Russia

One of the projects developed, Moscow Open City, was performed in Moscow and as part of the International Playwrights season at the Royal Court in 2000, directed by Russian director Alexander Galybin and performed by UK actors. Further workshops have taken place in Moscow and, in December 2000, work started with Siberian writers at the Globus Theatre in Novosirbirsk, Siberia.

In 2001, the Royal Court presented New Plays from Russia in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, a week of rehearsed readings during which four Russian playwrights worked in London with British actors and directors. This was the opportunity that a British audience had had to see work from post-perestroika Russia. The season included Vassily Sigarev’s Plasticine (winner of the Evening Standard Most Promising New Playwright Award 2002) and readings of three other new plays. In early 2003, the Royal Court produced two Russian plays: Black Milk by Vassily Sigarev and Terrorism by Oleg and Vladimir Presnyakov. We also co-produced Playing the Victim by the Presnyakov Brothers at the Royal Court and on Tour in August/September 2003. In 2004, Ladybird by Vassily Sigarev was produced as part of the International Playwrights Season.

Further workshops continued in Moscow in October 2004, with three participants going on to take part in the 2005 and 2006 International Residencies. In 2008, Elyse Dodgson travelled to Moscow with playwright Mike Bartlett to start a project with a new group of playwrights in collaboration with the Lubimovka New Writing Festival, and then returned in 2009 to continue this work, accompanied by Artistic Director Dominic Cooke. Two of the writers took part in the 2009 International Residency and another two were invited to attend further play workshops in London.