Grand Forks actress writes and stars in upcoming play
By Erin Perkins
Anya Soroka is a local actress with a Russian flare.
The 28 year-old was raised in Grand Forks but has a distinct overseas connection: her mom is from Russia and Soroka also has a degree from there.
After graduating from the Victoria Motion Picture School, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in acting from the Boris Shukin Theatre Institute in Moscow, Russia. She can speak fluent Russian and has been featured in several Russian and Canadian films.
“What I like about acting is that you do things you wouldn’t necessarily do in real life,” said Soroka. “It is really fun to act out all the different possibilities of what you wouldn’t really do. It is really therapeutic.”
She sees acting also as being an opportunity to be an activist and open up others to new ideas about the world.
I can’t steer away from (activism). There is always an underlying message … I’m not able to stand back and watch things progress without being involved. It is everyone’s responsibility to make the world what they want it to be and a place to raise our children. Relationships with other people is where it all starts … The male and female relationship is what drives my work and (those relationships are) the foundation of everything.
Now she’s back in Grand Forks and contributing to the local theatre scene.
She can be seen this weekend acting in a play she also wrote called The Bar Tab.
The hour long play, which she wrote specifically for this performance in Grand Forks, follows a man and woman who meet for a second time at a bar and the audience is invited to listen in on the private conversation between these two people.
Soroka doesn’t want to give too much away, but she says it will be something most people can relate to.
“I think it is about something everyone can relate to, it has a very common theme that any generation can relate to.”
She said the most challenging thing about writing a play you are acting in is in disconnecting yourself from it.
“Having written it, I can relate to it. But the biggest challenge was putting it aside and acting in it,” she said.
She said the director brings a different spin to it, even more than she imagined as she was writing the story.
“I just hope it provokes thought and future discussions between friends and family,” said Soroka of what she hopes people gain from watching her play.
Soroka has a good sense of humour and although The Bar Tab is a drama, expect some laughs.
“It is a drama but it will still have an element of comedy to it like in real life,” said Soroka. “I can always find comedy in every situation.”
The Bar Tab, starring Anya Soroka and Vanya Popov will be shown at Studio B, 7330 2ndStreet, Grand Forks, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 29 and Saturday, June 30. Tickets are $15 each and available at the door, Thistlepot Gifts in Grand Forks and Serenity Wellness Centre in Christina Lake.
For more about Anya Soroka or other performance please visit her website at www.anyasoroka.com .
