Home | johnfreedman - contemporary plays

Welcome to this third version of the website detailing the work of John Freedman, an American writer, translator, critic and scholar of theater and drama who lived and worked in Moscow from 1988 to 2018, and in Greece from then on. The first site crashed and burned. The second was largely made obsolete when Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022. This version reflects the remains of previous ones pulled from the ashes, sometimes tweaked and improved. Here you can find information about my work with contemporary plays, books, translations, articles and other writings; information about international theater and drama projects in which I have been, involved.

In other spaces I used to maintain a blog about Russian culture as it is revealed in landmarks, architecture and street art, and another drawn from my archive. I also maintain a blog about Crete, where I now live. ALL of these endeavors were interrupted, changed and devalued, to some extent, by the Russian war against Ukraine, although all my projects continue to live their own life in the ether. History is in flux, my work has changed drastically, and I do not know where it will all go in the future.
Barring disaster you should still be able to find me on Facebook and Amazon. I happily abandoned Twit-land when it was taken over by a maniacal new Twit.

Photo by Olympia Orlova

BOOKS (15)

Ghost Land, by Andriy Bondarenko. A play translated by John Freedman with Vlad Hetmanenko. Published by Laertes Press, October 12, 2023. Order here.

Two Plays of Revolution: Insulted. Belarus and Voices of the New Belarus, by Andrei Kureichik. Compiled, edited, and translated by John Freedman. Published by Laertes Press, October 12, 2023. Order here.

A Dictionary of Emotions in a Time of War: 20 Short Works by Ukrainian Playwrights, compiled, edited, and largely translated by John Freedman, with assistance from John Farndon and Natalia Bratus. This collection presents works by the 20 founding members of the Theater of Playwrights in Kyiv, Ukraine. Published by Laertes Press, January 17, 2023. Order book here. A second expanded and corrected edition is now published as of October 3, 2023. It may be ordered here, via your local bookshop or any online service you use.

God's Gift, my translation and adaptation of a Christmas poem for children by Fyodor Dostoevsky, published in a limited, non-commercial run by the Kyoto Orthodox Church in Japan, 2017.

Drillalians, an opera libretto by Boris Yukhananov, published in a dual-language book along with DVDs and CDs of the entire, five-day opera series. Stanislavsky Electrotheatre Foundation, 2016.

Real and Phantom Pains: An Anthology of New Russian Drama, compiled and edited by John Freedman. New Academia Publishers, 2014. Supported by a generous grant from the Prokhorov Foundation. May be ordered through amazon.com or directly from the publisher New Academia Publishing. Ebooks are available at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. It is also available through ibookstore, Kobo, Baker and Taylor, Google, Ingram and others.

Provoking Theater: Kama Ginkas Directs, co-authored with Ginkas. Smith and Kraus. 2003. Go here to order.
Published in Romanian as Teatrul Provocator: Kama Ginkas regizeaza, Editura Unitext, 2008. Translated by Andrei Luca Popescu and Marian Popescu.
Published in Bulgarian as Провокирайки Театъра: Кама Гинкас режисира, Ciela, 2023. Translated by Rumen Yanovski, and with an introduction by Javor Gardev.

Moscow Performances II: The 1996-1997 Season. Harwood Academic Publishers, 1998. (Now distributed by Routledge.) Go here to order.

Moscow Performances: The New Russian Theater 1991-1996. Harwood Academic Publishers, 1997. (Now distributed by Routledge.) Go here to order.

Silence's Roar: The Life and Drama of Nikolai Erdman. Mosaic Press, 1992.

The Simpleton by Sergei Kokovkin. A play translated, edited and introduced by John Freedman. Harwood Academic Publishers, 1998. (Now distributed by Routledge.) Order here.

Two Plays by Olga Mukhina: Tanya-Tanya and YoU. Translated, edited and introduced by John Freedman. Harwood Academic Publishers, 1998. (Now distributed by Routledge.) Order here.

Two Plays from the New Russia. Bald/Brunet by Daniil Gink and Nijinsky by Alexei Burykin. Translated, edited and introduced by John Freedman. Harwood Academic Publishers, 1995. (Now distributed by Routledge.) Order here.

A Meeting About Laughter: Sketches, Interludes and Theatrical Parodies by Nikolai Erdman, Vladimir Mass and Others. Translated, edited and introduced by John Freedman. Harwood Academic Publishers, 1995. (Now distributed by Routledge.) Order here.

