Vanya is Alive

A lone voice in the dark, moving against the tide

The successful premiere of "Vanya is Alive", which took place in Edinburgh in 2023 and won the attention and sympathy of both the British audience and leading media such as The Financial Times, The Scotsman, and The Theatre Times, is now coming to Amsterdam.

The solo performance "Vanya is Alive", about contemporary Russia, is based on the play by Natalia Lizorkina ��� playwright and artistic director of the "Lyubimovka" festival.

Written in March 2022, the play "Vanya is Alive" is considered the most important Russian theatrical work since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

"Vanya is Alive" tells the story of the mother of a mobilized Russian soldier, whose world shatters upon hearing the tragic news of her son's death. Gradually, through various encounters – with a neighbor, a military officer, an opposition activist, a friend of her son, and a mother begging for help – Alya begins to see through the state's lies and propaganda. Her innocent protest is harshly suppressed, and she ends up in prison, where the system ultimately breaks her.