Natalia Pelevine
Encyclopedia
Natalia Pelevine is a British-Russian playwright, political activist and blogger
. Natalia is of Russian and Polish descent. She was born on November 2, 1977 in Moscow
, Russia
and moved to England as a child. Natalia went to a private school, Southbank International. She then received BA in Art History from a London University. Natalia now lives in New York City.
Her great grandfather, a priest, was one of the organizers of an anti-Communist uprising in mid-western Soviet Russia in 1932. 60,000 people participated, but it was ultimately crushed. He was arrested by the NKVD
and was killed after spending six months in jail. He was recently canonized.
On mother's side, the heritage dates back to the Poniatowski aristocratic family.
where she played Ophelia in Hamlet
. Although the production received mixed reviews, her work was singled out and one editorial even said that with her depth the play should be renamed "Ophelia". She also performed in a number off West End productions of Chekhov, Erofeev and Beckett.
She is the author of the controversial play In Your Hands. The play, based on the events of the Moscow theater hostage crisis
, was first staged in London
in October 2006 at the New End Theatre
.
The New End theatre in the North London, where the play ran, was formerly a morgue, where Karl Marx's body was stored before burial. He died in the hospital across the street.
The Russian version of In Your Hands, directed by Skanderbek Tulparov, had its premiere at the Russian Dramatic Theatre in Makhachkala
, Dagestan
in April 2008 and was banned after its opening night performance by the President of Dagestan, Mukhu Aliyev
, who attended the performance. Reuters
covered the event that was picked up by many major global media outlets.
Natalia was one of the people behind the independent research into the Moscow theatre siege. Member of NGO Nord Ost, She remains in close contact with Nord Ost and Beslan
victims and their families. Pelevine consulted on a number of documentary films about the Moscow theatre siege.
Pelevine is a regular political commentator on Al Jazeera
, RTVi
, PressTV, the BBC
and other TV and radio channels. In 2004 Pelevine set up a theatre production company, First Act Productions, which is based in London.
Natalia was involved with Strategy-31
Abroad organization, which rallies for the article 31 of the Russian Constitution and for freedom and democracy in Russia, and opposes the current government. She was the organizer of the New York Strategy 31 picket, on the August 31st, 2010, as well as October 31.
Since then she continued to organize protests, such as a Oleg Kashin picket in November 2010 and a demonstration in support of Mikhail Khodorkovsky on 12 of December 2010. She has mentioned setting up a new movement. In early 2011 Democratic Russia Committee was founded by Natalia and supporters.
According to The Independent
in 2009 she was engaged to a Russian Special Forces
officer Andrei Yakhnev http://www.kasparov.ru/material.php?id=4A55FE918B379 They have since split up.
Natalia Pelevine's play 'I Plead Guilty' had its New York premiere in May 2011 at Gene Frankel theatre.
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
. Natalia is of Russian and Polish descent. She was born on November 2, 1977 in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and moved to England as a child. Natalia went to a private school, Southbank International. She then received BA in Art History from a London University. Natalia now lives in New York City.
Her great grandfather, a priest, was one of the organizers of an anti-Communist uprising in mid-western Soviet Russia in 1932. 60,000 people participated, but it was ultimately crushed. He was arrested by the NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
and was killed after spending six months in jail. He was recently canonized.
On mother's side, the heritage dates back to the Poniatowski aristocratic family.
Biography
Pelevine acted in a number of theatre productions and travelled to the Edinburgh theatre festivalEdinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
where she played Ophelia in Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
. Although the production received mixed reviews, her work was singled out and one editorial even said that with her depth the play should be renamed "Ophelia". She also performed in a number off West End productions of Chekhov, Erofeev and Beckett.
She is the author of the controversial play In Your Hands. The play, based on the events of the Moscow theater hostage crisis
Moscow theater hostage crisis
The Moscow theater hostage crisis, also known as the 2002 Nord-Ost siege, was the seizure of the crowded Dubrovka Theater on 23 October 2002 by some 40 to 50 armed Chechens who claimed allegiance to the Islamist militant separatist movement in Chechnya. They took 850 hostages and demanded the...
