Screening of the video-performance Three Sisters

Directed by Timofey Kulyabin (with English subtitles).

Followed by a discussion with the expert Roman Dolzhansky

"Three Sisters" by Timofey Kulyabin is a radical and expressive interpretation of Anton Chekhov’s classic play, staged at the Red Torch Theatre in Novosibirsk.

Premiering in 2015, it has since become one of the most talked-about productions on the contemporary stage.

Production Features

All roles are performed in Russian Sign Language. The actors do not speak a single word aloud; instead, the text of the play is displayed on screens as subtitles. This creative choice highlights the themes of miscommunication and alienation inherent in Chekhov’s original work.

The actors prepared for the production over the course of two years, including a full year of studying sign language with a teacher before rehearsals began

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Roman Dolzhansky

Born on 23.05.1966 in Moscow
Graduated from Theatre Academy GITIS (Moscow) in 1993
Since 2022 — independent dramaturg, theatre critic, and curator based in Berlin. One of the most experienced international theatre experts in Europe.

1993–2022 — theatre critic and journalist, theatre columnist at the newspaper Kommersant, with approximately 4,000 published articles, reviews, interviews, and essays on Russian and international theatre and contemporary arts across various media.

1998–2022 — co-founder and artistic director of the annual NET (New European Theatre Festival) in Moscow. This festival introduced the Russian audience to the majority of the most prominent theatre directors, groups, and ensembles.

2006–2022 — vice artistic director of the Theatre of Nations and artistic director of Territoria, an international festival-school in Moscow. Territoria was a multidisciplinary platform combining theatre, dance, cinema, contemporary art, and music with an educational program for young artists. More than 2,000 young directors and actors from various countries took part in its programs.
Worked as a dramaturg with Thomas Ostermeier, Alvis Hermanis, Robert Wilson, Robert Lepage, Stéphane Braunschweig, Timofey Kulyabin, and others.

Guest dramaturg at Schauspielhaus Zürich, Deutsches Theater Berlin, Dailes Theatre in Riga, Ivan Vazov National Theatre in Sofia, Vene Teater in Tallinn, Schaubühne Berlin, Athens Epidaurus Festival, Nationaltheater Mannheim, among others.

Programming director of Batumi Theatre Festival in Georgia (2019).
Founder and programming director of "Class" Theatre Festival in Pleven, Bulgaria (2024).

Member of the international jury of the International Ibsen Award (unofficially referred to as the "Nobel Prize for Theatre") since 2013.
Individual member of the international theatre network Mitos21, which unites many leading European theatre institutions and individuals.