The Major Plays of Nikolai Erdman. Translated, edited and introduced by John Freedman. Harwood Academic Publishers, 1995. (Now distributed by Routledge.) Order here.

FORTHCOMING

A Political Tetralogy (working title), four plays by Andrei Kureichik (Insulted. Russia, Insulted. Belarus, Voices of the New Belarus, and Insulted. Planet). Translated, edited and introduced by John Freedman. Laertes Press, 2024 or 2025.

Kurochkin in Two (working title). A two-volume collection consisting of, One: Kitchen; Vodka, Fucking and Television; The Class of Bento Bonchev; Circuit Breaker; Almost Aivazov; and The Vorskies are Near, but not Near Enough; and Two: Mooncrazed; Tolik the Milkman; Wind or Cold. Oedipus, Be Silent; The Heavens; Style; and Relocation. Translated, edited and introduced by John Freedman. Laertes Press, 2025?

A collection of writings by Ksenia Smith-Velikolug. Translated, edited and introduced by John Freedman. Laertes Press, 2026?

Through Barbed Wire, by Miron Ginkas: The Memoirs of a Doctor and a Prisoner of the Ghetto, as edited and commented on by Kama Ginkas, the son and future director that he saved. Translated by John Freedman. Publisher? 2026?

DRAMATIC TEXTS (5)

Around the Globe Chain Play, one scene in an experimental piece composed by 16 authors working consecutively over a period that ran from Feb. 23 to March 19, 2013. The full list of playwrights included Dominique Morisseau (US), Bekah Brunstetter (US), Van Badham (Australia), Mixkaela Villalon (Philippines), Janice Poon (Hong Kong), Abdelrahem Alawji (Lebanon), Jeton Neziraj (Kosovo), John Freedman (Russia), Ulrike Syha (Germany), Enver Husicic (Netherlands), Zainabu Jallo (Nigeria), Beatriz Cabur (Spain), Sarah Grochala (England), Sigtryggur Magnason (Iceland), Caridad Svich (US).

Dancing, Not Dead. Translated into Russian by Alexei Burykin. Translated into Romanian by Bogdan Budes. Winner of The Internationalists' Global Playwright Contest, June 2011.

The Firebird, performance script w/ Double Edge Theatre ensemble and Jennifer Johnson. 2010.

Five Funny Tales from the Heart of Buenos Aires, a ten-minute monologue. 2013.

Scorched Earth, a full-length play. 2018. Semi-finalist in the New Works Festival, Garry Marshall Theater, March 2018.

FILM SCRIPTS (4)

Nikolai Erdman: A Shot of Suicide, documentary w/ Viktor Korkiya (Russian ORT, aired Sept. 16, 2004).

Provoking Theatre: The Playwright and Director Center and American Students at the Moscow Art Theater. Documentary film produced by FilmPROM (Moscow), originally aired on Russia Today TV, 2007.

Provoking Theatre: Anton Chekhov. Documentary film produced by FilmPROM (Moscow), originally aired on Russia Today TV, 2007.

Allegro moderato, screenplay for a Russian-language feature film w/ Yevgeny Lungin (unpublished, unproduced).

PLAY TRANSLATIONS (157, from Russian unless otherwise noted)

Arie, Pavlo.

Diary of Survival. Translated from the Ukrainian with Natalia Bratus.

Astaseva, Olena.

A Dictionary of Emotions in a Time of War (short).
A Dictionary of Emotions in a Time of War II (short).
The Russians are Coming.

Batalov, Talgat and Yekaterina Bondarenko.

Uzbek.

Bilyts, Ihor.

The Russian Soldier (short).
A Knock at the Door (short). Translated from the Ukrainian with Natalia Bratus.

Blok, Natalia.

Our Children (short). Translated from the Ukrainian with Natalia Bratus.
I Want to Stop (short). Translated from the Ukrainian with Natalia Bratus.
Audio Meditation (short). Translated from the Ukrainian with Natalia Bratus.

Bondarenko, Andrii.

Ghost Land. A full-length play commissioned by City Garage Theater, Los Angeles. Translated from the Ukrainian with Vladyslav Hetmanenko.
Pear (short). Translated from the Ukrainian with Natalia Bratus.
Snuff Films (short). Translated from the Ukrainian with Natalia Bratus.

