10 Shades of Fear by Vladimir Mashkov and his team

Imagine that you, at the kind invitation of an unknown person, come to a quiet secluded island. Several strangers are there with you. And in this mysterious setting, a loud voice “from heaven” publicly voices your most shameful offense in life, and then threatens with terrible retribution.

You have to end your life in the most tragic way any minute. There is nowhere to run, you are cornered. What will you experience – horror? Anger? Despair? Panic? Willingness to fight to the end? In such circumstances, the heroes of Agatha Christie’s play “And There Were None” find themselves.

The play was born from a novel known in Russia as “Ten Little Indians”. The plot was based on an old counting rhyme about ten little negro children, later renamed by the author into Indians for reasons of political correctness. Once at the performance staged by Vladimir Mashkov, the audience can join the fears of the characters and at the same time explore, pull out of the twilight into the bright light what frightens them. Bring the situation to the point of absurdity, relate it to reality and, ultimately, free yourself and calm down.

We asked the director and the participants of the performance what fears their heroes and they themselves face. And what helps them overcome these fears.

From excitement to horror

Vladimir Mashkov, director

Fear in the play Each character in our performance is frightened, but this manifests itself in different ways: fear paralyzes one, causes resistance in another, the third begins to defend himself or rushes to the attack. And someone is seized with such strong horror that he simply loses consciousness: it is so unbearable for him to withstand fear that it is better to turn off immediately, without waiting for the denouement. And so I, as a director, let in the fears of all the characters at once (and at the same time the actors) – from excitement to panic.

Exploring various reactions and the depth of the lesion, I also remember my pain points, but this is not so much scary as interesting.

Fear in life. I once had a collision with the most important fear – the fear of death. And my character helped to cope with it. On the set of the film “The Edge” by Alexei Uchitel (2010), I had to swim across the turbulent Vuoksa River. It was October, the water was eight degrees. I, dressed as a soldier, had to jump into the water and swim 20 meters.

I played a tanker who returned from the front, a courageous, brave man. And so, under the influence of this heroic image, I heroically pushed off, jumped and swam heroically. The current was so strong that I was carried away. All the forces went to the resistance, and then there was a belt with boots around the neck …

My legs cramped, and I realized that I was drowning. They wave from the shore: come back, filmed! And I don’t even have the strength to move to the shore. I emerge for a moment, but I can’t shout “help”. Because well, my character could not show such weakness. It’s not in his nature. With the last of my strength, I threw to the stuntman, who was waiting on the shore with a rope: “Glory, I’m goofy!” Only the word there was harder. Such a harsh, reserved masculine farewell. Slava rushed to meet me, threw the rope, I miraculously grabbed it. This is how I shielded myself from my personal shame with the image of a fearless hero who scorned death.

Personal hack. I can tell you how to overcome stage fright, the fear of public speaking, which I have known well since my youth. No matter how you shake before going out, you need to focus on the first, specific task, concentrate entirely on this action. Let’s say you have to go out – and move the chair to another place or spread out the papers. Everything. Just go out and do it. And then one action leads to another. You get carried away, you enter the process, and the panic recedes.

Fear of helplessness

Anna Chipovskaya, actress

Fear in the play I think, most of all, my heroine Vera is afraid of helplessness. It’s a terrible feeling. She is actually locked on this island, there is nowhere to run, and most importantly, it is completely incomprehensible – from whom. The tragedy that happened in her life continues to haunt her: Vera was a nanny for a boy who, while swimming, due to her oversight, swam behind a rock and drowned. This also plays a huge role in her condition. I don’t know how I would feel in her place, whether I was able to survive it.

Fear in life. As a child, I was very brave, I always climbed higher than everyone else, ripped off my legs in blood, jumped into the sea from the highest cliffs. Then something happened, and I turned into a coward, I’m still afraid of something, and believe me, it greatly interferes with life. So I removed the fear. This is my way of dealing with it.

