Classics in Contemporary Russian Theatre of the 2000s

This article based on material about theatrical life in Moscow and Saint Petersburg in the 2000s deals with the problem of literary classics' status in contemporary Russian theatre, and production procedures of classical texts and the corresponding spectators' intentions and expectations are described. Contemporary theatre directors who work with classical texts deprive contemporary life of its own expression and language and load it with so-called "universal" meanings. This kind of theatrical director makes a simple choice: he prefers to follow the spectators who are running away from reality. As a result, such a choice becomes a political gesture: Favoring a classic produces the image of a defective, ludicrous reality where it is impossible for the spectators to live responsibly and seriously.