Yury Olshansky "Strange Games"Co's Page

My Role

Artist

My Discipline(s)

Theater, Film & Video, Literary Arts

About Me And My Work

Based on the principals of Commedia dell’ Arte, STRANGE GAMES is a metaphysical comedy. Its language is poetry and dreams, expressed through the elements of circus and clown theatre. A graduate of The Moscow Circus School, Vladimir Olshansky has performed as a clown actor with theaters all over the world developing in parallel his own vision of clown art.

Performed by Vladimir Olshansky, Luciano Pastori , Yury Olshansky, Michael Olshansky
Story and direction:
Vladimir Olshansky, in collaboration with Yury Gertzman and Vladislav Druzhinin.
Marionette-swan: Natalya Lazareva
Actors: Vladimir Olshansky, Yury Olshansky, Luciano Pastori
Lighting: Ignazio Abbatepaolo
Sound: Mauro Diciocia, Daniel Olshansky
Sets and costumes: Alessia Bussini
Based on an idea by Semen Pastukh

Other members of Strange Games Co.
Yury Olshansky was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. After graduation in 1972 from Volkov's Theater Institute, he was involved in acting, directing and teaching in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Since 1980 Olshansky resided in New York, where he received his Master of Fine Arts in Film Production from the New York University. US citizen, he has been active in acting, directing and producing for film and TV, and has been working with such directors and actors, as Paul Mazursky and Robin Williams, French director Cedric Clapich; producer Thomas Brown etc. He has written several screenplays and created a New Practical Technique for Film and Theater, Complete Guide for directors, actors and writers, which he has been successfully teaching in U.S. and Europe.
Together with his brother Vladimir, and Caterina Turi- Biccochi, Yury is a founder of Soccorso Clown – non-for profit Performing Arts Organization at the service of the community. The first professional hospital clowns organization active in Italy. He is the general director of Soccorso Clown and supervisor of the hospital clowns. He is a co-founder of Strange Games company and its member from 2004. Presently Yury Olshansky lives and works in Italy.

Luciano Pastori was born in Milano, Italy. Studied theatre, mime and circus arts with Vladimir Olshansky, Gianni Morabito. Jango Edwards, Jorge Alonso, Carlo Rossi, Giorgio Donati, Claudia Contin, Chen Shu Fang e Chen Zhen Zhi, Jean Menigault. Since 1994 he was involved in acting and clowning, performing all over Italy in the theatres and festivals. He had created with G. Vulpes a few of his own shows: “Urbis et Orbis”, “La musique” “Aiuto, un clown!”, and performs on a regular basis as a hospital-clown and supervisor of the program in the major hospitals of Rome, Florence and Siena. Since 2204 he is a member of Strange Games company.

Ignazio Abbatepaolo, light designer, actor and director was born in Conversano, Italy. His artistic and light designer carrier starts in 1999 when he initiates his training with various prestigious actors and directors as Gennadi Bogdanov, GITIS, Moscow, Jackie Miredin, Judith Malina (Living Theatre) Serafino Mazzei, Agustin Parra, Kalamandaman Karunakaran, Paolo Baroni, Paolo Vignolo, Vladimir Olshansky: (Master Class) and many others.
From 1999 he is one of the founders, actor, technical director and administrator of Residui Teatro of Rome. From 2004-2005 he is the founder and technical director of the theatre “Rampa Prenestina” of Rome. He directs and participates as actor and technical director in many show. In 2005 he is admitted by Soccorso Clown organization for training as a hospital clown, and becomes one of the members of Soccorso Clown team working in the hospital’s of Rome, while continues his theatrical activities.
Presently he lives and works with his theatrical company Residui Teatro in Madrid, Spain.

