Pussy Riot and Les Enfants Terribles Play Takes Audience 'Inside' Russian Prisons
by Chelsey Sanchez
On Feburary 21, 2012, five women from Pussy Riot (a feminist punk band based in Russia’s capital city) entered Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. There, they shed their winter apparel, donned colorful masks, approached the altar, and - amidst the regal architecture and golden frames and holy portraits of Jesus and accompanying saints - began a performance that would eventually land them in a labour colony for two years. They called the performance “Punk Prayer - Mother of God, Drive Putin Away.” This protest against the reelection of Vladimir Putin, and the subsequent arrest and imprisonment that followed the protest, inspired Pussy Riot member Nadya Tolokonnikova to create an immersive theatre experience, fittingly named Inside Pussy Riot.
Co-created with the London-based theatre company Les Enfants Terribles, Inside Pussy Riot aims to, according to Tolokonnikova, “allow the audience to become a participant, experiencing exactly what Pussy Riot went through during our imprisonment - from the original Church performance, to the court trial and prison cells.”
“That’s why we’re making this play,” Tolokonnikova said in a video promoting the production. “Where everybody will have an opportunity to understand on their own skin, what it means to be a Russian prisoner. You need to go through that in order to know why you need to protect your own freedoms.”
"Creating an immersive and detailed world is an inherently expensive proposition,” said James Seager from Les Enfants Terribles, “but something we believe is important in order to truly transport audiences into a realistic environment that fully serves the Pussy Riot story.” This immersive and dynamic storytelling format isn’t Les Enfants Terribles’ first. The theatre company is well known for their inventive and Olivier-nominated production of Alice’s Adventures Underground, adapted from Lewis Carroll’s novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
A Kickstarter for the production is live here and has already raised over $10,000. Inside Pussy Riot will begin its 8-week run this November in London. Until then, check out the sneak peak in the gallery above.
Written by Chelsey Sanchez
Photos from Press Release