About us

Chekhov International Theater Festival (Chekhov Festival) was established by the International Confederation of Theater Unions and was first held in 1992. It is the largest international theater festival in Russia. It takes place every two years and is one of the most renowned theater forums in the world.

For more than thirty years, Valery Ivanovich Shadrin—an outstanding Soviet and Russian theater figure and a leading voice in the world theater community—was one of the principal founders and the driving force behind the Chekhov Festival. Thanks to his artistic vision and international standing, the Chekhov Festival has become one of the world’s leading theatrical platforms, bringing together major theaters, directors, and performers from every continent. The Chekhov Festival adopted as its motto the words of the great 20th-century director Giorgio Strehler: “Theater is for the people.” Streler’s work has become an integral part of the festival’s history, and his humanistic philosophy of theatre contributed to the development of the festival’s mission, as articulated by its founder, Valery Shadrin: “… Thanks to the talent and creative exploration of directors, actors, musicians and choreographers, the theatre world is undergoing a continuous process of renewal, and in response to the demands of the times, new forms, genres and theatrical technologies are emerging. In this ever-changing world of theatre, we strive to find and present to our audience productions that will draw people back to the theatres time and time again. Great figures of the theatre have helped us to shape precisely this vision of the festival’s mission. We are grateful to them for this.”

The Chekhov International Theatre Festival creates a unified platform for creativity by forging long-term friendly relationships with international partners; it keeps abreast of the most interesting and relevant trends in contemporary performing arts, whilst maintaining a broad perspective on the entire theatre world. The festival’s main goal is to introduce Russian audiences to the finest and most significant examples of world theatre, to the most outstanding productions by foreign theatres, and to present world theatre in a way that appeals to both professionals and the public.

Over the years, the Chekhov Festival has organized more than 20 cultural programs showcasing Russian art abroad.

The festival also serves an educational purpose: as part of its programme, it traditionally hosts educational initiatives for theatre professionals and enthusiasts, comprising lectures, masterclasses, creative workshops, meetings with audiences and exhibition projects.

Coproductions with international and Russian theatre partners – directors, theatres and festivals – have become a regular feature of the Chekhov Festival’s programme. A total of 40 collaborative productions have been created over the festival’s history.

The Chekhov Festival’s regional programme is organized in collaboration with the Chekhov Regional Public Foundation, which supports the festival. Over the years, the festival has succeeded in bringing dozens of the finest productions from around the world to Russian audiences in 30 cities across Russia.

The “Moscow Programme” holds a special place, comprising the most interesting theatre premieres of the past two years. We believe it is important for participants and guests of the Chekhov Festival to have the opportunity to discover new productions from Moscow’s theatres.

The Chekhov Festival programme featured more than 650 productions from 60 countries around the world, directed by 460 directors and choreographers.

The festival continues to receive a large number of applications from all corners of the world, which is proof that the international theatre community’s interest in the Chekhov Festival remains as high as ever.

Since 2021, the team of the Chekhov International Theatre Festival has been organizing the Pacific International Theatre Festival in Vladivostok (the Pacific Festival), which will take place for the fourth time in autumn 2026.

Over the decades, the Chekhov International Theatre Festival has built hundreds of cultural bridges between countries and continents and has become one of the most significant and high-profile cultural events in Russia.

The programs and projects of the Chekhov International Theatre Festival are supported by the Government of the Russian Federation and the Moscow City Government. Channel 1 is the general partner of the festival.

In 2027, the Chekhov Festival will celebrate its 35th anniversary.

General Director from 1992 to 2022 – Valery Ivanovich Shadrin

General Director from December 2022 to the present – Karina Sergeevna Tsaturova