Authors

Discussion

From the start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine many cultural institutions cracked in the middle. Theatre is not an exception. Some high-profile theatre figures are eagerly expressing their support to the political regime and its action, while theatre spaces are turned into enlistment offices. Some are forced to leave Russia and continue to create theatre across the world, trying to represent the other side of Russian culture. Meanwhile, the so-called ‘Group for the investigation of anti-Russian activities in the field of culture’ inspects and censor any expressions in the cultural sphere that can in any way undermine or criticize the political regime, invasion of Ukraine, or discredit the army. This paper looks at new and old theatre initiatives that continue to work in Russia as a part of an often invisible but tangible resistance. These theatres, using sometimes direct and sometimes symbolic language of performance, continue to resist moral and empathic downfall that seems to be accepted by many. Through their practice they refuse to accept the accusation that culture and art fails to bring change and only speaks to likeminded and liberal elites. The paper looks at the examples of a new theatre space ‘Prostranstovo Vnutri’ in Moscow and an established sociocultural project ‘Upsala Cirk’ in St. Petersburg and explores the work of an independent theatre collective Soso Daughters and their director Zhenya Berkovich.