The Bolshoi Theater confirmed the removal from the posters of the names of artists critical of the SVO

General Director of the Bolshoi Theater Vladimir Urin in an interview “Rossiyskaya Gazeta” stated that due to changes in the socio-political situation, the theater is transforming its repertoire. The general director of the Bolshoi also confirmed that due to the new realities, the names of critics of the fighting in Ukraine disappeared from the theater’s posters. He explained this by increased attention to the theater.

As Vladimir Urin explained, there were several reasons for changing the repertoire. One is legal: the performances’ licenses have expired, and their renewal was impossible. “The second reason is completely different. When certain creators of performances spoke very definitely about the special operation. In this case, their names disappeared from the posters,” said the general director of the Bolshoi.

According to Vladimir Urin, the Bolshoi Theater is special “from the point of view of increased attention to it.” He called it a natural situation when “a certain wave rises” of indignant letters and statements addressed to the theater. “This was also the reason for the removal of certain performances from the repertoire,” he explained.

In May 2022 Bolshoi Theater canceled ballet “Nureyev” by Kirill Serebrennikov. Officially, the reason for the decision was not stated in the theater. At the same time, the director opposed the military operation in Ukraine and was not in Russia at that time. In March of this year, the ballet “Hero of Our Time” staged by Kirill Serebrennikov, which was supposed to be shown at the Bolshoi, replaced to “The Master and Margarita” by Edward Klug.

After the start of the military operation, Kirill Serebrennikov lives and works in France. Soon he will start working on a TV series based on the novel “The Phantom of the Opera.”

For more information about what happens after the entry of Russian troops into Ukraine, see online broadcasts “Ъ”.

Anastasia Larina