An Alternative History of Theatre

A lecture series organized with Theatre magazine. The lectures will be devoted to an alternative history of Russian theatre, the first research of which first appeared in the magazine's issue No. 33. Lectures are devoted to some of the most important figures of “unofficial” Russian/Soviet culture - from Igor Terentyev to Boris Ponizovsky.

Nika Parkhomovskaya
Forgotten Melodies of the Music Hall: Dan Leno and Anita Berber as a Mirror of their Age

Dan Leno was once the top British celebrity, no less famous in London than the Tower or Big Ben. In 1904, a proud "king of jesters" was carved on his gravestone, but now he is remembered primarily in the context of the criminal story of the Highgate ripper. German Anita Berber evoked fierce scandals in the press and behind the scenes, and was a real bone of contention among bohemians and the bourgeoisie, but today in Berlin her name only brings to mind a small park in the Tempelhof district. Why were these two so famous during their lives and almost completely forgotten after death? What do they have in common and what is different about them? Does their art belong to a low or a high genre? We will answer these questions on January 17th.

Nika Parkhomovskaya is a theatre critic and producer. She graduated from RGII and studied at the School of Theatre Leaders. She is a columnist for Theatre magazine and writes for Vedomosti newspaper, as well as for the internet portals Colta.ru and Takie Dela. She lectures on the history of theatre and dance, and produces the Apartment sociocultural project for the Alma Mater Foundation.

Tickets: 300 rubles. Subscription for 4 lectures: 900 rubles