The Survivor's Syndrome. Translated from the Ukrainian with Natalia Bratus.
What is War? (short). Translated from the Ukrainian with Natalia Bratus.

Bogaev, Oleg.

The Russian National Postal Service.

Bugadze, Lasha.

Political Play. Translated from the Georgian with Maya Mamaladze.
Shocked Tatyana. A miniature. Translated from the Georgian with Maya Mamaladze.
The Tragedy of Aunt Tsitso. A miniature. Translated from the Georgian with Maya Mamaladze.

Bulgakov, Mikhail.

Theatrical Novel. (Subtitles for the Fomenko Workshop Theater.)
The Master and Margarita (Subtitles for the Fomenko Workshop Theateer.)

Burykin, Alexei.

Nijinsky. Text available here.

Chekhov, Anton. (See also Kama Ginkas below.)

The Cherry Orchard.
Uncle Vanya.

Chenskiy, Vitaliy.

Robinson (short).

Chichkanova, Alexandra.

I Am Me. Available here.

Durnenkov, Mikhail.

Trash. Available here.

Durnenkov, Vyacheslav.

Exhibits (Frozen in Time). Available here.

Edlis, Yuliu.

Where is Abel Thy Brother?

Erdman, Nikolai.

The Destruction of Europe on Holy Square (three-act sketch).Available here.
The Hypnotist (two play fragments). Available here.
Interludes for Lev Gurych Sinichkin, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Pugachyov, Princess Turandot [w/ Vladimir Mass] and Hamlet [w/ Vladimir Mass]). Available here.
A Meeting About Laughter (one-act sketch w/ Vladimir Mass). Available here.
Moscow From a Point of View (two scenes). Available here.
New People, New Songs (parody w/ Vladimir Mass). Available here.
On Laughter (sketch w/ Yakov Ziskind). Available here.
Private Schulz (sketch w/ Mikhail Volpin). Available here.
The Qualification Exams (sketch). Available here.
The Suicide (published version, 1995). Available here.
The Suicide (new version, 2009).
Three Circus Sketches. Available here.
Two Music Hall numbers (sketches for emcee w/ Vladimir Mass). Available here.
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of the Danes (parody in one scene w/ Vladimir Mass). Available here.
The Warrant. Available here.
The Work Whistle, or the Stomach Incision (parody in one scene w/ Vladimir Mass). Available here.

Epelbaum, Ilya.

The Emperor's Naked Suit. A script for puppet show.

Gink, Daniil.

Bald/Brunet. Available here.
K.I. from 'Crime' (after scenes from Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment.) Available here (Issue No. 23).

Ginkas, Kama.

The Black Monk (after Anton Chekhov.)
A Ridiculous Poem (after Fyodor Dostoevsky's 'The Grand Inquisitor' from The Brothers Karamazov).
Rothschild's Fiddle (after Anton Chekhov). Available here (Issue No. 25).
The Theater of Nikita: Ward No. 6 (after Anton Chekhov).

Gladilin, Pyotr.

The Moth.
Someone Else.

Grytsenko, Oksana.

How Not to be a Katsap (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.
The Peed-upon Personnel Carrier (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.
The Sailor (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.
I Will Return, full-length play commissioned by the Shortening the Distance Between Czech and Foreign Performing Arts project, Prague, Czech Republic. Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.

Hapieieva, Olena.

In the Bowels of the Earth (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.
I Don't Know (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.
Why I Don't Want to Be Nice to Those Who Came to Kill Me (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.

Harets, Iryna.

Not About that Raccoon (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.
Planting an Apple Tree (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.
Choosing Avocados (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.

Havura, Vitaliy.

ResponsAbility. Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.

Hetmanenko, Anna.

Escape (short).

Kazachkov, Yevgeny.

Winter War.

Kosodii, Anastasiia.

How to Talk to the Dead (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.

Kirov, Semyon.

Ilya's Day. Russian winner in the New Baltic Drama 2011 competition featuring works from Finland, Estonia, Sweden and Russia. Presented at the Turku City Theater in November 2011 as part of the Turku 2011 Cultural Capital program.

Klavdiev, Yury.

I Am the Machine Gunner. Available here and here.
The Polar Truth. Available here.
The Slow Sword.

Klim.

The Cabaret Buchenwald. In progress.

Kokovkin, Sergei.

