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Valery Antonov’s call from the theater, 25.10.2002
Written by Ìàðèíà Ðàéêèíà   
Ñóááîòà, 26 Îêòÿáðü 2002
By Marina Raikina

 

26.10.2002 

 

VOICES FROM THE AUDITORIUM

 

‘Moskovsky Komsomolets’

 

Valery ANTONOV: What time is it, and what day?

 

 

“Hello, Marina.  It’s ‘Valera’ Antonov.”

 

“Where are you calling from, ‘Valerka’?”

 

“From there.”

 

When his telephone call woke me up at 5 in the morning, in my dreamy state I could not imagine, or more correctly, I could not believe that Valerka Antonov was calling me from the booby-trapped ‘Nord-Ost’ auditorium.

 

Valery Antonov is a tall, thin fellow of about forty.  People usually tease such types by calling them ‘Versta’ (an old Tsarist measurement distance, about a kilometer), but I never heard him called that.  Perhaps it was because he is good and funny and somehow very childish, despite his size.  He even writes children’s songs.  Though he is not a composer, but a sound editor who works in the most well known productions with the Confederated Theater Worker’s Union: Peter Stein’s ‘Hamlet’, Declan Donnelly’s ‘Boris Godunov’, and for the last year – at ‘Nord-Ost’.

 

 

“It’s me, Marina.”  His voice sounded as if he was holding himself in check.  “Listen, tell the headquarters, everyone is asking!  Tell them that if military operations in Chechnya do not cease, then it’s all over for us.”

 

“They allowed you to call?”

 

“Yes, they gave us telephones.  I’m calling you.  What time is it, and what day?”

 

“It’s Friday, just after 5 in the morning.  Can you talk?”

 

“I can for now.”

 

“Where were you when it all started?”

 

“I was in the radio booth.  Later they drove me out into the auditorium, like the others.”

 

“How are you getting along with them?”

 

“Okay for now.”

 

“Are they beating people?”

 

“No.  Sometimes they shout at us.”

 

“When?”

 

“When they’re nervous.  When they OMON soldiers tried to do something, they started shooting like crazy.  Everyone in the theater is asking that they meet their demands.”

 

“How many women are there among the gunmen?”

 

“That’s hard to say.  I think about half.”

 

“About how many people are in the theater?”

 

“It’s a full house.”

 

“How are the people doing?”

 

“There were a few heart attacks, but now, you could say it’s calm.”

 

“Is it cold in the theater?”

 

“It’s warm.”

 

“How about light?”

 

“They never turn it off.”

 

“What about food and water?”

 

“There’s water — in bottles, little ones.  But food?  You know, I don’t even feel like eating.  One time they offered sandwiches and milk on stage, but I didn’t take any.”

 

“How about the toilet?  Do they let you go?”

 

“You raise your hand and they escort you.”

 

“To the first floor bathrooms?”

 

“No, there’s a latrine in the orchestra pit.”

 

“They put toilets in the pit?”

 

“No, we just do it right on the floor.”

 

“Where are the children?”

 

“Generally speaking all the children are on the second floor, and they aren’t alone.  ‘Seryozha’ Lobankov and Delyatitskaya are with them.  There are children in the auditorium, but I can’t count them exactly, maybe there are 8 or 10.  There’s a girl next to me.”

 

“Ask her what her name is.”

 

“She says it’s Alla, but she doesn’t want to give her last name.”

 

“Is it true that they took away all your cell phones?”

 

“Yes, there was that time, but now they gave them back and are letting us call.”

 

“Is anyone in the hall trying to calm people down, are unite them?”

 

“There is in general.  Many are talking, but everyone is terribly tired.”

 

“How is Georgy Vasilev, the producer, acting?”

 

“Praiseworthy.  He spoke and said, as if through ESP, that we’ll all be released.  Tell them that the demonstration took place and that they have to meet their request.  We are all certain that if they try to do something, then it’ll be a catastrophe here.  It’s hopeless!  They don’t need to do anything like an assault.  They are reacting to every noise here.  We’ll get blown up before they can do anything.”

 

“Valera, answer me only ‘yes’ or ‘no’: are you talking to me under the gun?”

 

(After a long pause.)  “No.”

 

 

P. S.  Other members of the Confederated Theater Worker’s Union working at ‘Nord-Ost’ include Yuri Romanov (lights) and Katya Shvedchenko (waitress).

 

 
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