DIF 2012: Ghosts - Play in Delhi Ovlyakuli Khodjakuli is an independent theatrical director who has worked at the theatres

of Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, France and Uzbekistan. At present he is the Artistic Director of the theatre-studio Eski Masjid in Karshi town (Uzbekistan). Ovlyakuli has directed more than sixty plays and has made films such as Oedipus by Sophocles and Seneca. A number of Khodjakulis performances have been presented in the International festivals in various countries. Ovlyakuli Khodjakuli is a product of Russian theatrical school with late "sovereign" views about artistic image of the theatre. He is absolutely free from idealized blinders of the soviet time who hasn't lost his sincere passion for true artistic research of theatre in the Times of the Changes that has made him one of the most popular directors in Central Asia. His theatre doesnt have commercial, pragmatic and temporary aims, but is devoted to eternal universal ideas, of passions and feelings. Ovlyakuli is a person who expresses beliefs and feelings of various cultures and nations. Directors Note on the Play I think the play Ghost, based on family drama, covers deep and important humanities problem without any national, cultural and even territorial differences and divisions. This problem is topical in any time. As I understand, Ghost is symbol of our animal instincts - the return of our non-civilized condition. Ghost is the return of savage, primitive man's existence, without any ethical and moral standards. This ghost chases each character of the play. I wish to captivate your attention towards the fact that it is always difficult to find the golden mean and to remain good with spiritual intent that would help us remain balanced and sober. It is difficult to keep impartial attitude towards everything and everyone, not to sink to the savages, and not to be puppets in the hands of people such as Engstrand. Even though Henrik Ibsen raised it more than a hundred years ago, but unfortunately, this problem is still relevant, and our society is as relaxed brain as Oswald, and has become the slaves and victims just as Engstrand. PLAY SYNOPSIS The most greedy and dirty among all characters as we see is Engstrand, a carpenter and he is also instigator of all evil who is a kind of prototype of Lucifer, the fallen angel who is trying to show the foulness and lust of humanity, who has forgotten its true spiritual nature, personified himself/herself with his physical body and shows their animal nature. All the heroes of the play have become the carpenters players in his game. Even Pastor Manders, who because of his ignorance and fears, without even realizing, allows Engstrand to lead these people to disaster, despair and a terrible fall.

Engstrand will turn Mrs. Alvings estate in a cemetery, and its inhabitants into alive dead; a large marble table will become his altar and the grave of Captain Alving, who also led the lascivious lifestyle. Engstrands plan has worked because he found the control button in each character, found everyones ghost. For instance, Mrs. Alvings selfish love to her son and her desire to save him, orthodox Pastors fear to violate dogmas, Regina's blind desire to be one of the members of high society and to visit Paris, and Oswald's desire to find his place and to be more close to his mother. All of these weaknesses and passions of the characters will be turned by satanic Engstrand to the hell. Mrs. Alvings selfish love brings her to this: she has sex with her own son, and this will make her son even more helpless and half-witted creature. Oswalds desire to find the reason of his unhappiness brings him to sickness - Oedipus complex. As soon as Regina will realize that she could not get her dreams through Oswald, she decides to take the easy way to achieve it. Pastors great sin and fall is that he let all this happen.