My ‘Russian journey’ started at the University of Nottingham, where I studied Spanish and Russian. My final year studies culminated in an extended essay on Sergei Loznitsa and Svetlana Alexievich. My degree included six months spent living in Russia, split between Rostov-on-Don (where I lived with a formidable babushka), Petrozavodsk and St. Petersburg. It was here that I developed an interest in theatre, after seeing shows at Theatre 18+ in Rostov-on-Don, the National Theatre of Karelia, The Puppet Theatre of Karelia, and the Mariinsky Theatre.

Returning to the UK with this new-found interest, I turned my attention to making my own Russian theatre production! The University of Nottingham has a tradition of student-led Russian theatre – previous productions include Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya and Mayakovsky’s The Bedbug. I decided to depart from tradition and write a play from scratch. With some friends, I wrote and directed a play based on the Russian rock band Leningrad, and our imaginative rendition of their first ever gig in 1997. I played the role of Shnurov’s tambourine-playing sidekick, Vdovin (and discovered that music isn’t my calling). I have my Rostov-on-Don babushka to thank for the original idea; I had asked for her opinion about a new Sergei Shnurov exhibition on in the city centre. ‘Who is this guy?’ I asked her. ‘Don’t go!’ she said, ‘he’s a monster!’. I knew I needed to go to the exhibition and find out more! The play was filled with live music, a selection of archetypal 1990s-Russian characters, and a theatre-set based on a St. Petersburg underground music venue. We were even lucky enough to have some members of the Youth Coordinating Compatriots of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the audience. The play, Leningrad!, is available to watch on YouTube for anyone with no aversion to uncensored lyrics…