Page 55 - Журнал «Русский Берег» #13-2022

RUSSIAN COAST | № 5/13 2022 ЛЮДИ | PEOPLE

ANTON LIRNIK IS A WELL-KNOWN SHOWMAN, SCRIP TWRITER,
ENG
TELEVISION PRESENTER, MUSICIAN, COMEDY CLUB RESIDENT, MEMBER
OF THE CHEKHOV DUO, WHO HAS L ATELY BECOME A DIRECTOR, PRODUCER
AND WRITER. BUT TO OUR SURPRISE, THE EASIEST WAY TO GET TO HIS CONCERT
WAS IN AL ANYA, TURKEY. IT IS THE CIT Y THAT ANTON, LIKE MANY CREATIVE
PEOPLE TODAY, HAS CHOSEN AS HIS CREATIVE HEADQUARTERS. ALTHOUGH
TIMES ARE HARD TO GET A L AUGH OUT OF, HE IS VERY SUCCESSFUL IN CONCERT
ACTIVITIES AND WORKING ON NEW PROJECTS. NATURALLY, RUSSIAN COAST
COULD NOT PASS UP SUCH AN OPPORTUNIT Y.

Russian Coast: Why did you decide to move to Alanya? We hit it off very quickly, persuaded another guy to move in, and
Anton Lirnik: I happened to be in Moscow just before the created a comedy stand-up quartet. And we have already staged
war, preparing a tour of the play. But after February 24 it became several performances, which have been to a full house.
impossible to be there, not only for us but for any sane person. RC: How was the public in Alanya receptive to your
So we left first for Europe. We did not feel very comfortable there: performances and how difficult was it to organise? What
with our knowledge of English it was impossible to find a job in our do you think of Alanya's cultural life?
field, and we did not want to become a refugee and take someone AL: In Alanya, I was surprised that despite the large number
else's place. Then we remembered that my wife knows Turkish. So of tourists and expats, there are very few cultural events. There is
we decided that we would go to Turkey, where at least one of us no theatre or cinema here; no one has ever heard of stand-up.
could communicate with the locals. First we looked at Istanbul, We were pioneers. And I am very grateful to the club owners
Izmir, then, as we searched for information on where the best place who believed in us and gave us the opportunity to perform. A lot
to live, we found Antalya. And later we found out that a very large of this was made possible thanks to the recommendations and
diaspora of ours lives in Alanya. My wife and I just wanted to find introductions we quickly made here. In Turkey, recommendations,
our own kind of people. That's why we went to Alanya, which we personal connections are of utmost importance. You can't "come
don't regret at all; on the contrary, we enjoy every day here. in off the street" here and make a deal. That, by the way, is the
In Alanya, you realise that there's not much you need for that little difference between Turkey and Ukraine. In our country, it is possible
bit of domestic happiness – warmth, good food, a comfortable life. to get through to the right person without patronage. It doesn't work
After living in big, heavy capitals, I'm glad that in Alanya I have that way in Turkey.
everything close by – I don't have to spend two hours of my life in As a result, we now hold stand-ups every month, which are of
traffic. Some people have a hard time here in the summer because great interest to the Russian-speaking diaspora. The hall is always
of the heat, but I'm fine. This climate and place are good for me. full, with many regulars already in attendance. Most importantly, I
This is where I would like to live. It was an amazing coincidence that see a response and appreciation from the audience. It inspires me
when we arrived late at night to look at a flat for rent in Mahmutlar, to continue. We have plans to hold stand-ups in Antalya, which we
it was hard to see what the area was like - it was already dark. also want to organise on a permanent basis.
But intuitively we felt good about that flat. After a while, we had Another activity we are developing is bar quizzes. It's a sort of
already looked around and realised that we had accidentally "What? Where? When?" (TN: An intellectual game show). With a
chosen the perfect place to live, with everything we wanted. To glass of beer.
all these pros, you can add another huge advantage – the sea is RC: Why stand-up? What themes do you raise in
within walking distance. your speeches and what do you want to convey to the
In addition, we quickly found like-minded people and new audience?
friends with whom we share problems and goals. AL: Stand-up is the most accessible and easy way to interact
RC: What kind of community have you found in with the audience. And it's probably the fastest. We organised our
Alanya? first stand-up in Alanya in a month from scratch. Yet how much more
AL: In Alanya, we found a lot of people who shared the same resources and time it takes to organise a play or make a film. It
spirit, interests and morals. Because of the war, active, intelligent, takes much more efforts. You don't need that kind of expense for a
creative people have fled to Alanya, who, like us, are building stand-up – you go out to the audience and that's it, the show's on.
a new life here from scratch. We have many common problems There is always more interaction with people in stand-up than in
which we help each other to solve. Together we are creating new theatre or cinema. There is more improvisation, more interactivity,
projects. For example, I was very surprised when I discovered and therefore more opportunity to incorporate critical thinking
that there were two more comedians living in my neighbourhood! in a person. What is happening in the world today - wars and

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