Russian Theatre at the Margins of High Putinism

By Alex Trustrum-Thomas

Russian Theatre at the Margins of High Putinism traces the development of fringe theatre in Russia over the course of the second decade of the twenty-first century. This is a period that bears witness to the conservative-authoritarian turn in modern Russian politics and the subsequent slide into open repression of nonconformist elements in society. Through a close examination of various aspects of contemporary Russian theatre, including new trends in dramaturgy, documentary theatre, hybridization of media, performance, and actionist theatre, a picture emerges of a vibrant, heterogeneous subculture existing on the margins of cultural life and yet fully engaged in dialogue with the shifting political realities of the day. Utilizing extensive interviews with a number of significant theatre practitioners, the book offers a final firsthand glimpse of contemporary Russian culture and society in the years prior to two events that changed the country beyond recognition-the global pandemic and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Consideration of the seismic impact of those events on contemporary theatre and culture in Russia concludes the study.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0198971117
• ISBN13: 9780198971115
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 240 Pages