The KBSU Theatre presented the premiere of the play «To Be or Not to Be»

They say nothing is known about Shakespeare’s early years… Or maybe it is? A vibrant theatrical event took place on the stage of the cinema and concert hall of the Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after Kh.M. Berbekov. The KBSU «Zanavest» Theatre presented the premiere of the play «To Be or Not to Be,» based on the play of the same name by Valentin Krasnogorov. This one-act ironic comedy, written in 1978, explores the eternal theme of the relationship between creativity and theatrical censorship, but does so through an unexpected historical lens.

Audiences were invited to immerse themselves in a bold fantasy about how Shakespeare created his legendary tragedy, «Hamlet.»

«Of course, this is fiction, but, as we know, Shakespeare was a man just like us and could well have faced problems familiar to his contemporaries,» noted Madina Dokshukina, artistic director of Zanaves.
According to the plot, the Great Bard, played by Islam Shkhagapsoev, a master’s student at the Institute of Economics and Philosophy, comes to the theater to pitch his play. However, instead of triumph, he encounters bureaucratic red tape at every level. Having visited every authority—from the head of the literary department to the director—Shakespeare encounters a wall of misunderstanding. In despair, he shares his misfortune with the cloakroom attendant and finds a kindred spirit in him.

It turns out that the humble cloakroom attendant is also an unrecognized genius inventor, whose mission is to help great people immortalize their works. In the end, Shakespeare is lucky: with the help of the cloakroom attendant’s time machine, he travels back to the 17th century. Now, thanks to this miracle, we know Shakespeare and his immortal works: Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, and others, just as we know the legacy of Gogol, Moliere, and other classics.

The performance received high praise from the audience. The KBSU students delivered a convincing performance, successfully conveying both the humorous and philosophical elements of the play.

According to Madina Dokshukina, the company continues to work actively. Their immediate plans include staging another play by Valentin Krasnogorov, «Staging Hamlet.» Rehearsals are also underway for Leonard Gersh’s play «These Free Butterflies.» For Victory Day, the theater is preparing a production of Ragim Musayev’s play «Odnoklassniki.»