Fear of admitting to yourself that you are guilty

Vitaly Egorov, actor

Fear in the play My hero, Dr. Edward Armstrong, operated on a drunken woman, and as a result she died. He is afraid to admit to himself that he is guilty. He does not know, does not understand whether it will be easier for him if he confesses. And that’s why he’s afraid. It seems to me that after recognition it always becomes easier for a person: a stone from the soul, a mountain from the shoulders …

One of Armstrong’s small “happinesses” was that he managed to confess before his death and was released. I think that he passed away happier than before the arrival of the Indians on the island.

Fear in life. Of course I use my fears when I’m on stage. I know well this terrible feeling – when all the needles are in one point. It’s scary when what you aspire to, what you hope for, may not go the way you plan. Right now, my biggest fear concerns children. I really want everything to go in the best way, so that I am alive, healthy and able to help them.

Personal hack. Fear is a defensive reaction of the body. We must first understand what it comes from. What are you really afraid of? The organism is arranged correctly. If he is defending himself against something, he must be trusted. And just accept it.

Panic fear of exposure

Yana Sexte, actress

Fear in the play My character Ethel is afraid that everyone will find out about her crime: while caring for a sick elderly woman, Ethel did not give her medicine in time, and she died. My heroine convinced herself that she was innocent. She didn’t seem to do anything wrong, didn’t beat, didn’t choke with a pillow. I just didn’t call the doctor on time. Moreover, she performed a kind of euthanasia, made it easier for the woman to leave. But all these logical explanations do not bring liberation. And the publicity of the crime causes Ethel a real panic attack, turning into hysteria. You don’t envy her.

Fear in life. I also have a violent reaction to fear. I almost ruined a rehearsal once when I saw a rubber snake. To say I’m afraid of snakes is an understatement. I am afraid of the lace, even a piece of hose lying on the ground. And then a snake – a prop from another performance – was pulled out of a jar of saline and hung to dry on the control room.

I have very poor eyesight. But that didn’t stop me from seeing exactly what I’m afraid of. I was so scared that I flew a meter above the ground. Following me, Vladimir Mashkov, who was standing next to me, took off in surprise. Panic fear of snakes forced me to refuse the role of Galya Chetvertak in the film “The Dawns Here Are Quiet.”

According to the plot, Galya must throw the snake to the girls in the bath. I immediately asked the director: “How are we going to shoot this scene?” “We will give you a snake, and you will leave it.” I say: “No, I will not throw. Moreover, if I know that somewhere on the site, I won’t be able to play at all.” The producers even contacted the Moscow Zoo, where there is a psychological training program for working with reptiles. But soon the film was frozen, and I never managed to get rid of my fear of snakes. So I stayed with my phobia. But at least I know that I can work with her.

Personal hack: In everything else, except for snakes, my way of overcoming fears is this: if I am afraid of something, then I just go towards my fear and do what is necessary.

Fear of uncertainty

Evgeny Miller, actor

Fear in the play My hero is Philippe Lombard, a retired officer. In general, Lombard is not afraid of anything. After all, for many years the war was his life and profession, he more than once threw himself into all serious and caused fire on himself. He is fearless. But here, on the island, he is faced with a fear that he had never experienced before – the fear of not understanding what is happening. You can fight the enemy you know. And here nothing is clear. Who is killing everyone? How? Where to expect trouble? Sheer mysticism! The unknown is unbearable.

Fear in life. I’m very different from Lombard. He is not afraid of anything, but I am afraid of a lot. I worry about my health and my parents, for what is happening around. I’m a rather cowardly person. And work helps to overcome these fears. It sets the rhythm, the rhythm of life. When I sit still, I start to turn sour, and then new fears appear – that no one needs you, that you are unsuitable for professional use.

Personal hack. Work and movement are my main salvation from anxiety.

Dates of the nearest performances: September 20, 30; October 6, 15, 23, 29

Moscow, Oleg Tabakov Theatre, stage on Sukharevskaya