Moscow hosts BRICS drama school festival

Theater students from around the world will converge on the All-Russian Exhibition Center for eight days

Dozens of aspiring actors from all over the world are gathering in the Russian capital, Moscow for the seventh annual BRICS International Festival of Theatre Schools. The event, which officially started on Saturday and will last for eight days, takes place at the All-Russian Exhibition Center (VDNKh) as part of the ongoing Russia EXPO.

Organizers say they plan to turn VDNKh into a massive stage for students from different countries to show off their acting skills, while professional actors can share their experience. The centerpiece of the festival is Alexander Pushkin’s ‘The tale of the fisherman and the fish.’

According to Dmitry Tomilin, the head of the festival, Pushkin’s story of an unfortunate fisherman and his three wishes was chosen for the universal message it carries.

“The topic was not chosen by chance... Pushkin has been translated everywhere, everyone knows his works... Moreover, it is in sync with many epic literary works of other countries,” he said at a press briefing on Saturday.

The festival program includes a variety of workshops in acting skills, stage movement, and choreography, as well as performances by renowned Russian actors and singers.

The event will culminate in a major final performance on June 8 in what the organizers dubbed a ‘let’s play together’ format, whereby actors from different countries will perform en masse and interact with each other in their own languages.

Organizing and hosting the BRICS drama school festival since 2017 has been the Institute of Theatre Arts. The festival has been envisaged as an innovative platform for public diplomacy based on intercultural exchange.

This year, the event is expected to host delegations from China, Russia, Iran, India, South Africa, the UAE, Bahrain, and Belarus.