Contemporary Queer Plays by Russian Playwrights

Tatiana Klepikova studied Slavic Literature and Culture in Passau (Germany) and Language Pedagogy, Linguistics, and Translation in Yaroslavl (Russia). She is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto, where she is working on a monograph about contemporary Russian queer theater and drama.

• 1. Foreword: A Journey to Russian Queer Drama by Tatiana Klepikova2. Satellites and Comets (Sputniki i komety) by Roman KozyrchikovA one-act play that follows the return of a young man to his hometown that he left after the death of the man he loved.3. Summer Lightning (Zarnitsa) by Andrey Rodionov and Ekaterina TroepolskayaA mistaken-identity play that puts a twist on the Shakespearean A Midsummer Night’s Dream.4. A Little Hero (Malen'kii geroi) by Valery PecheykinIn a witty and satirical manner, this play follows the psychotic break of a boy called Vovochka who grows from a local vigilante against homosexual neighbors into the founder and leader of “Crematorium”—an organization tasked with identifying homosexuals across the country that uses medication, torture, and murder as tools to “save” Russian children from “pedophiles.”5. A Child for Olya (Rebenok dlia Oli) by Natalya Milanteva The relationship of two women runs into a problem zone when Olya, who wants to have a child but cannot give birth to one, starts pushing her girlfriend Zhenya to do that in her stead. 6. The Pillow's Soul (Dusha podushki) by Olzhas ZhanaydarovA heartwarming story for children about an unlikely friendship that follows the protagonist from the discovery of his difference to acceptance by others and, finally, to acceptance by himself 7. Every Shade of Blue (Vse ottenki golubogo) by Vladimir Zaytsev Examines the life of a boy who comes out to his parents in the hope of preventing their divorce. While the family mobilizes forces to “cure” him back to “normality,” he is left to deal with his coming out completely alone.8. A City Flower (Gorodskoi tsvetok) by Elizaveta LetterIn an intimate dialogue with the reader, a young woman called Erika, who is trapped in a male body, finds her true self after a journey of questioning, suffering, and regaining hope.

An ambitious and painstaking feat of heterodoxy, showcasing Russian theater’s most politically vulnerable playwrights whose work is nearly impossible to find in English.