Theater as a history textbook: International students of Polytechnic University study Russia through art

International students of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University continue to immerse themselves in Russian culture and history. This time, students from the preparatory department — hailing from Turkmenistan, Algeria, Vietnam, and China — attended a poignant musical and dramatic performance titled "The Relic," which took place within the walls of the Educational Theater "On Mokhovaya" at the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts.

The performance, dedicated to the tragic and heroic pages of the Great Patriotic War, left an indelible impression on the foreign guests. Of particular interest was the fact that the actors on stage were not professional artists, but students. Despite the young age of the performers, their acting, vocal abilities, and the depth of emotion they conveyed deeply moved the audience.

Natalya Khaustova, a senior teacher of supplementary education who accompanied the students, shared that the Polytechnic international students were absolutely delighted and expressed a desire to attend more cultural events of this kind. The students, for whom Russian is not their native language, admitted that the language barrier did not prevent them from understanding the main message of the production.

Dilshadbek Masharipov, a student from the preparatory department, shared his emotions: This event was very valuable and impressive for me. I really enjoyed both the performance itself and the theater's interiors. I want to visit places like this again and see other plays.

Particularly touching was the feedback from student Dikhra Zorgani from Algeria. The young woman confessed that initially, she could not have imagined how many emotions could be hidden behind the title of the performance she saw.

It was a true excursion organized by the university together with my teacher and friends. At first, I couldn't even imagine that a title could contain so many feelings: a mix of suffering, longing, joy, and sadness all at once, Dikhra shared. I really liked how the artists conveyed the suffering of mothers and families, how they expressed joy, longing, sadness, grief, war, and hope. All these mixed emotions reached us.

Such outings and excursions have become a good tradition for Polytechnic University. They not only help international students adapt to a new country and improve their language skills but also introduce young people to universal cultural values through the history and art of Russia.