There is one feature that almost all great works of art have in common: universality. Although Stars in the Morning Sky, the newest production directed by Visiting Instructor Adrian Giurgea, is set in Russia, the play explores the universal message of finding hope in the face of tragedy. Alexander Galin’s play recounts how police forced all the prostitutes in Moscow, along with other "undesirables," to evacuate the city for the 1980 Olympics.

The great tragedy of the play is that the people who are most oppressed by Communism are the ones who are denied participation in an event that symbolizes new freedom for Russia. By presenting this event through the stories of the prostitutes, Galin created complex, human characters that anyone could empathize with. The play centers around two working prostitutes, an alcoholic ex-prostitute, an emotionally damaged young woman, a mental patient, a police officer, and the officer’s overbearing mother. Through these characters, Galin attests to the universally human ability to connect with other people under the worst of circumstances.

To do justice to Galin’s work is no easy task. Although he isn’t very well-known in America, his plays are internationally popular. He began writing before the fall of Communism, and he has continued to write up until now. Galin belongs to the American Theater Exchange Initiative, which promotes exchanges between Russia and America, which he says he does because he loves "to meet and talk with American students." His love of teaching has given him the opportunity to do a short residency at another college that was putting on a production of Stars in the Morning Sky. As part of his residency, Galin gave the cast suggestions after several rehearsals and directed one rehearsal.

Galin wrote the play in 1980, but it wasn’t produced until six years later because of government censorship. This play is often performed in other cities that host the Olympics, Galin said. "As I discovered, this play has a universal problem. It’s not just for totalitarian countries," he said. "The soul cannot be imprisoned."

The play’s director, Giurgea, has the difficult job of trying to blend both the subtle and the obvious elements of the story. According to the Pomona College Theatre and Dance webpage, Giurgea "received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles. He has extensive teaching experience in directing, acting, dramaturgy, history of theatre, dramatic literature and theory and criticism." He teaches a Theatre Performance Class and an Intro to Directing class. Athena Freedlander ’02, one of the actresses in the play, said, "Working with Adrian has been great. He has this amazing story to tell about how he ended up in Pomona College, and he is definitely a great asset to the Theatre Department."

Stars in the Morning Sky will be playing April 8 in Pomona College’s Allen Theater at 8 pm, with two special weekend matinees at 2 pm. Tickets are $4 for students, and $8 for the general public.