ABSTRACT
The Formal Theatre literally descended onto the heads of the Petersburg public. No one knew or wished to know of its existence until the first festival of new theatre studios took place in June 1990. The festival was organised by what was then still the Leningrad section of the Union of Theatre Workers with the aim of discovering (and, if possible, also supporting) such theatres. The Formal Theatre filled in its application to take part the day before the festival was due to open, after reading a short newspaper announcement about it.
