Published on: 2026-10-09
Source: Moscow Government – Правительство Москвы –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
In November, it will be the 205th anniversary of the birth of the great Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky. In honor of the jubilee date at the theater “School of Dramatic Art”, subordinate to the Moscow Department of Culture, there will be performances based on the works of the classic, excursions, and creative meetings with artists. For fans of the literary genius writer, the service “Mosbilet” has prepared a selection of events, including exclusive ones. Tickets can be purchased without markups or fees.
About love without guarantees
The “School of Dramatic Art” Theatre will present the premiere of a play based on the novella of the same name by Fyodor Dostoevsky “White Nights”. It will take place on November 10.
The story of the Dreamer and Nastenka in this production is revealed as a conversation about love without guarantees, the readiness to wait, the ability to be close even in the absence of reciprocity. A lyrical reflection on a meeting that lasts only a few nights, forever changing a person’s inner world. St. Petersburg here becomes a living space of expectations and confessions, where fragile hope for happiness arises between the light of the white nights and the inevitability of parting.
“Nastenka is wonderful because despite her fragility and delicacy, she is strong in spirit and a brave girl. She is ready to do anything for love and believes in her dream until the very end. The heroine is not afraid to face reality; she wants her dream to come true and does everything for it. The dreamer, on the other hand, lives in a safe cocoon woven from his own fantasies and has no intention of leaving it. Only an unexpected acquaintance with Nastenka opens him up to real life,” says actress Anna Chepenko.
The play “White Nights” is built on a subtle psychological intonation and attention to the inner state of the characters, offering a contemporary interpretation of the classic text.
What do Prince K. and Prince Myshkin have in common?
In the stage interpretation of Dostoevsky’s story “Uncle’s Dream” Genuine drama and comedic situations intertwine. This creates a special poignancy and a unique authorial signature. The performance can be seen on October 9 and December 13.
Marya Moskaleva, the first lady in the provincial town of Mordasov, wants to marry off her beautiful daughter Zina to an old but wealthy Prince K. As the story develops, the entertaining comedy turns into a topical drama, raising questions of honesty and moral purity.
“When this play is staged, it is often made into a kind of salon story about life in the Russian provinces of the 19th century. But everything that happens in the tale was defined by Dostoevsky himself as a dream, and in fact this became the basis of our production. We thought: since the main character has this dream, surely other characters see them too. And we began to fantasize on this theme. There is no division into good and bad characters in the production. We took a different approach and tried to see a big child in each, imagining what this character was like in childhood, before turning into some function, mask, or social role, behind which adults so often hide,” notes the play’s director Gleb Cherepanov.
In the finale of the performance, there is an unexpected monologue by Prince Myshkin — the main character of Dostoevsky’s immortal novel “The Idiot.” According to the director, Prince K. is the first draft, a “rough sketch” of Myshkin.
“When staging a great author, you need to fully immerse yourself in his world. In Dostoevsky’s works, there is often a certain prince who arrives in a particular town, and from his interaction with him, all the characters begin to reveal their true faces. For me, this play is, of course, about love, banal as it may sound. Because when there is love, it gives meaning to everything, and when it is absent, meaning is lost,” believes Gleb Cherepanov.
Behind the scenes of the theater
Exclusively for users of the “Mosbilet” service, unique events will be held excursions behind the scenes of the “School of Dramatic Art” theater. They can be visited before performances. Participants will be revealed backstage secrets and shown the theater’s unique space. Guests will see its unusual decor: a glass roof, original design, and a stage without wings.
Visitors will learn why 1,500 clay pots filled with sand are hidden under the main stage, why the walls are painted to music, and how a chapel appeared on the roof. They will visit the exhibition in the “Atrium” under the glass roof, the “Manege,” “Globus,” “Tau Hall,” “Grotto Hall” rooms, and also take a look at where performances are born, rehearsals take place, and creative projects are realized.
After the performances of “White Nights” and “Uncle’s Dream,” the audience will have the opportunity to discuss them with the actors and directors. The guests will be told about how the rehearsals went, how difficult it was to get into the characters’ roles, and what meaning the creators of the plays put into each scene.
In addition, it is planned creative meeting with the actor Kirill Fedorov, who played the Dreamer in “White Nights” and Prince K. in “Uncle’s Dream.” For the latter role, the artist received a diploma at the “Belaya Vezha” festival in the category “Best Male Role.”
“I am immensely happy that my acting destiny includes this character! Prince K. is a very subtle, vulnerable, trusting person. Behind his comical facade hides a fear of loneliness and oblivion. His eccentricities are a way not to disappear, to remain in the world of the living. Prince K. possesses a rare ability to change those around him. He does not follow social rituals, and this knocks others out of their usual roles. He is not afraid to be vulnerable, and this gives others permission to show weakness. The character’s development occurs in every performance, and the more sincere he is at the beginning, the more ridiculous in his desires and manifestations, the more sympathy he will evoke from the audience by the end of the play,” reflects Kirill Fedorov.
Theater “School of Dramatic Art” is located at: 19 Sretenka Street. You can view its repertoire, purchase tickets online, or gift them to loved ones using the “Mosbilet” service. With the promo code DOSTOEVSKY205, a 25 percent discount applies to the performances “Uncle’s Dream” and “White Nights.”
“Mosbilet” — an official service on the mos.ru portal, through which you can purchase tickets to theaters, museums, concert halls, and other institutions without commissions or markups. The service’s page features announcements of the most anticipated events, season premieres, events within city festivals, exhibitions, performances, and concerts that will take place in the upcoming weekend.
You can buy a ticket directly through the service. For events requiring personal data to purchase a ticket, entering the visitor’s last name, first name, patronymic, and details is not necessary: if the user has a standard or full account, simply leave the default document selection value as Mos ID. Mandatory fields must be filled in manually if the account is simplified. When booking tickets for young guests through the service, all data must be entered only by the accompanying adult. For children under 14 years old, only last name, first name, patronymic, and date of birth can be specified; showing the child’s document is not required when attending cultural events.
In addition, authorized users will be able to open the QR codes of tickets in the mobile applications “My Moscow”, “My id”, and “Moscow Public Services”.
Learn about plays, concerts, exhibitions, and other interesting events
events in the official channels of “Mosbilet” in messengers “Max” and “Telegram”.
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