The Simpleton. Available here.

Korkiya, Viktor.

Hamlet.ru. Available here with introduction about Korkiya.

Kosodii, Anastasiia.

How to Talk to the Dead (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.

Kourliandskaya, Nastya.

Eurydice. A libretto for opera. In progress.

Koval, Viktoria.

One Half of One Year.

Kudaeva, Elena.

One Day (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.

Kureichik, Andrei.

Insulted. Belarus. Available here (Plays International) in the Winter 2020 issue. Published in book form in Two Plays of Revolution (Laertes Press).
Voices of the New Belarus (first publication, Plays International & Europe, Dec. 2021). Published in book form in Two Plays of Revolution (Laertes Press).
Insulted. Planet.
Insulted. Russia.

Kurochkin, Maksym.

Almost Aivazov (a dramaticule).
A Bad Councilor One Winter Evening Drinks and Waits for Oleinikova (A dramaticule).
Circuit Breaker (a dramaticule).
Common Values (a dramaticule).
Dreaming of an All-Inclusive Globe (short).
Dulcey and Roxy at City Hall.
For the Wind or the Cold (Oedipus, Be Silent).
Hamster Attends Refresher Training Exercises (short).
The Hanged Man (a dramaticule).
Kitchen. Available here. Three scenes are published in the internet magazine Asymptote.
The Market From Above (a dramaticule).
The Mirror of Carlos Santos.
The Monastery of the Caves. Translated from Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.
The Red Swallow (short).
Religion as Grounds for Pragmatism, or, The Pocket Mahatma (a dramaticule).
Relocation (short).
Repress and Excite. Available here (Issue No. 34).
Russiaphobia. Translated from Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.
The Schooling of Bento Bonchev. Available here.
Sky (short).
Style (short).
Three Attempts to Improve Daily Life (short). Translated from Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.
Tolik the Milkman.
The Vorskies are Near, but not Near Enough (short).

Kytsenko, Tetiana.

Call Things by their Names (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.
Metrosexuals (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.

Lagushonkova, Lena.

Topol-M (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.

Mai, Andriy.

23.24.25. (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.

Markovskiy, Ievhen.

Eight Songs. Translated from the Ukrainian and Russian.

Matsiupa, Olga.

Fragments and Puzzles (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.
His First Lego (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.
Modus Imperativus (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.

Metelkov, Andrei.

Powder Keg. An entry in the Prix Europa broadcasting festival, Berlin, Oct. 22 to 29, 2011.

Mikhailov, Oleg.

The 41 Days of February.

Minchyonok, Dmitry.

Mozart's Last Mistake. Available here (Plays International, Spring 2007, Vol. 22, Nos. 5 & 6)

Mukhina, Olga.

The Love of Karlovna. Available here (Issue No. 15).
Flying. Available here.
Olympia. (Subtitles for the Fomenko Workshop Theater.)
Tanya-Tanya. Available here.
YoU. Available here.

Murashko, Olha.

Look, Mom, a Plane! (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.

Osipov, Maxim.

Scapegoats. An entry in the Prix Europa broadcasting festival, Berlin, Oct. 19-26, 2013. Available here.

Ostrovsky, Alexander.

The Wise Fool (Enough Simplicity in Every Wise Man). In progress.
Without a Dowry. (Subtitles for the Fomenko Workshop Theater.)

Penkova, Tetiana.

Hotel Great Britain. Translated from Ukrainian by John Freedman with Vladyslav Hetmanenko, in progress.
TDP (Temporarily Displaced Persons) (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.

Pryazhko, Pavel.

Angry Girl. Available here.

Pugach, Tasia.

Dialogues (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.

Pulinovich, Yaroslava.

I Won. Available here.
Letter to Dima Bilan (a scene).
Natasha's Dream. Available here.

Pushkin, Alexander.

Egyptian Nights. (Subtitles for the Fomenko Workshop Theater).

Savchenko, Oksana.

I Want to Go Home (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.
Night Devours Morning. Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.
Number One (a short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.
Tell No One (a short excerpted from Night Devours Morning). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.

Smilianets, Maryna.

Borscht. Great-Granmas' Recipes for Survival. Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.

Tarasenko, Oleksiy.

Dantean Journey. Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.

Ten' (Shadow) Theater.

