Confronting Modern Russias: Twentieth- to Twenty-First-Century Russian Theatre in Britain

Abstract

This section, ‘Confronting Modern Russias’ examines reception of the Soviet and post-Soviet periods. Visiting Russian theatre companies brought a new dimension to the home-produced translated material so far. Political reactions become the shapers of choice of production and reception: key ones are the distaste for Socialist Realism, dissident writers, the gulag, defections of important cultural figures, and glasnost. Post-Soviet Russia still reinvents itself in the twenty-first century: nostalgia for the early pre-WW1 Russia mixes with brave young writers uncovering modern social decay. Headings are: Visiting Russian companies 1945–2015; Translated Soviet plays 1945–2015; Glasnost and after: 1986–2000; The twenty-first century; British reception of modern Russian theatre: an overview.