Evgeny Ibragimov creative residency
Award-winning Circassian-Russian director, playwright, puppeteer, and stage designer Evgeny Ibragimov will be at Boston College November 11-16 for a creative residency, which will include a puppet play, a presentation, and a performance showcase—the culmination of a four-day student workshop.
Ibragimov’s productions have been recognized internationally for their innovative, immersive staging, in which puppets perform with actors, objects, and shadows. Originally from the Republic of Karachaevo-Cherkessia in Russia’s North Caucasus region, Ibragimov has been based in the Czech Republic since 2014, and is now unable to work in Russia due to his opposition to the Putin regime and Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“During Evgeny Ibragimov’s creative residency, the Boston College and greater Boston community will have an opportunity to hear the voice of one of the nations who suffered the full force of Russian imperialistic expansion yet managed to survive, albeit mainly in diaspora,” said residency organizer Curt Woolhiser, a lecturer in the Eastern, Slavic, and German Studies Department.
Evgeny Ibragimov
Ibragimov, also known by the name Shaoukh Ibragim, is an ethnic Cherkes (Circassian/Adyge), one of the hundreds of indigenous non-Slavic minorities of the Russian Federation, according to Woolhiser. “His people, the Circassians (Adyge) of the northwest Caucasus region, put up fierce resistance to Russian expansion from the late 18th century to 1864, when they were subjected to mass ethnic cleansing and genocide (known in Circassian as the Tsitsekun) at the hands of the Russian army and Russian Cossack units,” he said. “As a result, the vast majority of Circassians—more than 85 percent—now live outside the borders of their homeland, with over four million Circassians in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, and Israel, and other countries.”
On November 14 from noon to 1 p.m. in McElroy Commons 237, Ibragimov will give a presentation on the history and cultural traditions of the Circassians and other indigenous peoples of the North Caucasus region. His presentation will be in Russian, with English translation by Polina Dubovikova, a Boston-based actress, singer, and translator.
An area of Ibragimov’s expertise is traditional Circassian puppetry, an art form associated with the dzheguako—Circassian master of ceremonies, storyteller, bard, folk satirist, magician, and soothsayer. On November 15, he will present his Circassian puppet play, “An Old Tale: The Legend of Happiness.” In the work, based on folkloric sources, he recreates the atmosphere of the traditional Circassian dzhegu, or carnival. The puppets featured in the performance are based on traditional Circassian puppets preserved in the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology in St. Petersburg. The event—in Robsham Theater Arts Center’s Bonn Studio Theater from 7-9 p.m.—will be in Russian and Circassian, with English translation by Dubovikova.
These events “will be of interest to multiple constituencies at BC and beyond, bringing together students and faculty from a broad range of humanities disciplines including theater arts, Russian and Eastern European studies, Middle Eastern and Islamic studies, and anthropology,” Woolhiser noted. Ibragimov’s art expands our understanding of Russia as a multi-ethnic country, home to more than 190 distinct ethnic groups, he added.
Fifteen students involved in performing arts, theater, puppetry, acting, directing, and set design, will participate in his workshop, “Animating the Inanimate.” With a focus on various aspects of stage movement, ensemble acting, and storytelling through the creation and manipulation of unique and everyday objects, participants will engage in a collaborative effort, sharing ideas and visions as they work together to create a unique, original performance. The result of these creative explorations will be presented in a showcase performance on November 16 from 7-9 p.m. in the Bonn Studio Theater.
“The opportunity for students to participate in a puppetry workshop will be particularly valuable for our theater students,” Woolhiser noted. “The workshop will also give participants a unique opportunity to learn more about the rich theatrical and puppetry traditions of Eastern Europe.”
The residency is co-sponsored by the Eastern, Slavic, and German Studies and Theatre departments, with funding from the Institute for the Liberal Arts (ILA). For further information, see the ILA website.