Published on: 2026-10-14
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
We are used to the fact that theaters most often feature adult experienced actors, while children are the audience who come with their parents. Children’s Musical Theatre of the Young Actor changes this perception. On its stage, not only professional plays are performed, but also works that are rarely seen in the theater. Here, performances are staged based on the novels and stories of Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Astrid Lindgren, and the children playing roles of their peers convey the vividness of characters, the desire for adventure, and the search for true friends better than anyone else.
The founder and permanent artistic director of the theater for 38 years is Alexander Fedorov, Honored Artist of Russia and Honored Worker of Arts of Russia. He has directed more than 60 children’s performances in Russia and abroad, holds positions as a professor and course master at the All-Russian State University of Cinematography named after S.A. Gerasimov and the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts — GITIS.
We tell you which theater performances you definitely shouldn’t miss.
The incredible story of an ordinary boy
The novel “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by American writer Mark Twain was published in 1876 — exactly 150 years ago. At the Children’s Musical Theater of the Young Actor, a production based on the work has been running since 2004. During this time, the performance has undergone several transformations, and now on stage is an updated version, with 15-year-old Timofey Smirnov playing the main role.
“This is my most long-awaited role in every sense: I have been waiting for it for three years. And I am very glad that I can perform it on stage. I believe that if a book develops the imagination, and cinema strengthens it, then theater is the living breath, a new perspective, a silence in which new meanings are born. It teaches you to think, feel, watch, analyze, and empathize,” shares the actor.
The plot tells the story of the orphan Tom Sawyer, who lives with Aunt Polly — the sister of his late mother. The cheerful boy can never sit still: in just a few months, he manages to fall in love with Becky Thatcher, witness a murder, help save an innocent person, and expose the criminal. He runs away from home to live on an island and feel like a pirate, gets lost in a cave but finds his way back, discovers treasure, and shares it with his faithful friend Huckleberry Finn.
Mark Twain’s novel was inspired by a meeting with a childhood friend, during which they recalled their adventures in their hometown. The story was originally intended more for adult readers, but it also won the hearts of children. At first glance, Tom is like any of his peers, but he embodies all the brightest traits a teenager can have, and that’s what makes him a hero you want to read about and remember.
For Timofey Smirnov, playing the role of Tom Sawyer was a challenging experience: “This character is my opposite. Almost all my roles involve resistance, and that’s why playing them is even more interesting. In real life, I am calm, serious, obedient, and a good student, while Tom is mischievous, playful, and a bit of a trickster. But we have a lot in common: we are both kind, honest, cheerful, and a bit romantic. Our appearance types match.”
Performing in the theater for future stars is not only constant memory training, choreography, and vocal lessons, but also joys with their own rituals. For each premiere, the kids check the props, rehearse their roles, and run through the material on stage, and afterwards — celebrate with pizza and cake. “Young actors for young viewers,” — this is how the theater’s artistic director, Alexander Fedorov, formulates the theater’s mission.
“It is important for us to introduce both the child actor and the child viewer to the wonderful works of Russian, Soviet, and foreign classics. And perhaps the most important task of our theater is to support the creative growth of our artists, because children are the continuation of civilization, culture, the future, and at the same time our present,” notes the director.
You can see the performance on October 30 and 31, December 11 and 12. Tickets are available on the service “Mosbilet”.
Where kindness is more valuable than gold
Another poignant story about childhood performed by young actors is “Oliver Twist” based on the novel by Charles Dickens. This time the audience is taken to the bustling London of the 18th century. Industrial districts, sordid places, and opulent drawing rooms — from the very first scenes, the musical immerses you in the atmosphere of the English capital.
A key impulse for Dickens to create the work (which, by the way, was also originally intended for an adult audience) was the Poor Law passed in 1834. It abolished the previous parish relief system and established a network of workhouses: the poor were required to live and work there under conditions hardly different from prison. The writer sharply condemned this system — he saw in it a threat to family values, a source of humiliation and deprivation of basic human rights, and the novel became his artistic protest. The humiliations and poverty experienced in his childhood awakened Dickens’s sensitivity to others’ suffering and compassion for the destitute early on.
The performance at the Children’s Musical Theater of the Young Actor emphasizes that even in a world of cruelty and lies, a miracle is accessible to those who keep faith in people. The role of Oliver is played by Sergey Zyryanov.
