Micro View: The World of the Play

Place: St. Petersburg, Russia(previously Leningrad)
Time: 1991-1992

1.Russian revolution/October Revolution
"Disorders broke out in Petrograd (renamed Leningrad and now St. Petersburg) in March 1917, and defection of the Petrograd garrison launched the revolution."

http://www.studyrussian.com/history/history.html

-Most locals were still aware and prideful of their city's major historical importance as the starting point for their great revolution that helped end the corruption of tsar rule even though it took place many years ago.

2.The change of the city's name: Leningrad to St. Petersburg
"St. Petersburg(for St. Peter), which is Russia's second largest urban area, was founded in 1703 by the czar Peter the Great. In 1914, the German sounding name was changed to Petrograd(by Peter the Great who liked Dutch culture). Then, after the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1924, the Soviet Union changed the city's name to Leningrad. Leningrad became St. Petersburg again 67 years later when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991."

http://geography.about.com/library/faq/blqzstpetersburg.htm

-Some would argue a year later since some people were trying to hold on the name Leningrad like they were trying to hold on to the "old ways".


3.The Kirov Theater(now again The Mariinsky Theatre)
"A historic theatre of opera and ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces of Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Rimxky-Korsakov received their premieres. The Mariinsky Theatre is home to the Mariinsky Ballet, Mariinsky Opera and Mariinsky Orchestra."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariinsky_Theatre

-The Mariinsky Theatre holds great historical signficance in St. Petersburg's history of their art, culture, and heritege. It was one of the great theatres that was affected by the Unions fall, but still managed to survive.

4.Vyborg, Russia
"NW European Russia, NW of St. Petersburg and near the Finnish border, on Vyborg Bay and the Gulf of Finland. A Baltic port and railroad junction, it is an export center for lumber. It also has shipyards and industries producing farm machinery, electrical equipment, furniture, and paper. Vyborg was a trading point for Novgorod in the 12th cent. but actually grew around a Swedish castle built there in 1293. Vyborg became a port for the Hanseatic League and was chartered in the 15th cent. In 1710 Peter the Great seized Vyborg, and it was incorporated with Finland (then under Russian sovereignty) in 1812. Before 1917, it was a key transit point for revolutionary literature, arms, and agitators going into Russia."

http://www.answers.com/topic/vyborg

-A crossing point for many people of Russia and Finland. People even came from that far to see performances in St. Petersburg.

5.Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Pathétique
"Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's final symphony, written between February and the end of August 1893. The composer led the first performance in St. Petersburg on October 28 of that year, nine days before his death. The second performance took place 20 days later at a memorial concert. It included some minor corrections that Tchaikovsky had made after the premiere, and was thus the first performance of the work in the form in which it is known today."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._6_(Tchaikovsky)

-This song is a dramatic and historically significant musical composition for Russia and specifically St. Petersburg, and it was played as a sign of the government covering up the tragedy of a coup on Gorbachev. "Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony has proved a popular choice with filmmakers..."

6.Rose Water
"Rose water is the hydrosol portion of the distillate of rose petals. Rose water, itself a by-product of the production of rose oil for use in perfume, is used to flavour food, as a component in some cosmetic and medical preparations, and for religious purposes throughout Europe and Asia."

http://www.foodista.com/food/WPCS86D8/rose-water

"....the weather in Russia is not very favorable to grow them. Flowers are expensive, and still people love to give flowers to express their admiration, their friendship, their love. Even when it’s snowing, I see people carrying flowers."

http://www.diplomatrus.com/article.php?id=1790&PHPSESSID=dd4548f38d6c0fb95&l=eng

-Roses were probably not readily available in Russia and definately not affordable at the time of my plays setting, so this would have been a pretty nice gift.

7.Komsomol (Russian Kommunisticheskiy Soyuz Molodyozhi)
"Komsomol served as the youth wing of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), the youngest members being fourteen years old, the upper limit for an age of rank and file being 28, while Komsomol functionaries could be older. Younger children could join the allied Pioneers organisation. Komsomol had little direct influence on the Communist Party, and on the government of the Soviet Union. But Komsomol played an important role as a mechanism for teaching the values of the CPSU in the young, and as an organ for introducing the young to the political domain."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komsomol

-Sasha is refered to as a "Komsomol brat" at one point and I think it might show a litttle bit about where he's coming from politically and emotionally as he was probably brought up to stay dedicated to the Party.

8.Rubles
"The ruble or rouble is a unit of currency. It is currently the currency unit of Belarus, Russia, and Transnistria, and was the currency unit of several other countries, notably countries influenced by Russia and the Soviet Union. One ruble is divided into 100 kopecks."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruble

-Since this is what a lot of the theatre's are all about it seemed appropriate that this Russian currency be mentioned.

9.Brezhnev
"Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev; 19 December 1906 [O.S. 6 December 1906] – 10 November 1982 was General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (and thus political leader of the Soviet Union) from 1964 to 1982, serving in that position longer than anyone except Joseph Stalin. He was twice Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (head of state), from 7 May 1960 to 15 July 1964, then from 16 June 1977 to his death on 10 November 1982."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonid_Brezhnev
http://countrystudies.us/russia/14.htm

-Another negative political power that shows again how Marya was a little more interested in the new ways(before things went wrong) because of the olds ways having a history of being unpleasant.

10.The Great Patriotic War
"Moscow and Leningrad (now Saint-Petersburg). The two Great Russian cities were to have a key role in this devastating war, but the initial German plans concentrated on the destruction of the Red Army, and the offensive against Moscow. By the beginning of December some German Nazi formations were only about forty km North West of the Moscow Kremlin. By early September 1941 Leningrad was sealed off from the Soviet "mainland" due to German Nazi tanks rapid progress through the Baltic republics. Hitler decided not to take the city by storm but to starve it into submission, and the result of the "900 Days" was the death of nearly 600000 Leningraders."
http://www.infohub.com/vacation_packages/4376.html

"The term Great Patriotic War is used in Russia and some other states of the former Soviet Union to describe their portion of the Second World War from June 22, 1941, to May 9, 1945, against Nazi Germany and its allies. The term is not generally used outside the former Soviet Union."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Patriotic_War_(term)

-The Great Patriotic War proved to be detrimental to the citizens of St. Petersburg, Russia and obviously they show historically infamous to their city and nation as a whole.