Ahh, Russia. The place where cultural policy is to “only water the useful flowers” (translation: censor the shit out of anything we don’t like).

The Ruskies are cracking down on counter-culture and their main target is The Gogol Centre, one of the best loved theatres in Moscow.

There’s been raids on The Gogol and its artistic director’s home. Many fear the theatre’s current position as “a place of freedom” will soon be chucked out for a more Putin-friendly lineup.

Still it hasn’t happened yet, so catch some of the batshit bonkers plays it’s got on offer while you can...

Dead Souls

A bunch of dudes frolic about in a plywood box, playing everything from barnyard animals to elderly landladies.

Sounds like a laugh, but it’s apparently a representation of how Russian life never changes and is inescapable. Dayum.

Based on Gogol’s poem, it heavily criticises corrupt Russian society. Can’t imagine why Putin ain’t a fan.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Somewhere between the Shakespeare classic and searching for your friends at a warehouse rave lies this version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

As the audience, you ramble round the space finding fairy queens in greenhouses, young lovers at a school disco and workers watching a Chinese shopping channel.

Fairies

We’ve all been there. You start to run a bath, pop downstairs, and before you know it your bathroom looks like Noah’s Ark without the boat.

The set of fairies looks a lot like that, but for reasons of metaphor instead of an emergency from a Direct Line ad.

This modern monologue from French company Studio Seven looks at twenty-somethings and their place in this hectic world, all surrounded by a flood of tap water.
#whynot