Volkov International Theatre Festival in Yaroslavl
Volkov International Theatre Festival brings productions based on Russian literature to the historic stage of the First Russian Theatre in Yaroslavl, named for its founder Fyodor Volkov. Over eight days each September, visiting companies submit full touring productions with their own actors and technical staging, and the programme's theme of unity and Russia's many cultures gives the week added civic weight.
You arrive at the First Russian Theatre and the whole place feels tuned for drama: people gathering on the steps, voices dropping in the foyer, and then that sudden stillness when the lights go down and Russian literature is about to become flesh and breath.