27 February 2021
1h 20′
Main stage
Yuri Petrovski is a young, Soviet writer, who received a
state award for his socialism praising work; in recognition, the Soviet Writing
Association entrusts him with a difficult but noble task: to capitalize on his
writing qualities by an adequate ideological teaching to the mental patients of
the Moscow Central Mental Institution. “The mentally ill also have the right
and duty to know the history of the Great Socialist Revolution and Communism,”
and even “the proper retelling of the history of Communism can cure certain
mental disorders,” says the director of the institute.
Gaining insight into the daily lives of the residents of the
institute, the question arises: is there a substantial difference between the
mental harassment of “patients” and the state of mind of the fanatically
systematic doctors?
It was not uncommon in the Soviet Union that the opposition members
were sent to sanatorium or to psychiatric treatment by the People’s Court. This
fact inspired the piece: How to Explain the History of Communism to Mental
Patient.
Costume designer:
György Eszter
Directed by: Zakariás Zalán
