"The Fate of a Man. The First Spring" play was performed on the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow at the RUSSIA EXPO

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On the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, the Main Stage of the International RUSSIA EXPO hosted a screening of the play "The Fate of a Man. The First Spring" based on the story by Mikhail Sholokhov. The performance was prepared by the ANO Centre for Creative Industries "New City" and the folk theater "New City" with the support of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives and the participation of the modern dance studio "Flash Dance" and the Russian chamber orchestra "Usadba".

In the performance, the plot of Mikhail Sholokhov's story "The Fate of a Man" is intertwined with stories told by participants of the special military operation and residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics.

"The idea to create the play was born after watching a newscast about what is happening in Ukraine, when the plot of one of Sholokhov's works evoked in my memory — the Germans in the Orthodox church hold our guys captive and demand to desecrate the temple. Ours, even under the threat of death, refuse to do so, demonstrating the indestructible spirit of the Russian man. This echoes the events of our days. It is very important to convey the right meanings to young people and explain what we are fighting against now," said the director of the play Mikhail Ivanov.

During the preparation of the project, more than 50 first-hand stories were collected from participants of the special military operation, displaced people from the conflict zone — residents of Donetsk, Luhansk, Mariupol - as well as participants of the Great Patriotic War. These stories were integrated into Sholokhov's story when working on the production and formed the narrative of the play.

"The image of the main character of the play Andrei Sokolov is a collective image of all our people who went through the hardships, difficulties and deprivations of the terrible war, but were not broken by it and found hope. We wanted to tell not only about the Great Patriotic War, but also about what is happening now," added Mikhail Ivanov.

The director of the play pointed out that the main idea of the production is love in all senses and manifestations.

"In this work, the theme of love stretches everywhere — to the Motherland, to the family, to loved ones, to our heroes and defenders. Just yesterday we were talking to participants of the special military operation, and they noted that such projects are very important for them. "It seems that here, on the home front, we live our own detached lives, but when participants in the special operation see that people talk and think about the SMO, it makes them feel good," emphasized Mikhail Ivanov.