Video/projection designer and film editor Yana Biryükova grew up going to the theatre in Moscow, Russia. “My family went to the theatre all the time and I went from a young age, not just to children’s shows but to see quite difficult social and political theatre.” She also loved film, citing Jim Jarmusch, David Lynch, Lars von Trier, and Andrei Tarkovsky as big influences, but she couldn’t quite see her role in the industry. At 19 she left Russia to attend film school at the University of North Carolina in Wilmington, which she chose because of the film studio, Screen Gems, located there and where students could work as production assistants. While studying, she found her calling in video and projections. She says, “It combines everything I love: live theatre and film. A perfect place for me to be. I get to make movies but also be in this fascinating art form.”
Biryükova believes that growing up in Eastern Europe gives her a unique perspective when approaching theatre projects. “Most of my influences in the theatre are directors, such as Kirill Serebrennikov, Dmitry Krymov, Romeo Castellucci, and Thomas Ostermeier. European theatre is more of a directors’ theatre versus in the US where it is a playwrights' theatre. I do get frustrated when everything is married to the text, it is not enough! I can read the text and I have imagination, whereas in Europe the text is just the starting point.” Working on video designs for theatre enables her to create a larger world around the words.
As a designer she uses mostly Adobe Premiere and After Effects for content creation, trying to limit content that isn't original, and for shows she uses Troikatronix Isadora and Dataton Watchout. “Isadora works better scene by scene, each concept is a separate space. Watchout is more linear, and you see each scene as part of the whole. Sometimes the design calls for one approach over another.”
Biryükova's next project is Hart Island, a multimedia theatrical experience based on the stories surrounding New York City's potter's field. She says, “I’m always interested in Mason Holdings projects because they are immersive, nontraditional, and make the audience part of the show. It is not a typical play, the design is very exciting. They are not locked into a specific way of designing. The theme appeals to me because it is about people pushed out of society and forgotten. It is very New York and I love New York.” Other projects in the works are a production of Ibsen’s John Gabriel Borkman in Tbilisi, Georgia and a modern version of The Brother’s Karamazov which began life as a play, The Karamazovs, which closed due to the pandemic, and which is now transitioning into a film. Originally the projection designer, Biryükova’s is now editing the film, which was shot on Martha’s Vineyard last year. She is also working on a Billy Gerard Frank short film shot in Grenada which will be seen at the Venice Biennale.
Future work seems to be expanding at a pace. One project she was approached to work on but wasn't able to was for a selfie space. She says, "It was one of those places where you walk in and there is nothing there, just video walls and a cool space for selfies. There are a lot of places like this China.Visual design is not limited to just theatre, special events, and music shows anymore." But she is concerned for a balance using technology. "Video is its own medium, you can’t just replace sets because it is cool or to save money. VR and AR are exciting, but we should not sacrifice the humanity of theatre or detract from the part that is essential to what theatre is: human beings emoting onstage."
US Education
- Yale University School of Drama, MFA in Theatre Design 2017
- University of North Carolina, Wilmington BFA Film Studies 2013
Awards
- 2020 Connecticut Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Achievement in Projection
- OPERA America 2019 Robert L.B. Tobin Director-Designer Showcase Finalist
- 2018 Connecticut Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Projections
- DMCA Interdisciplinary Arts Grant
- The Donald an Zorka Oenslager Scholarship in Stage Design