"...They told the children how the Tsar had wanted them to stay stupid and only had use for their hands, like animals to be worked on the land, and now they should educate themselves and become more than just dumb animals..."
On 7th November a great new play to mark one hundred years since the Russian Revolution arrives at Salford Arts Theatre. It is the first foray out of Merseyside for Burjesta Theatre Company and it seems fitting to bring Revolution to the old stomping ground of Marx and Engels.
Revolution looks at the momentous events of a major historic revolt, and I caught up with writer/director Julian Bond to discuss this bold undertaking, asking him when his fascination with the subject began...
"Around about five years ago, maybe more, when I started looking at the writings of Lenin and others I started to see the importance of the subject" he recalls "That said I remember reading John Reed's classic description of the Russian Revolution, Ten Days that Shook the World - which we've used extensively at times in our play - many years ago and being transfixed by the drama of the account; still in my opinion the account of all time."
Clearly, it's an ambitious project bringing such a huge concept to the stage? "A couple of the challenges that immediately come to mind are what to put in and what to leave out" he explains "Originally I had conceived the play as covering events from the precursor to the Russian Revolution, the Paris Commune of 1871, right through the events of the 1905 Revolution, the outbreak of World War I etc, but it was just not viable so I restricted myself to covering 1917 exclusively.
"A further problem was how to dramatize, both at the writing and directing stage, events, at times dry and theoretical, at others monumental" he adds "I and my editor, Mikyla Jane Durkan, decided upon a combination of drama, reportage and a Greek-style chorus to cover events, as well as making use of two American journalists, the aforementioned John Reed and Albert Rhys Williams, who were both in Petrograd during the latter half of 1917, as a way of explaining and covering complex issues fairly succinctly."
Although the action took place one hundred years ago, the tale still resonates. Julian explains why he believes the Russian Revolution is so enduring... "The story of the Russian workers, soldiers, peasants and internationalist socialists, such as Lenin who led them, endures because it is entirely relevant" he insists "They fought to create a better society, one in which they were no longer enslaved to others and one in which their children would have a better life than themselves.
"There is a story in one of the books that I researched, though I didn't use it in the play, where, after the success of the revolution, two old peasants show their hands to children around them who are attending a literacy class, something that was not accessible during the pre-revolutionary times" he says "They told the children how the Tsar had wanted them to stay stupid and only had use for their hands, like animals to be worked on the land, and now they should educate themselves and become more than just dumb animals. That kind of sums it up.
"The fact is with the attack on the working class in Britain today by the ruling class... the fight of the Russian revolutionaries is entirely relevant to people here in this country today" he explains "It should act as something of touch stone."
Summing up Revolution, Julian concludes: "To use the phrase of Karl Marx, it reveals 'the war of capital against labour' and how labour and the working class fought back and won…"
It's the first time this great theatre company has ventured outside of Merseyside; a rare and long overdue treat. Be sure to get along and share their delight in bringing Revolution to Salford.
Revolution
Tuesday 7th November 7.30pm
Salford Arts Theatre M5 4BS
Tickets - £8/£6
For more details and to book click here
See also the Facebook event page – click here
For more details on Burjesta Theatre see the website www.burjesta-theatre.co.uk
Words by Ian Leslie
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