Russian theater’s exiles and the artists who stayed have almost nowhere left to see each other’s work. Once a year, in Yerevan, they do.
After 2022, Russia’s theater community was left fractured: many directors, actors, and playwrights had to emigrate, parting ways with longtime collaborators. Entire institutions closed under pressure from the authorities: the Gogol Center, the Meyerhold Center, the NET festival, and the magazine Teatr (“Theater”). Almost no venues remain where Russians who left and Russians who stayed can follow…
Since 2022, Russia's theater community has been divided: many artists have been forced to leave their homeland and collaborators have parted ways. Numerous institutions, including the Gogol Center, the Meyerhold Center, the NET festival, and the magazine Teatr ("Theater"), have been closed due to government pressure. Venues where Russian emigrants and those who remained could showcase each other's work are scarce, with one exception: Chronofest, a festival organized by the Khronotop theater company in St. Petersburg and later relocated to Yerevan.
The festival is a collaborative effort of the theater director Ilya Moshchitsky, who moved from St. Petersburg to Yerevan, and Artyom Arsenyan, who was once the producer of significant theater festivals in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Initially founded in 2020, Chronofest found its new home in Yerevan just a few months after its move.
The festival aims to provide a platform for theater artists from around the world, regardless of their political affiliations, to share their work and experiences. This year's Chronofest, held from May 28 to June 7, featured productions by directors from various countries, including Russia and Armenia, and was well-received by an international audience.
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