Places I Would Like To Visit

The history of the company STRANGE GAMES

In the late 70's when I won a prize for entertainment arts in Moscow, my dream was to establish a Clown Theatre. I graduated from the Moscow Circus School. My view on clowns was born from the masters of Silent Movie: Charlie Chaplin, Max Linder and Buster Keaton along with the Russian legendary Directors such as Meyerhold and Vahtangov.
During my study of the circus arts, I met outstanding Russian clown Leonid Engibarov and have been totally impressed by his talent. He was the first clown who combined the Art of Circus and Theatre. With this idea of a Clown Theatre and a clown-actor as central character, I came to St. Petersburg. Together, with a famous now and very gifted clown, Slava Polunin, we founded a Clown group Lizidei. Meanwhile I had created my own One-Man show, a clown-actor play, under the attractive influences from Becket and Robert Wilson.
In 1997 Slava invited me to play a main "yellow clown" character in his "Snow Show" in The old Vic Theatre in London. I continue my artistic contact with Slava till present, enjoying my self in this fantastic creation of Mr. Polunin.
In the late 90's with my brother Yury an actor and director and Caterina Turi- Biccochi, we founded Soccorso Clown - a non-for profit performing art organisation, at the service of the community. We had trained and launched to a new profession of the "hospital-clown", performing artists, to work in the hospitals in the deferent departments, including Aids and Oncology. During this period I used my 10 years experience working in a various Hospitals in New York City as a clown -doctor (hospital-clown) I took my part in Soccorso Clown as an Artistic Director of the organisation.
My work in Cirque du Soleil's Alegria started in a year of 2000, when I signed a contract as a clown - guest actor. I have work during their Australian and New Zealand tour, and after a brake, in a year of 2004 continue my relationship with the Cirque in New York, Philadelphia and Toronto.
Working with such outstanding company, as Cirque Du Soleil, and all my previous combined experiences, as actor director and clown, finally lead me to the creation of my new clown- actor play "Strange Games", were I am able to realise my ideas of a clown's art. Poetry and philosophic comedy, drama of a human being and joy of life - are sources for sketches in the play. My partners, Luciano Pastori and my brother, Yury Olshansky both actor-clowns members of Soccorso Clown, with their own baggage of theatrical, clown and cinema work, contribute to the various possibilities and future growing of our team, which I believe, has a great potential and already has in its vast repertoire the material for future shows. Being a newborn, Strange Games remains a mature artistic expression of years of experiments and research in a challenging genre of metaphysical comedy.
Now I live in Italy and it gives me a great pleasure perform on Italian stage, where each of my clowns story is regarded by sensitive and perceptive reaction from the audience, I understand that it is a cultural phenomena of the patria of the fabulous Comedy dell'Arte, from where clown's roots is. And the adventure continues!
Vladimir Olshansky - Author, Artistic director.

Art Forms And Cultures I Would Like To Engage With

We would like to organize our world tour, collaborating with other theater and dance companies as well, as with the musicians and artists. Besides our major show "Strange Games", we have been engaged in the last few month in the production of other few shows, "La Giornata Degli Sciocchi", " Ma Arlecchino dove sta?" and "Briosci", which we already tried with the audience in Rome and Florence. It went very well. Eventually we would like to create our own Repertory Theatre.

Besides the theatrical and hospital clown activities, I had created Tjaarke Maas Arts (TM Arts www.tjaarkemaas-arts.net). The organization's main objective is to promote the knowledge of the artistic patrimony of Tjaarke Maas – an artist, poet and spiritual researcher, as well, as to support and encourage artists in their work of all kinds: painters, writers, musicians, film-makers, actors, designers, philosophers, practitioners of the Sacred Arts and traditions, and to diffuse and develop the arts, literature, philosophy, music and cultural exchange.

My Creative Influences & Favorite Artists

"My view on clowns" writes Vladimir - was born from the masters of Silent Movie: Charlie Chaplin, Max Linder and Buster Keaton along with the Russian legendary Directors such as Meyerhold and Vahtangov.
During my study of the circus arts, I met outstanding Russian clown Leonid Engibarov.

My Web link

http://www.vladstrangegames.com www.soccorsoclown.it www.tjaarkem...