The theater was created during the coronavirus pandemic by a group of artists from the city of Nizhny Tagil. It is a theatre that does not require a dedicated venue; essentially, it consists of a fabric-covered box that can be assembled and disassembled anywhere. We have performed on city streets, in forests, at summer cottages, and in indoor spaces. The main thing is the desire to create, and there are always spectators on the streets—that is where we started.
We are a travelling street shadow theater, whose actors and creators are passionate artists from Nizhny Tagil.
Creative team:
49 Mira St., Nizhny Tagil
Anastasia Kurganova, Ekaterina Vaganova, Serafima Busygina, Yuri Kurganov, Ekaterina Neidorf, Veronika Kazakova, Nosova Polina, Novikova Sofia, Kozlova Elizaveta
As part of the "High Voltage" project, The performance was presented once in 2022 at the "Samorodok" venue.
(texts by Nizhny Tagil residents about their city)
A performance based on verbatim
TAGIL TALES at SLAVIK’s KITCHEN TABLE
Chernoistochinsk, st. Kirova, 2a
"Ku-Ku Fest": a festival of original street performances featuring elements of puppet theater
Anastasia Kurganova, Ekaterina Vaganova, Serafima Busygina, Yuri Kurganov, Veronika Kazakova, Ekaterina Neidorf, Nosova Polina, Novikova Sofia
Creative team:
Organized by the Chernoistochinsk Creative Team led by Yulia Pilyay
A children's play based on Emily Dickinson’s riddles
EMILY'S RIDDLES
Venue: Nizhny Tagil, 37 Goroshnikova St., Building 3, Demidov Hospital grounds
Kurganova Anastasia, Vaganova Ekaterina, Zueva Ksenia, Busygina Serafima, Kurganov Yuri, Putilova Ekaterina
Creative team:
"Night, dancing figures in white masks, the fragrance of lilacs... Around ten o'clock in the evening, the spectators gathered in the square in front of the Demidovsky Polyclinic and watched from afar as Kholm appeared, accompanied by white masks and Alfred Schnittke’s tango... They waited for the performance to begin. It turned out that the show was already underway!"
WATCH
The production also participated in the Chernoistochinsk "Ku-Ku Fest!"
As part of the "High Voltage" project, 2021.
The project was initiated and coordinated by the Sverdlovsk Regional Public Organization “City of Kind People,” in collaboration with psychologists from the Center for Family Therapy and Counseling and the “Lotsmany” instructor team.
A performance based on the play of the same name by Rinat Gilfanov
A FAILED LECTURE
theater's organizing
Yuri KURGANOV
Еkaterina
PUTILOVA
PUTILOVA
Ksenia ZUEVA
Seraphim BUSYGINA
Еkaterina VAGANOVA
Anastasia KURGANOVA
In our theatre, every team member takes on multiple roles: actor, prop maker, costume designer, technician, sound designer, and more.
Interview with Ekaterina Vaganova (one of the theater's founders) by the organizers of the "High Voltage" project:
- We’ve divided up the responsibilities, of course, since it’s impossible to keep track of everything. Whoever plays a particular role looks after the props for that role. I handle the technical side of things—the theater structure and the lighting. Since I sewed the cover for the little theater myself, I sometimes do some mending when needed. For instance, specifically for the Lector production—and at Nastya’s behest—I sewed a trapdoor into the theater’s ceiling. All in all, we’re a versatile bunch.
– We were inspired by a legend surrounding Shakespeare’s life. The owner of the land where the great playwright’s theater stood refused to renew the lease. So, Shakespeare and his fellow actors decided to dismantle the theater overnight and move it to a new location. By dawn, the "old-yet-new" building had sprung up on the new site. They named it the Globe—meaning "the whole world." And, following Shakespeare’s example—while at the dacha, in a pre-dawn delirium—we call our theater KHOLM: *Khalatnoye Otnosheniye Lyogkogo Mozga* (The Careless Attitude of a Light Brain). Feel free to dismiss this as nonsense.
– We started by considering what we would like to—and could—perform in shadow theater. Fairy tales and spooky tales in verse came to mind. But we ultimately chose Lewis Carroll’s "The Walrus and the Carpenter," followed by the play "Greka." One is spooky, the other funny. Both raise philosophical questions that are perfect to savor over tea and treats, accompanied by the sound of a guitar.
