The Play "Counting-Out Rhyme"

"The war will end, and we'll have everything. Will the war end?" He squinted even more skeptically. "It will end, of course! It can't last forever..." This is the story of two thirteen-year-old girls left to fend for themselves during the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict. In a remote Georgian village, only children, senile old people, disabled individuals, and helpless women remain. Everyone is waiting for the "corridor" to open, but it doesn’t, leaving little hope for rescue. This is a story about war, growing up, and the relationship between a person and the time and space they are forced to live in. Despite the horrific events and circumstances, there is much humor — the story is told from the perspective of children, who, even amidst a great catastrophe, are preoccupied with small personal matters (but ones that are incredibly important to any child). Duration:1 hour 30 minutes Language: Russian, with English subtitles Age restriction: 16+ Cast: Elena Makhova, Natasha Gorbas, Marietta Tsigal-Polishchuk, Yulia Skirkina, Anastasia Sapozhnikova, Alexandra Cherkasova, Ira Sova, Ulyana Lukina. The play “Counting-Out Rhyme” is based on the novel by Georgian writer Tamta Melashvili. It has received high praise from critics and audiences alike, and was longlisted for the prestigious Russian National Theatre Award "Golden Mask" as one of the most notable performances of the 2018/2019 season. It was also a participant in theatrical festivals such as "Children’s Weekend" (2019, Moscow) and the International Theatre Festival "Rainbow" (2021, St. Petersburg). 📰 Soso's Daughters is an independent theater project founded in October 2018 under the direction of playwright and director Zhenya Berkovich. Berkovich is currently a political prisoner, detained for her work and activism. In May 2022, Berkovich wrote two poems about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In one, a war veteran's ghost appears to his grandson in 2022, asking him not to carry his portrait in the Victory Day parade. The other poem reflects on the Mariupol theater airstrike. Berkovich was arrested and detained for 11 days after participating in a protest against the invasion on its first day. She has written several anti-war poems. On May 4, 2023, Berkovich and her colleague, playwright and screenwriter Svetlana Petriichuk, were arrested on charges of "justifying terrorism" under Article 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code, in connection with their play Finist the Brave Falcon. The case has sparked widespread public outrage. As of June 2023, both Berkovich and Petriichuk are facing potential prison sentences.