On 29 March 2024 at 13:00, as part of the International Exhibition‑Forum "Russia" in Moscow at VDNH, Pavilion 75 B (the "Far Eastern Panorama" stand), a press conference took place dedicated to the activities of the International Pacific Theatre Festival, during which the programme for the third edition of the Festival – to be held in Vladivostok from 20 September to 6 October 2024 – was announced.
The speakers at the press conference were:
Evgeny Mironov – Head of the Programme for the Development of Theatre Arts in the Far East, Artistic Director of the State Theatre of Nations, People's Artist of Russia;
Karina Tsaturova – General Director of the Chekhov International Theatre Festival.
Video greetings to the Festival's audiences and guests were sent by:
Elena Bronnikova – Deputy Chair of the Government of Primorsky Krai, Minister of Culture and Archival Affairs of Primorsky Krai;
Meng Xinyang – Dancer from the Group of Eastern Performing Arts (China);
Motoi Miura – Director of the production "Friends";
Paulo de Moraes – Director of the production "Brás Cubas";
Brenda Angiel – Director and Choreographer of the Argentine Aerial Contemporary Dance Company (Argentina);
Rajaat Kapoor – Director of the production "Nothing Like Lear".
ABOUT THE 2024 PROGRAMME
From 20 September to 6 October 2024, Vladivostok will host the Third International Pacific Theatre Festival. The programme features 11 performances of various genres, created by theatre practitioners from Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Italy, Japan and Russia. The programme reflects the diversity of cultural and theatrical traditions and is aimed at strengthening international cultural and humanitarian cooperation.
On 20 and 21 September, the Festival will open with the stunning production "Poetic Dance: A Journey Through a Legendary Landscape" , inspired by the famous painting "Panorama of Rivers and Mountains" by a Chinese artist from the Song Dynasty (10th–13th centuries). The unique 11‑metre scroll is a masterpiece of traditional Chinese landscape painting, with a history spanning nearly a thousand years. Thanks to refined choreographic skill and elaborate sets – including a revolving stage – the legendary scroll literally comes to life before the audience's eyes. The meticulous work of creating this large‑scale production, involving over 40 dancers, took the Group of Eastern Performing Arts more than a year and is, without exaggeration, a cultural treasure of China.
On 24 and 25 September, the National Theatre of China will present its reading of Edmond Rostand's play "Cyrano de Bergerac". Combining the European acting school with the captivating art of Chinese opera, blending Eastern and Western traditions, director Ding Yiteng – hailed at home as "the most popular young director‑innovator" – tells the famous story of a brave warrior and gifted poet, valiant in battle but timid in love.
On 27 and 28 September, the Festival will feature an extraordinary spectacle by the Brenda Angiel Aerial Contemporary Dance Company from Buenos Aires. In the production "8eight" , the famous Argentine tango intertwines with other rhythms and styles. Soaring not across the dance floor but through the air, the performers captivate with elegance and sensuality – all accompanied by live music. The company has toured the world, performed at international festivals and played to stadium audiences of thousands. Aerial dancers have amazed and won over millions of spectators across the globe.
On 29 September, the programme continues with the one‑man show "Nothing Like Lear". Indian director Rajaat Kapoor, who possesses a unique talent for creating comedies from dark subjects, reinterprets Shakespeare's play in his characteristic manner – the tragic Lear appears before the audience as a clown. The sole performer is acclaimed Bollywood actor Vinay Pathak as Lear, holding the audience in suspense for nearly two hours: what begins as stand‑up comedy gradually transforms into drama.
On 29 and 30 September, the Moscow Theatre of Operetta will present the genre‑bending experiment "Reverse". In this production, superb dramatic acting is combined with refined choreography and stunts on the edge of human possibility. Trapped in a confined space, fifteen characters tell a story of human struggle against external circumstances and against oneself – of the lowest and the most beautiful manifestations, which are revealed only in extreme situations – and finally, of the crucial choice that every person faces at least once in life. An international team worked on the production. Directors Andrey Koltsov and Irina Drozhzhina, together with choreographer Debra Brown (Canada) and lighting designer Joachim Barth (Germany), have created an intensely dynamic piece that defies any existing theatrical genre.
On 1 and 2 October, the programme features a landmark co‑production: the play "The Stone of Folly" by Belarusian playwright Konstantin Steshik – a joint project of the Republican Theatre of Belarusian Drama, the International Confederation of Theatre Unions, and the Regional Public Foundation for the Support of the International Chekhov Theatre Festival. A contemporary take on a medieval legend: a charlatan posing as a doctor extracts a "stone" from the head of a gullible patient, supposedly preventing him from living. The production explores the search for meaning in life, dreams and the collapse of illusions when they confront reality.
On 2 and 3 October, the programme continues with the State Theatre of Nations production "Friends" , directed by Japanese director Motoi Miura, based on the play of the same name by his compatriot, avant‑gardist Kōbō Abe. The plot centres on a strange situation: a young man's apartment is suddenly invaded by an entire family of eight. Hiding behind the best of intentions, they intrude into every aspect of his life – taking over his flat, his salary, his personal relationships, and ultimately his physical freedom. "Our production is about how quickly modern society can strip a person of their identity and destroy their belief in themselves," says Motoi Miura. The play, created in the spirit of Western European absurdism, takes on a special dimension in this production, where Japanese national culture "meets" Russian psychological theatre.
