From Canada to Japan: Paulinka on VOKA whipped up about 20 thousand viewers

An epic performance Paulinka from the National Academic Yanka Kupala Theatre staged the first live show for the global audience. About 20 thousand people watched it online. World premiere took place on VOKA within the framework of a special project dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the theatre organized under support of the general partner A1.

Screening of the legendary show on the World Theatre Day united viewers from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belgium, Germany, Georgia, Israel, Spain, Kazakhstan, Canada, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Pakistan, Portugal, Poland, Russia, United Arab Emirates, Slovakia, the USA, Turkey, the Ukraine, France, Japan and other countries. Majority of the online audience – 80% - watched it on TV, 18% via mobile app on smartphones and tablets and another 2% on voka.tv on desktops.

“This season we have the honor to demonstrate symbolic shows of the national theatre in a live format. We are very happy that out joint project creates opportunities to watch them at least once a month from any corner of Belarus. However, Paulinka is not just a theatrical performance but a symbol of Belarusian theatre that is why we were keen on making it possible for everyone who is interested in cultural heritage of our country to watch it even from abroad. We are grateful to Kupala team for their trust and readiness to make this step and organize a world premiere. What the figures and the geography of views demonstrate is that this initiative was a great success. And at least for one night thousands of Belarusians who are due to different reasons now abroad could feel like home”, - commented Senior Director for Digital Platforms and Content of A1 Anton Bladik.

Paulinka is a show that has a special place in the repertoire of Kupala Theatre. It was staged by Leo Litvinov in 1944 in Tomsk, the extraction point of the theatre staff and it was then that it arrived at the decision to address Soviet Government to get it named after Yanka Kupala. A story written by a national poet of Belarus about a young girl who chose a groom despite the will of her parents and ran away turned into and remains a business card of the Kupala team.

The Theatre opened its new season after return to Belarus with production of this performance and throughout 76 years traditionally starts every season with it. Throughout its existence numerous generations have changed that is why it is being updated once in a few decades, however, decorations, stage setting and the plot remain the same. Nowadays the show runs based on the adaptation of 2013 by the creative director of the theatre Nikolai Penigin.