ABSTRACT
Nonconformist theatre continues to exist in Russia despite the difficult conditions imposed by the conservative state cultural policy that has been in place since 2012. The tradition of nonconformism in Russian theatre is a heritage of Soviet times, when it took the form of an unofficial undercurrent. The Russian theatre of the 1920s was full of political messages, as demonstrated by Vsevolod Meyerhold's so-called political reviews. After the collapse of the Soviet Union contemporary plays, such as for example the plays by Lyudmila Petrushevskaya, were now acceptable and legalized. The Russian theatre landscape was radically altered. Boris Pavlovich, the artistic director of the Theatre on Spasskaya in the city Vyatka (formerly Kirov) is deeply involved in social projects. To understand the changing landscape and modus vivendi of the nonconformist theatre in Russia in the 2000s, the first Moscow shows of productions of the 'Togliatti wave' is recalled which took place on one of the main stages, the Moscow Art Theatre.
