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Natalia Pelevine

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Natalia Pelevine (Russian: Наталья Пелевина) is a British playwright. 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.


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[1]. 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[2] after its opening night performance by the President of Dagestan, Mukhu Aliyev[3], who attended the performance[4]. Reuters covered the event that was picked up by many major global media outlets.[5][6]

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.

She remains in very close contact with Nord Ost and Beslan victims and their families.[7] Pelevine consulted on a number of documentary films about the Moscow theatre siege.[8][9]

Pelevine is a regular political commentator on Al Jazeera, RTVi, PressTV, the BBC and other TV and radio channels.[10] In 2004 Pelevine set up a theatre production company, First Act Productions, which is based in London.[11]

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.

Pelevine is a member of Dramatists Guild of America.

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

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

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.

Ran in two London marathons for charity.

Was part of program Model United Nations.

Member of America's NAPW.

According to The Independent she is engaged to a Russian Special Forces officer Andrei Yakhnev, allegedly framed and now facing imprisonment. In July 2009 he was sentenced to nine years in prison. The appeal in underway.[2]

References

  1. ^ CONTEXT - This Week in Arts and Ideas from The Moscow Times
  2. ^ Russia bans play about deadly siege at Moscow theatre - Europe, World - The Independent
  3. ^ http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=4634837
  4. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJrm5yxuSOA&feature=related
  5. ^ http://www.suomenkuvalehti.fi/etusivu/uutiset-ja-politiikka/ulkomaat/venaja-kielsi-moskovan.aspx
  6. ^ http://www.reuters.com/article/artsNews/idUSL1170646720080414
  7. ^ http://nataliapelevine.blogspot.com/
  8. ^ http://www.icarito.cl/medio/articulo/0,0,3255_5700_347819510,00.html
  9. ^ http://www.kasparov.ru/material.php?id=4AE5841632FD3
  10. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1qwCuntwBg
  11. ^ http://www.firstactproductions.com/

External links

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