The 30th International Dostoevsky Theatre Arts Festival has officially announced its main program, running from October 29 to November 2, across Veliky Novgorod, Staraya Russa, and Valdai, with expanded regional performances stretching from October 1 through November 30.
30th Festival Showcases Classical Literature Across Three Regions
- The milestone 30th edition of the festival runs from October 29 to November 2, spanning Veliky Novgorod, Staraya Russa, and Valdai, with extended regional home-stage showings running through November 30.
- Under the leadership of People’s Artist of Russia Mikhail Porechenkov and producer Maxim Korolev, the event continues its post-2024 transformation into a broader classical literature showcase, featuring works by Pushkin, Chekhov, Gogol, and Tolstoy alongside Dostoevsky.
- Performances open on October 29 at the Arensky Novgorod Regional Philharmonic with the Mayakovsky Academic Theatre staging “Passions-Mordasti,” directed by Ivan Orlov.
Opening the Milestone Program in Veliky Novgorod
The festival traces its roots back to a 1992 gathering at the writer’s house-museum in Staraya Russa—a location Dostoevsky once called a place of personal repose—conceived initially by the Novgorod branch of the Union of Theatre Workers of Russia. Today, that modest local observance has evolved into a major international cultural fixture. The edition kicks off on October 29 at the Novgorod Regional Philharmonic named after A.S. Arensky. The opening night features Passions-Mordasti by the Moscow Mayakovsky Academic Theatre, bringing director Ivan Orlov’s phantasmagoric vision of human suffering and joy to the stage.
The calendar continues on October 30 with the ballet adaptation The Meek One, produced by the Kononov Concept studio-workshop under director Alexey Kononov. The piece examines a protagonist unspooling his past and reckoning with missed opportunities. The following day brings classical literature to the boards as the Pushkin Russian Drama Theatre of the Theatre Association of the Republic of Adygea presents The Captain’s Daughter, directed by Alexander Muriti.
Expanding the Classical Canon Across Regions
The festival underwent a significant organizational evolution starting in 2024, shifting its official name to the International Dostoevsky Theatre Arts Festival and expanding its curatorial scope beyond Dostoevsky’s direct bibliography to encompass major works of Russian classical literature. Led by Mikhail Porechenkov and Maxim Korolev, the festival has steadily broadened its geographic footprint and thematic range.
This expansion is visible in the schedule. On November 1, the Pushkin Pskov Drama Theatre brings its staging of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, directed by Pavel Zobnin, to the audience. The line-up also features the independent theatrical project “Kstati Theater” presenting Three on November 2 in the Philharmonic’s small hall—a thematic spin-off of Chekhov’s Three Sisters directed by Polovtseva.
| Date | Production | Executing Theatre | Director / Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 29 | Passions-Mordasti | Moscow Mayakovsky Academic Theatre | Ivan Orlov / Novgorod Philharmonic |
| October 30 | The Meek One (Ballet) | Kononov Concept Studio-Workshop | Alexey Kononov / Novgorod Philharmonic |
| October 31 | The Captain’s Daughter | Russian Drama Theatre of the Republic of Adygea | Alexander Muriti / Novgorod Philharmonic |
| November 1 | Uncle Vanya | Pushkin Pskov Drama Theatre | Pavel Zobnin / Novgorod Philharmonic |
| November 2 | Three | Kstati Theater Project | Ekaterina Polovtseva / Philharmonic Small Hall |
| November 2 | The Idiot | Central Academic Theatre of the Russian Army | Pavel Safonov / Novgorod Philharmonic |
Traversing Psychological Landscapes on Stage
The festival’s closing day, November 2, features a major psychological interpretation of Dostoevsky’s prose. The Central Academic Theatre of the Russian Army will present The Idiot, directed by Pavel Safonov. Safonov frames Prince Myshkin’s harrowing narrative as an internal spiritual odyssey, portraying the protagonist as someone journeying across Russia entirely within his own consciousness while isolated in a Swiss sanatorium.
Additional festival venues across Veliky Novgorod will host an array of experimental and repertory pieces. The RAMT company will perform The Dream of a Ridiculous Man at the “Serdce” club under Vladimir Bogatyrev’s direction, while Yulia Gorbachevskaya’s film and theater workshop stages an immersive adaptation of Gogol’s Gamblers. Meanwhile, the “Gorod” Palace of Culture and Youth hosts performances by the Pyotr Fomenko Workshop, the Gogol Drama Theatre, the Praktika Theatre under Marina Brusnikina, and the Novokuznetsk Drama Theatre, rounding out an extensive regional showcase that runs concurrently on home stages through November 30.