, was first staged in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in October 2006 at the New End Theatre
New End Theatre
The New End Theatre, Hampstead, was a 80-seat fringe theatre venue in London, England, located in the London Borough of Camden which operated from 1974 until 2011. It was listed widely on the internet, including with the New York Times....
.
The New End theatre in the North London, where the play ran, was formerly a morgue, where Karl Marx's body was stored before burial. He died in the hospital across the street.
The Russian version of In Your Hands, directed by Skanderbek Tulparov, had its premiere at the Russian Dramatic Theatre in Makhachkala
Makhachkala
-Twin towns/sister cities:Makhachkala is twinned with: Sfax, Tunisia Siping, China Spokane, United States Vladikavkaz, Russia Yalova, Turkey Ndola, Zambia-See also:*...
, Dagestan
Dagestan
The Republic of Dagestan is a federal subject of Russia, located in the North Caucasus region. Its capital and the largest city is Makhachkala, located at the center of Dagestan on the Caspian Sea...
in April 2008 and was banned after its opening night performance by the President of Dagestan, Mukhu Aliyev
Mukhu Aliyev
Mukhu Gimbatovich Aliyev was the President of the Republic of Dagestan, a federal subject of Russia. He was born in the village of Tanusi, Khunzakhsky District, Dagestan ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. Ethnically, he is Avar...
, who attended the performance. Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
covered the event that was picked up by many major global media outlets.
Natalia was one of the people behind the independent research into the Moscow theatre siege. Member of NGO Nord Ost, She remains in close contact with Nord Ost and Beslan
Beslan
Beslan is a town and the administrative center of Pravoberezhny District of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia. In terms of population, Beslan is the third largest town in the republic behind Vladikavkaz and Mozdok...
victims and their families. Pelevine consulted on a number of documentary films about the Moscow theatre siege.
Pelevine is a regular political commentator on Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
, RTVi
RTVi
RTVi is an international Russian-language private television network, with studios based in Moscow, New York and Tel-Aviv, as well as bureaus in Washington DC, Berlin and Kiev, which broadcasts by satellite and cable in Europe, North America, Israel and CIS countries...
, PressTV, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and other TV and radio channels. In 2004 Pelevine set up a theatre production company, First Act Productions, which is based in London.
Natalia was involved with Strategy-31
Strategy-31
Strategy-31 is a series of civic protests in support of the right to peaceful assembly in Russia guaranteed by Article 31 of the Russian Constitution...
Abroad organization, which rallies for the article 31 of the Russian Constitution and for freedom and democracy in Russia, and opposes the current government. She was the organizer of the New York Strategy 31 picket, on the August 31st, 2010, as well as October 31.
Since then she continued to organize protests, such as a Oleg Kashin picket in November 2010 and a demonstration in support of Mikhail Khodorkovsky on 12 of December 2010. She has mentioned setting up a new movement. In early 2011 Democratic Russia Committee was founded by Natalia and supporters.
According to The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
in 2009 she was engaged to a Russian Special Forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
officer Andrei Yakhnev http://www.kasparov.ru/material.php?id=4A55FE918B379 They have since split up.
Natalia Pelevine's play 'I Plead Guilty' had its New York premiere in May 2011 at Gene Frankel theatre.
External links
- Strategy 31 in New York with Natalia Pelevine
- http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/passion-deadly-secrets-and-betrayal-in-putins-russia-1671597.html
- http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?DocsID=877318&ThemesID=56
- http://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsP/pelevine-natalia.html
- http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117984251.html?categoryid=2526&cs=1
- http://nord-ost.org/poslednie-novosti/v-tvoih-rukah_ru.html
- http://www.cbc.ca/arts/theatre/story/2008/04/12/chechen-play-banned.html
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/09/19/bterror19.xml
- http://en.rian.ru/culture/20080411/104867119.html
- http://www.rferl.org/section/Features/405.html
- http://www.newsru.com/arch/cinema/19sep2006/dunt.html
- http://www.novayagazeta.ru/data/2008/24/01.html
- http://www.echo.msk.ru/news/511196-echo.html
- http://www.radiolynx.ro/news.php?offset=1615&id=6888
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/russian/entertainment/newsid_5356000/5356540.stm
- http://www.gazeta.ru/politics/2008/04/07_a_2688183.shtml
- http://www.hotnews.ro/stiri-international-5239253-disneyland-kremlin.htm