Theater of Imagination. Consists of four parts written by different authors: 1) Black Cube by Tonino Guerra; 2) No One Here by Lev Rubinstein, 3) The Seagull by Alexander Bakshi, 4) COVID-2020 by the company.

Ternoviy, Dmytro.

One the Eve, or, Everything Will be All Right. Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.

Tymoshenko, Liudmyla.

Hocus Pocus (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.
My Tara (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.
Signs of the Times (very short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.

Ugarov, Mikhail.

Masquerade, Masquerade.

Vampilov, Alexander.

The Elder Son.

Vishnevsky, Andrei.

The Mad Angel Pinocchio.

Vorozhbyt, Natalka.

Three Rendezvous (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.
Green Corridors (full-length). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.

Yakimov, Igor.

North Wind. An entry in the Italy Prize international radio play competition, September 2012 in Turin.

Yukhananov, Boris.

Drillalians. A libretto for an experimental romance-opera.
Octavia. Trepanation. A libretto based on texts by Seneca and Lev Trotsky.

Zakhozhenko, Nina.

Arsonists (short). Translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman with Natalia Bratus.
I'm Fine. Translated by Iana Gudzenko, Paulien Geerlings, and John Freedman.

Zhanaidarov, Olzhas.

The Store.

PLAY TRANSLATION INTO RUSSIAN (1)

Adam Rapp.

Nocturne, translated by John Freedman, adapted by Maksym Kurochkin, 2011.

SUBTITLE PROJECTS

FILM (23)

The Admirer, a film by Vitaly Melnikov. Lenfilm and KinoMelnitsa Productions (Russia), 2012.

The Blue Bird, a film by Boris Yukhananov. Stanislavsky Electrotheatre in association with Cine Fantom (Russia), 2016.

The Constant Principle, a film by Boris Yukhananov. Stanislavsky Electrotheatre in association with Cine Fantom (Russia), 2016.

Drillalians, a film by Boris Yukhananov. Stanislavsky Electrotheatre in association with Cine Fantom (Russia), 2016.

Escape / Эвакуация, a documentary short by Oksana Mysina. Free Flight Films (Greece) 2022.

Gloss, a film by Andrei Konchalovsky. Andrei Konchalovsky Productions (Russia) and Canal+ (France), 2007.

Das Gold, a film by Alexander Belousov and Andrei Yemelyanov. Russia, 2021.

The Golden Ass, a film by Boris Yukhananov. Stanislavsky Electrotheatre in association with Cine Fantom (Russia), 2018.

Golem, a film by Alexander Belousov, based on Boris Yukhananov's theater production Golem: LaboraTORIAH. 2017.

Insulted. Belarus(sia), a film by Oksana Mysina, based on a play by Andrei Kureichik. Free Flight Films, 2020.

Ivan Petrovich, a short by Oksana Mysina, Free Flight Films, 2021.

Love is Stronger than Fear, a short version of Voices of the New Belarus by Oksana Mysina, Free Flight Films, 2022.

Nazidanie: A Cautionary Tale, a documentary film by Boris Yukhananov about the 2006 FIFA World Cup. 2017.

Nonsensorics/Four Overtures, a video installation by Boris Yukhananov. Stanislavsky Electrotheatre, 2023.

Orphic Games, a film by Boris Yukhananov. Stanislavsky Electrotheatre in association with Cine Fantom (Russia), 2018/9.

Oxygen, a film by Ivan Vyrypaev. Kislorod Productions (Russia), 2008.

Pinocchio, a film by Boris Yukhananov. Stanislavsky Electrotheatre (Russia), 2020.

Red, Blue and Asya, a short by Oksana Mysina, Free Flight Films, 2021.

The Road to Antigone, a semi-documentary film by Oksana Mysina, Free Flight Films, in progress.

The Suicide, a film of Sergei Zhenovach's production at Moscow's Studio of Theatrical Art, produced for viewing in worldwide cinemas by Stage Russia. Screenings began October 2017.

Tractor Drivers 2, a film by the Aleinikov brothers, made in the 1980s, prepared anew and subtitled in 2022.

Voices of the New Belarus, a film by Oksana Mysina, based on a play by Andrei Kureichik. Free Flight Films, 2021.

Whisper: The Silver Age, an auteur documentary film by Konstantin Olonovsky. Independent production (Russia). 2014-15.

