Set during Stalin’s brutal Reign of Terror, REQUIEM is a two-act drama by Leta Serafim that tells the powerful story of Russian poet Anna Akhmatova, who evolves from narcissistic dilettante to secret rebel.

 

After losing nearly everyone she loves, Anna finally dares to write REQUIEM to bear witness to the suffering and death by millions under the Great Purge—the poem that will become her life's great work and catapult her among the world's greatest poets of all time.

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Akhmatova is now considered to be the voice of millions who lost their lives during this time. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize and is now considered to be one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century. She is a complex figure—a failed wife, mother and friend, whose only true allegiance was to her craft, and to her poetry. But her genius is indisputable, as in the end, so was her courage.

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REQUIEM's look at one woman's fight against tyranny through art has never been more appropriate or important than right now in these troubled times. The play is 75 minutes long and utilizes a unit set and simple costuming with a cast of six actors (three men and three women) playing eight characters, plus minor doubled background personnel (guards, prison visitors, etc.).

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The play marks Leta's inaugural work for the theatre. Inquiries about productions or readings may be sent via LetaSerafimPlays at Gmail dot com.