GITIS brings first theatre arts school in South Africa

The Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS), a partner of TV BRICS, has held its first educational programme in South Africa. Masterclasses for professional actors and aspiring performers took place in Johannesburg and Pretoria, the institute's press service reported.

Participants were introduced to Russian methods of actor training, while GITIS lecturers presented a range of approaches to working with performers.

The Russian delegation included theatre director and Honoured Artist of Russia Irina Galibina, stage movement lecturer Peter Novikov, and Arina Smirnova, a student from Mikhail Reznikovich's workshop. The classes were also led by GITIS graduate of the Faculty of Choreography, Slou Akimguereeva, who represents the institute in Africa.

The masterclasses were attended by professional actors and aspiring performers aged between 15 and 17.

"The participants said that, even for those who are already professional actors, this was an entirely new experience unlike anything they had encountered before. Some of them already work with children in theatre studios and schools, and they told us that they had already started using our exercises in their own practice," Irina Galibina noted.

The first stage of the programme took place on the stage of the Johannesburg Theatre. The classes were based on Anton Chekhov's play "Uncle Vanya". The masterclasses concluded with a sketch performance inspired by the play, which the participants presented to the audience. The performance was attended by representatives of the Embassy of Russia in South Africa, the theatre's management and other invited guests.

The second stage was held at the South African State Theatre in Pretoria. There, the lecturers moved away from working with a specific dramatic text and instead structured the classes according to the same model they use with their students in Moscow. Participants showed particular interest in exercises designed to develop a sense of rhythm. The programme included coordination, agility and movement exercises, elements of stage acrobatics and the fundamentals of Meyerhold's biomechanics. The final presentation took the form of an open lesson, during which the exercises and practical tasks followed one another.

The programmes in Johannesburg and Pretoria differed in both format and content, allowing participants to become acquainted with various approaches employed in Russian theatre education.

The organisers hope that the project will become the first step towards developing cooperation between the theatres of Russia and South Africa.

The project was implemented under the Priority 2030 Strategic Academic Leadership Programme. The visit by the GITIS lecturers was organised with the support of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in South Africa.