“U Mosta” Theatre
A stage named for a bridge over the Kama, where Gogol’s ghosts and Bulgakov’s devils have haunted Perm audiences since the late Soviet years.
At a glance
“U Mosta” means “Near the Bridge.” Sergei Fedotov founded the company in 1988 in a factory culture house beside Perm’s Kama Bridge. The theatre later moved into its own building on Kuibysheva street, still by the river crossing that gave it its name. It has since built an international reputation for mystical, psychologically charged productions.
History
The troupe’s first performances happened in the Worker’s Culture House of the Perm Telephone Factory. That building stood next to the Kama Bridge. The name stuck. Fedotov opened with Nikolai Erdman’s “The Mandate,” premiering on Erdman’s birthday, October 7. A year later came “The Animal,” a more symbolic work. Fame arrived with “Pannochka” in 1991, Fedotov’s staging of Gogol’s “Viy.” That production has been performed more than 3,000 times. In 1992 the theatre was formally registered and given a permanent home at 11 Kuibysheva street, again beside the bridge.
What you see
The building houses three performance spaces. The Big Hall seats 200. A New Hall and a Little Hall each hold 100. Scale here is intimate by design. Fedotov’s method draws on Russian psychological theatre, filtered through Mikhail Chekhov and Jerzy Grotowski. Actors work close to the audience, on internal energy as much as external gesture. The result favors atmosphere over spectacle.
Cultural significance
The repertoire leans toward writers drawn to the uncertain space between reason and the uncanny: Gogol, Bulgakov, Dostoevsky, Shakespeare, Evgeny Shvarts, Leonid Andreyev. Martin McDonagh sits among them as the theatre’s modern touchstone. “U Mosta” is, by its own account, the only theatre in the world to stage all eight of McDonagh’s plays. Since 2014 it has hosted an International Festival of Martin McDonagh, drawing companies from Ireland, Britain, Spain, Georgia, Kazakhstan and beyond across four editions through 2020. The company has appeared at 197 international festivals and collected 45 Grand Prix awards, touring widely through Russia and Europe.
Key facts
- Founded 1988 by Sergei Fedotov
- Location: 11 Kuibysheva street, Perm, Russia
- Three auditoriums: 200, 100 and 100 seats
- Signature production: “Pannochka” (1991), after Gogol’s “Viy”
- Only theatre known to stage all eight Martin McDonagh plays
- Hosts the International Festival of Martin McDonagh since 2014
Practical information & getting there
The theatre sits in central Perm, close to the Kama River bridge for which it is named. Check the official website for current schedules, ticketing and festival dates before you travel. Performances are staged in Russian, so non-speakers may want to plan around a familiar text like “Viy” or a McDonagh play.
Sources & resources
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