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Golden Mask 2006, National Russian Theatre Award and Festival

01.03.2006

March 29 to April 17, 2006 is the time when Moscow welcomes Russia?s most prestigious performing arts festival and competition, crowned with the national Golden Mask award. The festival is an annual event, presenting the best drama, opera, ballet and puppetry productions of the previous season selected by a board of experts consisting of theatre critics, journalists and theatre managers. In accordance with the decisions of a jury composed of theatre professionals, the prestigious Golden Mask award is conferred upon the best productions, directors, actors and stage designers nominated in some two dozen categories.

The national theatre award was founded by the Theatre Union of the Russian Federation. The first Golden Mask awards ceremony was held on March 13, 1995. In 1996 the Golden Mask received the status of a national, All-Russian Festival. At present, the nomination categories have been expanded to include - in addition to the main nominations for best acting, directing, conducting, choreography and set design - a number of nominations that are very important for modern Russian theatre. These are the special awards for ?Lifetime Achievement? and ?Support of Russian Theatre?. Two other special awards, ?Best Foreign Production Presented in Russia? and  the ?Critics and Journalists Award? were established in 1998. The three winners of ?Lifetime Achievement?, ?Support of Russian Theatre? and ?Best Foreign Production Presented in Russia? are announced before the start of the festival. In 2004 this award was conferred upon the production of Eimuntas Necrosius Seasons. Joys of Spring and Autumn Wealth and in 2005 Pina Bausch was announced the winner in this nomination. This year Michael Thalheimer's production of Emilia Galotti was named ?Best Foreign Production Presented in Russia in the Previous Season?.

An important part of the Golden Mask Festival is the Russian Case, a special international program that is addressed to the large contingent of international guests (about 100 guests from some 30 countries), including festival and theatre directors, promoters, programmers and theatre critics. The goal of the Russian Case is to update the international theatre community on recent developments in Russian theatre. Over the years directors of important international festivals, such as the Avignon Festival, the Edinburgh Festival, BITEF, NITRA, have been among the Golden Mask Festival guests.

The Festival has developed a program of introducing Golden Mask winners and nominees to various regions of Russia. Such touring festivals have already been held in some dozen Russian cities. In November 2005 the Golden Mask held its first international project presenting the best of Russian theatre in Estonia. The project was implemented with the support of the Russian Federal Agency for Culture and Cinematography, the Estonian Ministry of Culture and Municipality of Tallinn. 36 Russian productions are to be staged at this year?s festival. The winners of the National Golden Mask Award will be announced April 17 at the award-giving ceremony, which will be held at the Bolshoi?s New Stage.

Info source:

www.goldenmask.ru