Museum Goto Predestinatsia. They also visited the Assumption Admiralty Church — the oldest surviving church in Voronezh.
The evening concluded at Voronezh Drama Theater named after Alexei Koltsov with the first show
of the play No One Writes to the Colonel.
