Penza, 14 January 2014. PenzaNews. Moscow director Andrei Shlyapin put a chamber performance “A Hero of Our Time” on the stage of Penza Drama Theatre named after A. Lunacharsky. The project dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Mikhail Lermontov will be implemented in cooperation with the association of the state literary and memorial museums of the region that defrayed a considerable part of expenses.

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The head of the literary dramatic department of the theatre Vitaly Sokolov together with the director are working over the novel’s staging.

“The performance is based on the novella “Princess Mary” – a central part of “A Hero of Our Time.” The actors will tell this story taking turns transforming into one or another Lermontov’s character. The thrust of the future performance is that each of us has something in common with Pechorin, with Grushnitsky or probably even with doctor Verner,” Vitaly Sokolov commented on the information to news agency “PenzaNews.”

He said that all the male roles will be played by two actors – honored artist of Russia Sergei Kazakov and Yuri Zemlyansky.

“The role of Princess Mary will be performed by Anna Arzyamova. Albina Smelova will play a role of Vera and introduce several incidental female characters,” the agency interlocutor said.

According to Vitaly Sokolov, the premiere of “A Hero of Our Time” is planned for the end of March.

“It will be performed on the small stage of Drama Theatre and will be included in the program of the international theatre festival “Masquerade,” which will be held in Penza just before the anniversary of Mikhail Lermontov – in early October 2014,” the head of the literary dramatic department added.