Tom Stoppard writes open letter in support of pioneering Moscow theatre institution Teatr.doc

The British playwright Tom Stoppard has published an open letter in support of independent Moscow theatre Teatr.doc, which has been threatened with closure after the Moscow City Administration’s Property Department unexpectedly terminated its rental agreement with the institution citing the violation of renovation rules. The international theatre community has slammed the eviction of Teatr.doc — an institution known for its stagings of controversial repertoire and political satire — as politically motivated.

In his open letter, published on Russian cultural website Colta.ru, Stoppard condemns the Russian government’s tightening grip on mass media in the country, hailing Teatr.doc for its “uncompromising stand [which] has marked it out for its enemies”.

“For generations, Russian theatre culture has been an inspiration in good times and bad, and an object of veneration in the English-speaking world,” the open letter reads. “In Russia, Teatr.doc is currently the most important example of a theatre group which, quite apart from the quality of its work which has given it an international reputation, contains the seeds of a vibrant and relevant theatre of the future.”

Teatr.doc’s artistic director, Yelena Gremina, has said that the theatre converted one of the building’s windows into a door in order to comply with the Moscow City Administration’s fire department’s orders.

Founded in 2002, the independent theatre has been a pioneering institution of dissent. Ahead of Russia’s presidential elections in 2012, the theatre staged a satirical play called BerlusPutin, a biting critique on the Russian president’s relationship with former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.

The open letter from Stoppard, originally published on Colta.ru:

It is shocking news that the Moscow theatre group Teatr.doc is threatened with the loss of its performance space. For generations, Russian theatre culture has been an inspiration in good times and bad, and an object of veneration in the English-speaking world. Such a culture does not suddenly appear from nowhere in its maturity. It grows out of new voices, new forms, new ideas and new subject matter. This is true everywhere, as I know from the experience of 50 years as a playwright.

In Russia, Teatr.doc is currently the most important example of a theatre group which, quite apart from the quality of its work which has given it an international reputation, contains the seeds of a vibrant and relevant theatre of the future. It fulfills one of the prime functions of art in society, namely to reflect, interpret and offer a critique of the social environment it lives in.

The impulses which energise such a theatre are impossible to kill, but they can be wounded by a spirit of reprisal and petty vindictiveness. With sorrow one cannot help noting that the battle for freedom of expression which had been won in the past has to be fought again by this tiny theatre. As the government’s grip tightens on the mass media, Teatr.doc’s uncompromising stand has marked it out for its enemies. Now it needs its friends, more than ever.