HERE I STAND – 18 young people from Russia, Poland and Germany End of 2. part: We have met, first in Warsaw and just now St. Petersburg, ten amazing personalities who have dared / dare to raise their voices despite of difficulties and risks. Our ensemble will meet again in Berlin and devise a play out of all these impulses, thoughts and own ideas.

HERE IS STAND – 18 young people from Russia, Poland and Germany 6. Day A) Move and sweat B) Skype-Interview with Elena Gremina, Playwright and director of ‚Theatre.doc‘ – the Documentary theatre company ‚Teatr.doc‘ is a non-state, non-commercial, independent common project. They produce performances based on meetings with real people, on the most pressing themes of the reality of contemporary Russia. http://www.teatrdoc.ru/

HERE I STAND – 18 young people from Russia, Poland and Germany 5. day Meeting with Daria Serenko (#quietprotest #tichiypiket) and Alexander Shurshev (activist of the SPRING-Movement). Daria also did a workshop with us creating posters. This posters are silent expressions, you sit i.e. in the metro, do NOT hold it up, just in your hand, an offer for communication. Aim is the dialogue, not to convince someone – and to change the social climate…

We visited the Museum of Political History of Russia to find out more about the historical context in which our hero – Andrey Sakharov – lived and stood up for his beliefs. „Between utopia and reality“ is the name of the exhibition that we have seen explaining about life in the Soviet Union. How to present it convincingly on a stage, with all its details and contradictions? This question was later discussed by the participants in the theatre rehearsal. More and more scenes of our play are starting to take shape! In the afternoon we had a chance visit „Nochlezhka“, Russian oldest charity providing assistance to homeless people, and talk to Viktoria Ryzhkova, who is working there since 10 years now. Besides explaining about the organisation’s work with the homeless and their problems, our participants asked a lot of questions about her motivation to work in a charity and dedicating energy to helping others, specially since Viktoria herself deals with a rare genetical illness. Yet another issue to reflect on collectively.

On the third day in Saint Petersburg we concentrated on the stories of the dissident movement in the Soviet Union. First we discussed the life and legacy of Andrey Sakharov with historian Dmitry Dubrovski. He explained us how a prominent Soviet scientist like Sakharov became the leading dissident and defender of human rights in the country. This meeting was particularly important since Sakharov is one of the three main heroes of our historical research in the project (next to Irena Sendler in Poland and Martin Luther in Germany). Afterwards we connected via videoconference with Moscow to talk with Alexander Daniel, in the Soviet times one of the editors of the underground “Chronicle of Current Events” and the son of Yuli Daniel, another prominent Soviet dissident. “I was surrounded by people who refused to think of themselves as unfree. They decided to live like free people in an unfree country” – Alexander Daniel told us, characterizing the dissident community of that times. We finished the day with a visit to the Bolshoi Theatre to watch “Swan Lake”. Pure Russian experience for the end of an intensive day!

The second day in St. Petersburg!

Today is the starting point of our journey in Russia, St. Petersburg! It is going to be an very inspiring and wonderful encounter. Everyone is so happy to see eachother again!