The War Through the Lens of New Russian-Language Drama

A Transformation of the Text

Abstract

The article is devoted to the current Russian-Ukraine war reflected from several perspectives. The aim of this study is to examine the changes that have taken place in the themes, genres, and presentation of modern Russian-language drama since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. The first issue discussed by the author is the response of drama communities and festivals dedicated to Russian-language plays in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus to the start of the war. The second question which is investigated here is if emigration and repression have an impact on contemporary drama. The article will prove that the phenomena of emigration and the threat of repression significantly shape the narrative landscape of contemporary plays. The lack of freedom of expression leads to rich, diverse dramatic forms that challenge identity, humanism, and rationalism in the face of danger, and here we can note the emergence of such genre as drama and comedy of the absurd or exploration of forms of the Russian fairy tale in documentary, which have rarely been seen in drama before. Authors from the emigrant circle, who do not experience such tensions, often use personal narratives and documentary forms to convey the realities of homelessness. The third part analyses the play by Esther Bol Crime/#AlwaysArmUkraine, where the author innovatively applies the principles of German epic theater. The analysis based on the materials of plays awarded at annual festivals of Russian-language plays such as Lubimovka, Remarka [Remarque], Pervaya Chitka [The First Reading], Stories, and others. A comprehensive research method is employed, incorporating both analytical tools derived from classical, modernist, and postmodern drama theories, as well as techniques of cultural and sociological analysis.