The winners of the "Theatrical Volga" Festival will become part of the International Festival-Laboratory "GITISFEST: Theatrical Volga 2026."

      On September 3, the International Festival-Laboratory "GITISFEST: Theatrical Volga 2026" will take place in Kazan at the Art Residence "Constellation-Yoldyzlyk." The project will also feature laureates of the Festival of Children's and Youth Theatrical Groups "Theatrical Volga," including the Children's Tatar Theater Studio "Apush." From August 31 to September 7, an international cultural and educational project "GITISFEST. Theatrical Volga 2026" will embark on a river journey through five cities of the Volga and Central Federal District — Saratov, Samara, Kazan, Kostroma, and Nizhny Novgorod. The festival-laboratory will unite young theater practitioners from Russia and abroad. The project is implemented with the support of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives.

      Director Ekaterina Venediktova and set designer Elina Ozols, director Irakli Pataridze and set designer Maxim Filippov, and director Anastasia Bezyulyuk and set designer Polina Vylegzhanina will present their sketches. Everyone can see the performances with prior registration: https://atmofest.timepad.ru/event/4086525/

      The main venue of the project will be the riverboat "A.S. Popov," which will serve as a mobile creative laboratory. Throughout the week, participants will travel along the Volga, rehearse their works, attend lectures and masterclasses, and then present their finished sketches on the stages of five cities. Twelve directors — students and graduates of GITIS — will create productions based on works by Mikhail Bulgakov, Nikolai Leskov, Nikolai Gumilyov, Evgeny Schwartz, Alexander Afanasyev, and Musa Jalil, as well as an opera by Nikolai Sidelnikov. The theme of the 2026 festival — "Days of Russian Literature on the Volga" — is dedicated to the anniversary dates of classic authors and connects literary text with visual imagery. Visual references will include the works of Shishkin, Serov, Savrasov, Kandinsky, Malevich, Vrubel, and Repin.

      This year, actors from China and Kyrgyzstan will join participants from the Volga and Central Federal Districts. The project will involve laureates of the "Theatrical Volga" Festival — young artists from the regions who passed the competitive selection, as well as representatives from the acting, directing, musical, scenography, and theater studies faculties of GITIS and other theater universities in the Volga and Central Federal Districts.

      The educational program will include masterclasses by GITIS teachers on acting, stage speech, movement, and stage combat, practical classes on active analysis of plays and working with space, as well as thematic meetings with theater scholars, directors, and scenographers. Among the instructors are Anna Trifonova, Robert Yelkibaev, and Tatyana Vasilieva.

      "GITISFEST. Theatrical Volga 2026" is a platform for professional development and intercultural dialogue. The project connects the academic traditions of GITIS with experimental approaches, creating a unique environment for creative exchange. The General Partner is the Office of the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Volga Federal District, the partner is the Russian Institute of Theater Arts — GITIS, and the operator is the Autonomous Non-Profit Organization "Center for Educational and Cultural Programs 'Atmosphere of Impressions.'"

      The "Theatrical Volga" festival is held with the support of the Office of the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Volga Federal District under the patronage of the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Volga Federal District Igor Komarov and aligns with the goals and objectives of the national project "Youth and Children."

      More news about the event:

      The "GITISFEST: Theatrical Volga 2026" will take place in Kazan

      On September 3, in Kazan, at the Art Residence "Constellation-Yoldyzlyk," the International Festival-Laboratory "GITISFEST: Theatrical Volga 2026" will open, 15:06 07.08.2026, Posinform Newspaper - Nizhnekamsk

      "GITISFEST" in Kazan: laureates of "Theatrical Volga" will showcase performances

      On September 3, the International Festival-Laboratory "GITISFEST: Theatrical Volga 2026" will take place in Kazan at the Art Residence "Constellation-Yoldyzlyk," 13:59 07.08.2026, IA Tatar-inform - Kazan

      Winners of the "Theatrical Volga" Festival will become part of the International Festival-Laboratory "GITISFEST: Theatrical Volga 2026"

      On September 3, the International Festival-Laboratory "GITISFEST: Theatrical Volga 2026" will take place in Kazan at the Art Residence "Constellation-Yoldyzlyk," 13:17 07.08.2026, Ministry of Culture - Kazan

      News from neighboring regions on the topic:

      A team from the Penza region will participate in the project "GITISFEST. Theatrical Volga-2026"

      The People's Student Theater of PSU "Cyrillic" – winner of the VII season of the "Theatrical Volga" festival – will participate in the unique creative project "GITISFEST," 10:58 07.08.2026, Ministry of Culture and Tourism - Penza

      The Penza team will participate in the project "GITISFEST. Theatrical Volga-2026"

      The People's Student Theater of PSU "Cyrillic" won in the VII season of the "Theatrical Volga" festival and will participate in the project "GITISFEST," 09:37 07.08.2026, Penza-Post.Ru - Penza