Sofiya Kudryavtseva;
Chronicle.lu recently had the opportunity to speak with Sofiya Kudryavtseva, a Kyiv-born, Luxembourg-based writer and film director, about her upcoming acting workshop.
Sofiya has a degree in international filmmaking and a Master's degree in philosophy and is now about to embark on a new creative endeavour, offering an acting workshop for English speakers at Mirador in Luxembourg-Pfaffenthal.
The workshop is for individuals over the age of eighteen; no acting experience is required. It will take place over five weeks starting on Monday 15 January 2024. The classes will be on Mondays and Wednesdays from 18:30 to 20:30. To sign up, call Sofiya via tel.: 661-100-006 or email her at kudryavsteva.official@gmail.com.
Chronicle.lu: Please tell us about your personal and professional background and what led you to conceive this acting course.
Sofiya Kudryavtseva: I am originally from Kyiv, Ukraine. I decided I wanted to be a director when I was eight years old, and then I just never changed my mind. My parents were very supportive. They signed me up for various acting classes from a young age (there were no directing classes for kids available, as you can imagine, so acting was the next best thing I could do). At eighteen, I enrolled at Warsaw Film School to study International Directing (Film & Multimedia). In 2020, I moved to Luxembourg, where I shifted my academic focus and studied philosophy. Although I do believe that filmmaking, as any storytelling in general, is inseparably linked with philosophy, as both reflect and question the human condition. At the moment, I am working in the local creative industry full-time, my main focus being filmmaking but occasionally I do projects for radio or theatre, etc.
Chronicle.lu: Who is your main target audience for this series of workshops? How do you believe acting can help them in building strong relationships?
Sofiya Kudryavtseva: The target audience is English-speaking people working in Luxembourg, who either come from abroad or lived abroad for some time and then came back to Luxembourg. This isn't to say that someone who doesn't fit this description isn't welcome, because everyone is welcome. I decided to focus my marketing strategy on this group because it's the group I and a lot of people in my close surroundings belong to, and it seems that I have an understanding of the needs and problems this group is facing.
It takes time to make meaningful connections when you move to a new country. Embarking on a common project together and, also, spending hours together, speeds up this process. Within the ten classes (two hours each), we will be working towards producing a performance piece with all the participants. It will give them a common goal and a reason to meet regularly outside of any professional setting. Besides, good acting is about connecting with one's emotions and it's impossible unless you're sincere and trust your acting partners. There are even exercises that encourage and help develop this trust. We're going to be practising them among other things.
Chronicle.lu: Please provide more details on the costs of the course and how the pricing was determined.
Sofiya Kudryavtseva: €235 is the minimum amount I need to receive per participant to cover the expenses for the course. If anyone is feeling generous, likes the course and feels financially comfortable, they can express their appreciation by paying a bigger amount (€250, €300, €347 or €402, etc). I estimated that €410 should be the fair top limit. By the expenses, I mean rent, marketing campaign, educational materials, research, printing of the certificates, etc. In my estimation, the price of the current course is rather moderate, especially because I intend to keep the group small so that each student gets the attention they deserve. If everyone pays the lower limit price, after the extraction of the expenses, I don't think that I will end up with a minimum hourly rate for my work. But it's alright because it's a pilot project and because I will know that I'm contributing to the development of the local culture, and that's an important personal ambition. That said, if this course does well, and there's demand, it's very likely that in the following seasons, the price will go up.
Chronicle.lu: As you are organising this yourself, what guarantees do participants have in terms of insurance, liability, etc?
Sofiya Kudryavtseva: Before the first class, we will be signing an agreement with each student where rules and regulations are stated, that concern the teacher and the students, and which should give a legal basis for safe collaboration. If this can offer any assurance, I did my Master's thesis on normative ethics, so I feel confident stating that I have some knowledge in the matters of ethical behaviour. To add to that, as a member of the organising team of the Filmreakter's Lost Weekend, I have been working for four years helping beginners start their filmmaking journey. In a way, it wasn't the same as teaching acting, but the principles of moral and respectful treatment and the skills developed when working with non-professionals, I believe, are transferrable to some extent at the very least.
Chronicle.lu: Is Filmreakter Asbl (or are other associations with whom you may be working) involved in this initiative in any capacity?
Sofiya Kudryavtseva: No association is involved in the organisation of this course. The only partner I have for this first edition is Mirador Bar. This was a conscious decision. There were some discussions of doing the acting course together with Filmreakter asbl but my idea was to do it as a commercial project rather than a social project. In part because I wanted to launch it as soon as possible, so I didn't want to wait for funding applications and all the related formalities to go through. At the same time, I am curious about exploring practical differences between commercial and social work, and whether it will also have an impact on the creative process. In business, you prioritise the client's desires, whereas in social work you prioritise the needs of society, and I am intrigued to explore by doing how these peculiarities will influence the projects and outcomes of my work. I'm sure there will be something useful to be learned.
Chronicle.lu: We understand that if the current course goes well, it may not be the last. Please share your vision for future acting courses. Would they be the same, offered to different people, or would you expand the scope of topics covered?
Sofiya Kudryavtseva: I'm considering the possibility of doing more courses in the future. At the same time, I am approaching the subject matter with a completely open mind. When you teach, you also learn. I think that the future of this project will be very much decided by the feedback of the students and market analysis.
Chronicle.lu: Please share more about the significance of the certificate - is it being granted by a recognised training academy? What value will it add for the participants?
Sofiya Kudryavtseva: Concerning the certificate, it is a certificate of participation, and I also make this very clear when I talk to the potential participants. It is not granted by any training academy and neither does it certify any recognised level or qualification. This is more of a written acknowledgement that the person took part in the course. The idea came from one of the students who mentioned that it would be great to have a tangible memory that it took place after the course is over. After all, that […] is one of the main ideas behind the project - to have fun and create good memories, without the pressure of any professional obligation or some kind of striving for excellence in training. There will be no winning or failing, as long as you are respectful, you are good. It's about getting together with friends or friends-to-be and playing, playing as an actor but also literally just playing games because that, too, is part of the programme. […] I promise to do my very best to grant my students unforgettable experiences, whoever they are and whatever their goals and level of experience are.