You likely have not only roles assigned but also specific responsibilities? It’s a small team…
And why is your "little wagon" called HOLM?
What kind of repertoire did you dream of back then?
– A year ago, when everyone was locked down due to COVID and many online platforms made their content free, there was a huge surge of love for Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. We discussed this a lot in our group chat for artists. At the time, an Instagram archive dedicated to art from Nizhny Tagil—curated by Anya Kiyashchenko, a former colleague of mine—was also gaining momentum. That inspired us. We wondered: why aren’t we doing anything ourselves, given all these creative examples right in front of us? And that’s when, as they say, the stars aligned.
The HOLM Theater is the fruit of our collective epiphany.
After our debut on the streets of Tagil, we learned about one of Russia’s oldest street theaters—Monsieur Pejo’s Puppets (where all the actors perform in distinctive masks, without words or tickets; the primary focus is on transforming the spectator's inner world through expressive imagery and soundscapes, while drawing them into the performance).
The HOLM Theater is the fruit of our collective epiphany.
After our debut on the streets of Tagil, we learned about one of Russia’s oldest street theaters—Monsieur Pejo’s Puppets (where all the actors perform in distinctive masks, without words or tickets; the primary focus is on transforming the spectator's inner world through expressive imagery and soundscapes, while drawing them into the performance).
Interview with Ekaterina Vaganova (one of the theater's founders) by the organizers of the "High Voltage" project:
- We’ve divided up the responsibilities, of course, since it’s impossible to keep track of everything. Whoever plays a particular role looks after the props for that role. I handle the technical side of things—the theater structure and the lighting. Since I sewed the cover for the little theater myself, I sometimes do some mending when needed. For instance, specifically for the Lector production—and at Nastya’s behest—I sewed a trapdoor into the theater’s ceiling. All in all, we’re a versatile bunch.
– We were inspired by a legend surrounding Shakespeare’s life. The owner of the land where the great playwright’s theater stood refused to renew the lease. So, Shakespeare and his fellow actors decided to dismantle the theater overnight and move it to a new location. By dawn, the "old-yet-new" building had sprung up on the new site. They named it the Globe—meaning "the whole world." And, following Shakespeare’s example—while at the dacha, in a pre-dawn delirium—we call our theater KHOLM: *Khalatnoye Otnosheniye Lyogkogo Mozga* (The Careless Attitude of a Light Brain). Feel free to dismiss this as nonsense.
– We started by considering what we would like to—and could—perform in shadow theater. Fairy tales and spooky tales in verse came to mind. But we ultimately chose Lewis Carroll’s "The Walrus and the Carpenter," followed by the play "Greka." One is spooky, the other funny. Both raise philosophical questions that are perfect to savor over tea and treats, accompanied by the sound of a guitar.
You likely have not only roles assigned but also specific responsibilities? It’s a small team…
And why is your "little wagon" called HOLM?
What kind of repertoire did you dream of back then?
– A year ago, when everyone was locked down due to COVID and many online platforms made their content free, there was a huge surge of love for Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. We discussed this a lot in our group chat for artists. At the time, an Instagram archive dedicated to art from Nizhny Tagil—curated by Anya Kiyashchenko, a former colleague of mine—was also gaining momentum. That inspired us. We wondered: why aren’t we doing anything ourselves, given all these creative examples right in front of us? And that’s when, as they say, the stars aligned.
The HOLM Theater is the fruit of our collective epiphany.
After our debut on the streets of Tagil, we learned about one of Russia’s oldest street theaters—Monsieur Pejo’s Puppets (where all the actors perform in distinctive masks, without words or tickets; the primary focus is on transforming the spectator's inner world through expressive imagery and soundscapes, while drawing them into the performance).
The HOLM Theater is the fruit of our collective epiphany.
After our debut on the streets of Tagil, we learned about one of Russia’s oldest street theaters—Monsieur Pejo’s Puppets (where all the actors perform in distinctive masks, without words or tickets; the primary focus is on transforming the spectator's inner world through expressive imagery and soundscapes, while drawing them into the performance).