In 2019, UO Russian theater will celebrate its 15th anniversary with a comedy about a Russian mathematician and put up a retrospective exhibition of photos and stage pieces. Members of the UO and Eugene community are invited to join in both events, as actors, crew, or audience, as we celebrate our decade and a half of bilingual performances.
For the last fifteen years, the UO Russian Theater has been offering students from various UO Departments an opportunity to participate in a live show. Thousands of people have attended the plays, and the show has become a beloved staple on the UO and Eugene artistic scene. This has been made possible thanks to the collaboration and generous help provided by the REEES, University Housing, UO Libraries, Theater Arts and Music.
The show is a comedy featuring the story of Isaak Perelman, a Russian mathematician who solved one of the seven Millennium problems.
He was awarded a million dollar prize and the prestigious Fields medal but rejected both. Nobody could get an interview with this mystery man, and rumors and legends abounded. Some even said that Perelman was helped by the mathematicians of the past, such as the ancient Greek genius, Pythagoras, and felt it would be dishonest to accept the honor alone. In this year’s play, ancient legends, modern Russians chasing money for their organizations, secret service men looking to improve the image of Russia in the West, and Perelman’s own family and friends conspire in an intricate scheme to make him accept the prize.
Students with or without prior experience with theater or Russian are welcome to join in many capacities – acting in English or Russian, singing, playing an instrument, making costumes and art, dancing, choreographing, dealing with tech aspects of the show and much more. Students can take theater as a course, for up to four credits, or just volunteer.