Yuri Nachetoy:

I decided to celebrate my birthday on May 3 in a rather unusual way — by going to the premiere of the play "ChekhovOFF. Act 2" from the Mir Theater. And I was right: it was a real theatrical gift — with subtle humor, lively emotions and a huge soul.

It's hard to believe that the actors on stage are not professionals, but participants of the theater studio, who have been studying for only a year. Their performance is sincere, finely constructed, with an amazing sense of rhythm and a deep understanding of the text. It was not just a set of Chekhov's miniatures, but a single, harmonious theatrical canvas, in which each scene surprised and delighted.

The director's concept of the play carefully preserves Chekhov's style and language, but at the same time allows the actors to interpret situations in a modern way. This is where "OFF" in the title comes from, as a play with the classics, its soft rethinking. Chekhov comes to life here not on dusty pages, but right in front of the viewer - lively, ironic, observant and surprisingly relevant.

The Mir Theatre is presenting its performances on the big stage at the University of Ottawa for the first time, and the troupe was a little nervous before the performance. But the actors' nervousness quickly gave way to confidence - and the stage literally came to life. The audience warmly welcomed each scene and generously showered the actors with applause.

The Mir Theatre is not going to stop: the performance of What is Love? is coming up - also on the big stage of the University, and judging by the reaction to "ChekhOFF", tickets will fly off again.

Hurry up - and be sure to watch the interview with the creators of the theatre on our YouTube channel to learn more about people in love with art.