“Although Oliver and I have different personalities — he is calmer than I am — we are united by our desire for good. And, perhaps, this is exactly what is important for us to convey to the audience: because good always prevails. The performance reminds us once again that even in a world of cruelty and lies, miracles happen — you just have to believe in them. So theater helps nurture not only actors, but also individuals — people who will not fall under bad influence,” says the actor.
Music plays a special role in the play, as in other theater productions. It conveys the emotionality of the dramaturgy, makes the conflict more vivid, and the characters more dimensional. “Music helps a lot—in the sense that a child does not have as much life experience as an adult. It thus serves as a bridge to understanding the adult world. We even strive to provide children with musical education within the theater—conducting lessons in choral singing and individual vocal training,” explains Alexander Fedorov.
In theater music production, songs by Soviet composers and performers are used, or arrangements are made with contemporary authors. The final version is recorded in a studio with the participation of an orchestra. In some productions, it plays directly on stage, creating not only a live organic sound but also an atmosphere of solemnity.
The performance will be shown on November 14 and 15, tickets can be purchased through the service “Mosbilet”.
On re-education and transformation
The play, which can rightfully be called the theater’s calling card, is “Republic of SHKID.” It is based on the eponymous adventurous and partly autobiographical story by Grigory Belykh and Leonid Panteleev. For the production, Alexander Fedorov was awarded the Moscow City Prize in Literature and Art in the category “Works for Children and Youth.” This is a story about the lives of homeless children at the Dostoevsky school-commune (abbreviated SHKID) in post-revolutionary Petrograd in the 1920s.
“Like the book, our play is a true documentary story about people who lived 100 years ago. We tried to convey the feelings and experiences of the characters in the story, to make them close to us, and therefore, to you, our faithful audience,” explains Alexander Fedorov.
In the first years after the revolution, the country faced a wave of homelessness: children lost their families and homes, forced to survive on the streets, often ending up in a criminal environment. Despite the harsh conditions of the new state’s formation, caring for homeless children became one of the priority tasks — after all, it was about the future of Soviet society. The problem was taken up by the educators of the Dostoevsky Commune School — an institution created specifically for troubled teenagers and juvenile offenders. In the book «The Republic of ShKID», the writers tell easily and ironically about the wonderful transformation: from street hooligans and thieves, the heroes gradually become people for whom honor, conscience, and friendship are important.
The role of the kind-hearted and modest boy Kuzya is played by Daniil Rakhmankulov. The actor recalls: “When I first started auditioning for this role, it immediately seemed to me that he was me. And then, during rehearsals and performances, I discovered more and more similarities between myself and the character. Kuzya is a little runt among the older boys, but he wants to be equal with them and look more grown-up. He slightly shows off in front of the older boys and girls, behaving boldly. On the other hand, he is still a child — very emotional, honest, and sincere.”
To prepare for the role, the actor read the book and watched the 1966 film of the same name starring Sergey Yursky. “At first, much in the book was unclear — I had to ask older people to explain certain words. During rehearsals, Alexander Lvovich constantly came up with new things: he changed texts and even entire scenes, and I had to manage to absorb it all. For example, the song ‘I walked in the Tsarskoye Selo garden…,’ which Alexander Lvovich invented himself, he just hummed a few times, and I had to immediately repeat it by ear. And the scene with Kostalmed and the stool appeared on the day of the premiere,” adds Daniil Rakhmankulov.
Working in the theater opens up new horizons for young actors, introducing them to the history of Russia and other countries. And it also provides exactly what is sometimes very much lacking nowadays — communication. “It seems to me that my parents had more real, interesting life experiences in their childhood. For us, everything is a bit different. It’s great that at least for a while you can unload yourself from the virtual and immerse yourself in something so alive. Even if the reality is theatrical, it is still, unlike cinema, here and now. Every performance is new, always different. And the technical capabilities are constantly developing not only in cinema but also in theater. For example, we have a moving stage in ‘The Adventures of Oliver Twist,’ and flying monkeys in “The Wizard of the Emerald City”“, — shares the actor.
The play can be seen on October 23 and 24, November 20 and 21. Tickets — in the service “Mosbilet”.
Looking for ideas on where to go in Moscow and following interesting events on the “Mosbilet” channels in messengers “Max” and “Telegram”.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the information source. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.