The North Caucasus branch of the Mariinsky Theatre will host a premiere of the Digora State Drama Theatre

On 19, 20 and 21 January the National State Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Northern Ossetia-Alania, part of the Mariinsky Theatre's branch, will host the first premiere of the 2018 season – Twelfth Night staged by Alain Maratrat (France) and performed by the company of the Digora State Drama Theatre.

The woman who inspired and initiated the production, work on which has taken eight months, is People's Artist of Russia, Artistic Director of the Digora Theatre: "The idea of creating a production of William Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night has been on my mind for several years. First of all, I wanted to find a director with great experience, who understands the style, who tries to convey the "spirit" of Shakespeare's play. And I opted for Alain Maratrat, the more so as at the Digora Theatre he has already successfully staged Don Giovanni, and he really liked working with the company."

The production of Twelfth Night's Costume Designer is Mireille Dessingy (Switzerland), known to St Petersburg audiences for the operas Il viaggio a Reims, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Die Zauberflöte and The Love for Three Oranges (also performed at the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre), and known to North Ossetia's audiences for her designs for Don Giovanni. The sets and costumes of the forthcoming premiere have been created at the Mariinsky Theatre workshops.

The Digora State Drama Theatre, founded in Vladikavkaz in 1996 by the acclaimed dramatist and director David Temiryaev, is the youngest theatre ensemble in Northern Ossetia. Performances take place in the ancient Ossetinian dialect of Digora, spoken by the majority of the Ossetian people of the rebublic. Today the ensemble, its repertoire including works by Russian and international classical composers as well as contemporary national musicians, frequently performs in Northern Ossetia. On 2 July 2016 as part of the XXIV Stars of the White Nights Music Festival, the Digora State Drama Theatre appeared to great acclaim at the Hermitage Theatre (St Petersburg) with Jean-Baptiste Molière's comedy Don Juan staged by Alain Maratrat.