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Natalia Pelevine (Russian: Наталья Пелевина и Пелевайн) is a British/Russian playwright, political activist and blogger. Natalia is of Russian and Polish decent. 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, after spending six months in jail, killed. 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 Edinborough theatre festival 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^[1] after its opening night performance by the President of Dagestan, Mukhu Aliyev, who attended the performance^[2]. Reuters covered the event that was picked up by many major global media outlets.^[3]^[4]

About thirty minutes after the end and the banning of the play in Dagestan, a powerful explosion took place in Moscow on the floor of Natalia's apartment. The nature of the exposion is still unknown.

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.^[5]^[6]

Pelevine is a regular political commentator on Al Jazeera, RTVi, PressTV, the BBC and other TV and radio channels.^[7] In 2004 Pelevine set up a theatre production company, First Act Productions, which is based in London.^[8]

Her younger sister, Dana Pelevine, is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and recipient of the prestigious Charles Jehlinger award for excellence in acting. She resides between LA and New York, working in film, theatre and television as well as collaborating with Natalia on several projects. In the spring of 2010 she will star in an Off-Broadway show 'A Night in Vegas'.

She is rumored to be working on a book titled Жизнь в тротиловом эквиваленте (Life in TNT Equivalent). TNT stands for Trinitrotoluene, an explosive chemical. Curtain. 1937 is her next commissioned stage play. The screenplay about a slain journalist is in works. Strip of Roses, a play set in an LA strip-club, is likely to be produced in the near future.

First writing job was stage adaptation of Anna Frank.

Pelevine is a member of Dramatists Guild of America.

Co-owns a US-based film production company Daring Pictures.

Natalia was the face of a large TV company Belgacom for 2 years. In the set of big budget commercials for the company she played Special Agent Ruslana, complete with 20 feet up in the air back flips and kicks. It was filmed outside Brussels.

Contributes articles, mainly of political nature, to a number of broadsheets, including Frontline's Broadsheet (UK) and Metro magazine (NYC, US)[1].

As a result of her interest in the Moscow theatre siege and getting to know a number prominent individuals such as Anna Politkovskaya, Natalia has become more politically involved. While trying to help her friend, former Special Forces officer, who was arrested in a set up case, she witnessed first hand the failure of the Russian judicial system. 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 31st. ^[9] ^[10] 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 America Natalia is a co-owner of a film production company Daring Pictures.

She is planning a cinematographic tribute to a friend Oleg Yankovsky for the fall of this year.

She was engaged to Chris Sorensen, nephew of Ted Sorensen, John F. Kennedy's aide and speechwriter, who has been a major force in Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

Her maiden name is Poniatowski. Possibly dating back to the famous Royal dynasty.

Godmother of Christian Arseni O'Connor, son of Anastasia Kurbatova, who lost her sister in Nord Ost.

Ran in two London marathons for charity.

Was a Model United Nations delegate.

Member of America's The National Association of Professional Women.

According to The Independent in 2009 she was engaged to a Russian Special Forces officer Andrei Yakhnev [2] They have since split up.

References

External links

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[1] Russia bans play about deadly siege at Moscow theatre - Europe, World - The Independent

[2] ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJrm5yxuSOA&feature=related

[3] ttp://www.suomenkuvalehti.fi/etusivu/uutiset-ja-politiikka/ulkomaat/venaja-kielsi-moskovan.aspx

[4] ttp://www.reuters.com/article/artsNews/idUSL1170646720080414

[5] ttp://www.icarito.cl/medio/articulo/0,0,3255_5700_347819510,00.html

[6] ttp://www.kasparov.ru/material.php?id=4AE5841632FD3

[7] ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1qwCuntwBg

[8] ttp://www.firstactproductions.com/

[9] ttp://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.dziennik.com/w_files/Image/ENGLISH/Natalia%2520Pelevine%2520copy.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.dziennik.com/news/english/15486&usg=__QiI9tVM1SDxEcerkWXwhgc4m9YA=&h=437&w=570&sz=79&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=G-832OrE1e8SHM:&tbnh=148&tbnw=185&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dnatalia%2Bpelevine%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Den%26biw%3D1272%26bih%3D620%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=500&vpy=91&dur=373&hovh=187&hovw=243&tx=85&ty=128&ei=rCf8TJyCD4L48AajlaTjBw&oei=rCf8TJyCD4L48AajlaTjBw&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0

[10] ttp://www.waynakh.com/eng/2010/11/protest-for-freedom-of-assembly-in-russia/

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@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
 Co-owns a US-based film production company Daring Pictures.
-Natalia was the face of a large TV company Belgacom for 2 years. In the set of big budget commercials for the company she played Special Agent Ruslana, complete with 20 feet up in the air back flips and kicks.
+Natalia was the face of a large TV company [[Belgacom]] for 2 years. In the set of big budget commercials for the company she played Special Agent Ruslana, complete with 20 feet up in the air back flips and kicks. It was filmed outside Brussels.
 Contributes articles, mainly of political nature, to a number of broadsheets, including Frontline's Broadsheet (UK) and Metro magazine (NYC, US)[http://www.citizensmagazine.com/standard-437.html].
@@ Line 38: / Line 38: @@
 As a result of her interest in the Moscow theatre siege and getting to know a number prominent individuals such as Anna Politkovskaya, Natalia has become more politically involved. While trying to help her friend, former Special Forces officer, who was arrested in a set up case, she witnessed first hand the failure of the Russian judicial system.
 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 31st. <ref>http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.dziennik.com/w_files/Image/ENGLISH/Natalia%2520Pelevine%2520copy.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.dziennik.com/news/english/15486&usg=__QiI9tVM1SDxEcerkWXwhgc4m9YA=&h=437&w=570&sz=79&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=G-832OrE1e8SHM:&tbnh=148&tbnw=185&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dnatalia%2Bpelevine%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Den%26biw%3D1272%26bih%3D620%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=500&vpy=91&dur=373&hovh=187&hovw=243&tx=85&ty=128&ei=rCf8TJyCD4L48AajlaTjBw&oei=rCf8TJyCD4L48AajlaTjBw&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0</ref> <ref>http://www.waynakh.com/eng/2010/11/protest-for-freedom-of-assembly-in-russia/</ref>
-Since then she continued to organize protests, such as a Oleg Kashin picket, and has mentioned setting up a new movement.
+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 America Natalia is a co-owner of a film production company Daring Pictures.