When the public health crisis kept theatres shuttered through the summer, the annual Cherry Orchard Festival—a New York City-based June festival of international arts—partnered with Boston's Arlekin Players Theatre to present the experimental online theatre piece, State vs. Natasha Banina.
State vs. Natasha Banina will now continue through July, with remaining performances scheduled for June 28, July 5, and July 12 (all at 8 PM).
Presented for free on Zoom, the play transforms its virtual audience into a jury tasked with deciding the fate of Natasha Banina, a 16-year-old orphan on trial for attempted manslaughter.
Directed by Igor Golyak, and starring Darya Denisova, State vs Natasha Banina is set inside a courtroom where the audience is the jury observing the young girl in confinement, telling her story directly to the camera lens. Ultimately, the audience decides her fate.
Proceeds from the production support The Actors Fund and COVID-19 Emergency Relief. Click here to reserve your spot.
State vs. Natasha Banina is based on Yaroslava Pulinovich’s play Natasha’s Dream.
