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Celebrate the Best of Russian Theatre with the Golden Mask Festival
Published by Vanessa Boiser
Country: Russian Federation 
The Experience
Aside from vodka and extremely cold weather, Russia is also home to the Golden Mask Festival—a theatre-lover’s heaven on earth, amounting to months of endless artistic bliss. Imagine the most prestigious theatres in Moscow in all their glory: lights, costumes, grandiose production design. Imagine hundreds of performances in all genres of theatre: drama, opera, modern dance, operetta, ballet, even puppet. Now picture all of them together, and you've got Russia’s Golden Mask National Theatre Award and Festival.
The best thing about the Golden Mask theatre festival is that all the finest Russian theatre productions are presented in central Moscow, so it’s easy for a theatre-lover to hop from one play to another. And because it’s a collection of only the best, you are almost guaranteed that the performances are among the finest in the world.
The Golden Mask Festival was established in 1994 by the Theatre Union of Russia in a bid to boost public attendance and pay tribute to its rich theatre culture. Performances are chosen by a select Council of Experts that includes journalists, critics, and respected theatre actors, directors, producers, etc. The pool of performances come from all parts of Russia, and come in different shapes, sizes, and genres.
Noteworthy performances have included Casa M (a documentary play about four women discussing violence of men against women), and A Star in the Blue Sky Does Not Know About Me (a production on the power struggles among the police, two women, and drugs).
Several other components were added to the Golden Mask Festival in recent years. These include the Russian Case, a special program of Russian theatre addressed to the international community, New Drama festival of contemporary plays, PRO-theatre Performing Arts Market, publishing projects, tours of the Mariinsky, Alexandrinsky, Maly Drama Theatre, and others.
In 2009, a formerly non-competitive element, Mask Plus, was included in the competition segment. It runs for about three weeks and serves as the festival’s wildcard edition. Productions that were not chosen to compete are given a second shot at the Mask Plus. Non-Russian plays are now also allowed to perform, and some notable Polish productions have debuted there.
There is never a scarcity of choices at the Golden Mask. Festival organizers make sure that almost every unthinkable genre is represented in the three-month gathering, covering the full spectrum of Russian theater. If enjoy musicals, there is always one playing in the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Traditional and contemporary performances are also abundant at the Moscow Operetta Theatre. When the short seasons over, the festival ends with the awarding of the works and best theatre workers. If you really love theatre, seeing all the shows is not a tough challenge.
The best thing about the Golden Mask theatre festival is that all the finest Russian theatre productions are presented in central Moscow, so it’s easy for a theatre-lover to hop from one play to another. And because it’s a collection of only the best, you are almost guaranteed that the performances are among the finest in the world.
The Golden Mask Festival was established in 1994 by the Theatre Union of Russia in a bid to boost public attendance and pay tribute to its rich theatre culture. Performances are chosen by a select Council of Experts that includes journalists, critics, and respected theatre actors, directors, producers, etc. The pool of performances come from all parts of Russia, and come in different shapes, sizes, and genres.
Noteworthy performances have included Casa M (a documentary play about four women discussing violence of men against women), and A Star in the Blue Sky Does Not Know About Me (a production on the power struggles among the police, two women, and drugs).
Several other components were added to the Golden Mask Festival in recent years. These include the Russian Case, a special program of Russian theatre addressed to the international community, New Drama festival of contemporary plays, PRO-theatre Performing Arts Market, publishing projects, tours of the Mariinsky, Alexandrinsky, Maly Drama Theatre, and others.
In 2009, a formerly non-competitive element, Mask Plus, was included in the competition segment. It runs for about three weeks and serves as the festival’s wildcard edition. Productions that were not chosen to compete are given a second shot at the Mask Plus. Non-Russian plays are now also allowed to perform, and some notable Polish productions have debuted there.
There is never a scarcity of choices at the Golden Mask. Festival organizers make sure that almost every unthinkable genre is represented in the three-month gathering, covering the full spectrum of Russian theater. If enjoy musicals, there is always one playing in the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Traditional and contemporary performances are also abundant at the Moscow Operetta Theatre. When the short seasons over, the festival ends with the awarding of the works and best theatre workers. If you really love theatre, seeing all the shows is not a tough challenge.
When to Go to Golden Mask Festival
Held in April annually, be sure to book your Moscow hotel room in advance, and check the schedule of the plays ahead of time. The top events at the Golden Mask Festival usually start at 7 p.m. in Moscow’s event centres, but plays are showcased during daytime too. The festival attracts tens of thousands of spectators, and receives wide media coverage.of spectators, receiving wide media coverage.
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