On 4 and 5 October, the Brazilian theatre company Armazém will present a bold and original reading of the brilliant novel by Brazilian literary classic Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis – "The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas" (also translated as "Epitaph of a Small Winner" ). The authors have transformed the novel's complex psychological realism into a captivating stage piece, in which the deceased protagonist Brás Cubas shares the story of his life with the world – beginning from the moment of his death. Scenography, lighting and live music combine to create a memorable atmosphere, transporting audiences back to the 19th century. With this landmark production, Armazém celebrates its 35th anniversary.
On 5 and 6 October, guests of the Pacific Festival will be able to see the first puppet production of the State Theatre of Nations, whose central character is the folkloric figure of the Muslim East – Khoja Nasreddin. The adventures of the famous philosopher and trickster are recounted by his faithful companion – the donkey. The adventure plot will captivate both children and adults. The puppets speak in the recognisable voices of beloved actors: Evgeny Mironov, Konstantin Khabensky, Viktor Verzhbitsky, Igor Zolotovitsky, Elizaveta Boyarskaya and Inga Oboldina. The production is created in the aesthetic of old black‑and‑white cinema, but as if coloured by the flavour, mood and wisdom of the East. "Khoja Nasreddin" is a winner of the Golden Mask Award (2022) for Best Puppet Theatre Production.
On 5 and 6 October, in the year celebrating the 225th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, the programme will conclude with the concert‑performance "Onegin: Lyrical Digressions" – a true feast of music and poetry. From the stage, fragments of Pushkin's greatest work are not simply recited – talented contemporary actors transform before our eyes: Evgeny Mironov reads for the narrator and for Onegin; Marina Alexandrova reads for Tatyana and for Lensky. A special role belongs to the music: the Symphony Orchestra of the Primorye Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre will perform excerpts from Tchaikovsky's operas and ballets, as well as works by Mussorgsky, Rachmaninoff, Sviridov and Khachaturian. All this was conceived and realised by Marina Brusnikina, who decided to take a closer look at the "lyrical digressions" in the novel – about life, love, friendship and creativity.
Festival performances are scheduled to take place at the Primorye Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre (Grand Hall and Small Hall), the M. Gorky Primorye Academic Regional Drama Theatre and the Primorye Regional Youth Theatre. The date for the opening of ticket sales for the Third International Pacific
Theatre Festival will be announced separately.
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
The International Pacific Theatre Festival takes place in a unique location where Western culture "meets" the East. Among its key objectives is to help establish Vladivostok as one of the cultural capitals of the region and of Russia.
The Pacific Festival is a significant, large‑scale event within the state Programme for the Development of Theatre Arts in the Far East, launched in 2019. The initiative came from the State Theatre of Nations and its Artistic Director, Evgeny Mironov. The project was supported by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. The creative concept was developed by Valery Ivanovich Shadrin, who for thirty years headed the International Chekhov Theatre Festival. Its core mission is educational – enabling audiences, without leaving Primorye, to engage with the diverse cultural palette of the Pacific region and to encounter distinctive theatre practitioners from around the world.
The first Festival was organised and held under the difficult conditions of the pandemic. Despite this, participants from Argentina, Armenia, Georgia, Spain, Switzerland, South Korea and Japan came to the capital of Primorye. The results showed incredible success – tickets sold out within days, and Festival events were attended by over 12,000 spectators.
The second Pacific Festival was dedicated to the memory of V.I. Shadrin, who passed away in December 2022. The programme he had prepared was successfully realised by the organisers. Despite new challenges, a rich and engaging programme was assembled, featuring companies from Brazil, Vietnam, China, Cuba, South Africa and other countries. Audience numbers exceeded 18,000.
In autumn 2024, Vladivostok will once again become a centre of international cultural attraction. The programme of the Third Pacific Festival has been developed by the International Chekhov Theatre Festival with the direct participation of the State Theatre of Nations. It includes performances of various genres, created by theatre practitioners from Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Italy, Japan and Russia. Chinese companies occupy a special place in the programme, as 2024–2025 have been declared cross‑years of Russian and Chinese culture. Particular attention will be paid to Vladivostok's status as the "Youth Capital of Russia". The programme includes several productions aimed primarily at younger audiences. As tradition dictates, the Festival will also feature masterclasses by Russian and international directors, actors and choreographers, as well as lectures and training sessions led by leading experts in contemporary theatre.
The International Pacific Theatre Festival is young but has already built its own audience and become a much‑anticipated event in the region. Its mission remains to continue introducing audiences to the diversity of contemporary theatre art, while helping to strengthen Russia's image as a country open to the further development of international cultural and humanitarian cooperation. The Pacific Festival in Vladivostok sees this as its purpose.
The Festival is held in Vladivostok with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Government of Primorsky Krai.
Organisers: Chekhov International Theatre Festival, with the participation of the State Theatre of Nations.
General Partner: Channel One.
Sponsor: VTB Bank.
Regional Information Partner: OTV-Prim TV Channel.
Information Support: the portals "Kultura.RF" and "Kulturnoye Primorye".
Official website: www.pacificfest.ru