Tallinn City Theatre – “Playing the Victim”

By Oleg and Vladimir Presnjakov

Director: Mart Koldits
Design: Iir Hermeliin
Translator: Martin Algus
Cast: Priit Võigemast, Aleksander Eelmaa, Epp Eespäev, Allan Noormets, Rain Simmul, Andres Raag, Mart Toome, Piret Kalda, Kalju Orro, Indrek Ojari, Andero Ermel, Marje Metsur, Ene Järvis, Helene Vannari.

“Playing the Victim” is a witty and contemporarily ironic reflection of society which tries to dissect one of the primal human emotions – fear. The protagonist Valya is a highly-educated young man who works with the militia impersonating victims in crime reconstructions. In his free time, he tries in his own way to come to terms with the complexities of life like the death of his father, his mother’s affair with his uncle and a disappointed girlfriend. Valya is a Hamlet-like character who recognises that life is unfair and shallow and suffers because of it but who despite all that is unable to do something about it – at least not before the imaginary and the real have become indistinguishable from one another.

The play by the Presnjakovs which has been successfully staged in Russia and in Europe and made into a film, offers a sharply grotesque and comically ruthless insight into the contemporary society.

www.linnateater.ee
The play runs for 2 hours and 55 minutes.
The premiere was held on 29th March, 2008.

NB! A theatrical smoke machine is used in the play (theatrical smoke is not dangerous to your health).