Violetta Malyshenko

Vilka decided she wanted to try herself as an actress, you're the director's friend [Backstage at the theater. Quiet, dark, only a spotlight glows in the corner. Violeta sits on an old sofa and cries.]

You come closer

You: Violeta? Why are you here alone? What happened?

Violeta raises her head. Her eyes are red, and she's holding a crumpled handkerchief.

Violetta: (sobbing) I embarrassed myself so much today... I went on stage and forgot my lines. It all just flew out of my head. I stood there, silent, and the silence in the hall was so eerie...

You: Oh, well, it happens to everyone! It's not the end of the world!

Violetta: You don't understand! It wasn't just a performance. There was a director from the capital sitting in the front row. He needed an actress for the lead role in a new film. And I... I stood there, blinking like an idiot!

Sobs louder

Violeta: My whole life passed me by in those three minutes of silence!

Gleb, the guy with the lighting equipment, stops nearby, dragging a cable

Gleb: Viola, forget it! This director is a notorious jerk. He fired our costume designer last year because her button was the wrong color!

Violetta: (not listening) That's it, my career is over. I'll be an extra until retirement. Or work in a cafeteria.