South African director James Ngcobo, artistic director of the Joburg Theatre, Roodepoort Theatre and Soweto Theatre, is making his debut at the Theatre of Nations. Ngcobo's work has received numerous awards. His creative style is characterized by complex yet captivating productions designed for sophisticated theater audiences. For his first production in Russia, the director has chosen Miss Julie, a tragic story about the relationship between a footman and an aristocrat's daughter. This work was written by Swedish writer August Strindberg, one of the founders of modern drama.

"This play is particularly interesting to me because it addresses the important topic of relationships between people of different social classes. It reflects a situation where some people accept their fortunate fate as routine, while others, perhaps less fortunate by birthright, become dreamers, full of ambition and aspirations. This phenomenon is timeless and universal, it is observed throughout the world and reflects an important aspect of human nature. And, of course, this play addresses everything that modern society struggles with—harassment, abuse, bullying... But whether there is love—that's something each audience member must decide for themselves after the performance," explains James Ngcobo.

In the classic interpretation, Miss Julie is a play for three, but Ngcobo introduces six dancers, who act as silent witnesses and invisible judges of everything that happens on this mystical Midsummer night - like an ancient Greek chorus. The presence of such a collective character was important to the director, because no matter who you are in life, you are always being watched from the outside by at least two eyes. Modern audiences, living in the age of social media, are especially familiar with this feeling of social voyeurism.

We would like to thank Anna Lifirenko for her assistance in staging the production.