The Royal Court theatre will continue its reputation of responsive political programming this Friday when it stages a reading of the testimonies of arrested Russian punk band Pussy Riot.
The reading, proposed by Royal Court playwright E.V Crowe to enable the theatre to join in a global day of protest in solidarity with the feminist collective, will take place on 17 August at 11:00, one hour before the final verdict in the controversial court case is delivered at 12:00 (15:00 Moscow time).
The testimonies of the three arrested members of the group, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alekhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich, who are currently standing trial for hooliganism and face a possible seven year prison sentence, will be performed by actors in the venue’s Café Bar with an introduction by Crowe and a talk by Labour MP Kerry McCarthy, who has been present during some of the trial.
Sasha Dugdale, who has worked extensively with the new writing venue, has translated the musicians’ words into English for the production, describing the content as “extraordinary, poetic, full of passion and innocence.”
Speaking about why the venue decided to offer its support to the political collective, Artistic Director Dominic Cooke said: “The Pussy Riot trial is of concern to those who believe that the right of artists to question the actions of the state is central to an egalitarian society. As a London home for theatre artists to ask challenging questions, the Royal Court feels like the obvious place for the women’s words to be heard in English.”
Crowe echoed his sentiments, saying: “Watching their activism on YouTube and hearing their courtroom statements, I felt inspired in a way no other cultural movement in my lifetime has captured my imagination or responded to my perception of women’s place in the cultural and political landscape. What Pussy Riot does is take a stand, through art, and then maximize its impact through social media. They are women who make me want to understand the world I’m living in, to write about it, and to be brave whatever the cost.”
Pussy Riot: Final Verdict is a free event and non-ticketed.