The Mystery of the Dyatlov Pass Incident
It was in late January 1959 that ten experienced and well-equipped hikers led by twenty-three year old Igor Dyatlov set out for the Ural Mountains on a trek which would bring them their next levels of accreditation, the highest available in the Soviet Union; suffering from a flare up of a chronic ailment, Yuri Yudin returned to base early, and the rest were expected back around mid-February but they never arrived.
The search for the missing hikers begun on February 26th, nine bodies were found on Kholat Syakhl, “dead mountain,” their positions and conditions giving contradictory evidence as to what might have befallen them, some undressed, some apparently having died of hypothermia and others of severe injuries, and one of them having traces of radiation on their clothes in what has become known as the Dyatlov Pass Incident.
Created and performed by the ensemble of Acting Coach Scotland, The Mystery of the Dyatlov Pass Incident features a seven strong cast rotating through roles, each of them introduced in brief monologues direct to the audience, a series of resumes of ambitions, achievements and Soviet ideals delivered so rapidly they blur together, somewhat obviating the effort.
Opening on the campsite, with blankets, wooden crates and boots paired and lined up, the cold wind howling like the dying breath of strange animals, rather than expressing the terrifying wonder of the unforgiving environment, the bitter cold of winter in the Urals, the colour of the skies over the mountains, the characters bicker like teenagers over relationships and hierarchy, egos overwhelming the reasonable behaviour or cooperation despite the dangers.
The gender-swapping and doubled roles not helping the confusion, dialogue is rattled off with furious urgency rather than feeling, always performed as a presentation conscious of the stage and never giving the impression that these are real people in a real place who are being observed, The Mystery of the Dyatlov Pass Incident moving from flapping hands to waving arms but failing to probe deeply despite the plethora of theories proposed from yeti to secret weapons tests.