THEATER (37)

Supervisor of English for the Fomenko Workshop Theater's program of subtitles provided in numerous languages on electronic tablets for non-Russian speakers. Edited texts include: Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace (trans. by Everett Dickson), Tolstoy's Family Happiness (trans. by Regina Kazakova) Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters (trans. by Tatyana Oskolkova), Alexander Ostrovsky's Wolves and Sheep. My own translations (or compilations, if back-translations from Russian into English) for the project are: Ostrovsky's Without a Dowry, Mikhail Bulgakov's A Theatrical Novel and The Master and Margarita, Ivan Turgenev's Spring Freshets (as A Russian on a Rendezvous), George Bernard Shaw's Heartbreak House, Eugene Ionesco's Rhinoceros, Vladimir Nabokov's The Gift, Olga Mukhina's Olympia, Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and King Lear, Ivan Bunin's Last Meetings, Egyptian Nights after Alexander Pushkin. 2013 to approximately 2019.

Supervisor of English for the Stanislavsky Electrotheatre, including supertitles, website, booklets, promotional materials, films, etc. Supervision of supertitles for Heiner Goebbels' Max Black, or, 62 Ways of Supporting the Head with a Hand; Boris Yukhananov's The Constant Principle, based on Calderon's The Constant Prince (translated by Rick Davis) and Alexander Pushkin's Feast in a Time of Plague (translated by Matvei Yankelevich). I have done full translations of Boris Yukhananov's compilation of Maurice Maeterlinck's The Blue Bird, which includes excerpts of Pushkin's Eugene Onegin, The Stone Guest, and long interpolations of actors' memoirs; Boris Yukhananov's Drillalians, a five-day opera libretto; Octavia. Trepanation, an opera libretto based on the writings of Seneca and Lev Trotsky; Prose, an opera libretto by Vladimir Rannev based on stories by Anton Chekhov and Yury Mamleev; The Golden Ass. The Open-Circuited Workspace, after Apuleius; Idiotology, based in part on Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Idiot; Galileo. Opera for Violin and Scientist; The Shining, based on the songs of Yegor Letov and Yanka Dyagileva; Orphic Games. Punk-macrame, after Jean Anouilh and Jean Genet, Pinocchio by Andrei Vishnevsky; Calderon's Life Is a Dream as translated into Russian by Natalya Vankhanen. 2015 to 2022.

Rothschild's Fiddle, by Kama Ginkas after Anton Chekhov, for the world premiere run at Yale Repertory Theatre, 2004.

The Ideal Husband, by Konstantin Bogomolov, based on writings by Oscar Wilde, Anton Chekhov, Goethe and others, Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre, 2015.

The Karamazovs, by Konstantin Bogomolov after Fyodor Dostoevsky, Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre, 2019.

Fear and Misery of the Third Reich, a performance text based on Bertolt Brecht by Timofei Kuyabin and Roman Dolzhansky for the Voices Festival, Germany, 2023.

MISCELLANEOUS TRANSLATIONS (9)

Icaria, a screenplay by Sergei Kaluzhanov and Javor Gardev. Third Rome Studio (Moscow), 2016. (In production.)

Bogatyryova, Irina. Short story, "The Exit," for Portal 9, a literary journal (2013). Read here.

Erdman, Nikolai. "The Suicide at the Vakhtangov Theater," an historical document. Available here.

Korkiya, Viktor. "The Posthumous Letters of Napoleon Bonaparte to Count Lev Tolstoy," fiction. Read here.

Korolyov, Anatoly. "Stop - Model," a short story.

Kureichik, Andrei, "The Taking of Roman Protasevich," Counterpunch (May 31, 2021). Read here.

Kureichik, Andrei, "Theater in Belarus: We Will Never be the Same," American Theater (Aug. 24, 2020). Read here.

Russian Folk Tale "The Old Crone," Threepenny Review (No. 17, 1984).

Smith, Oksana, "Life, Love, Death & Disability in Russia," New Mobility (Jan.-Feb. 2022). Read here.

WEBSITES (10)

(I have created several websites, aside from this one, that dovetail with my work in several fields: writer, researcher, photographer, cameraman, producer.)

Blogs and Stray Articles, a collection of my writings from the mid-1980s to the present. This is my small attempt to put in one accessible place a lot of work that otherwise might have been lost.

Contemplating Crete, a photo-and-text blog about what catches my eye on the Greek island of Crete, where my wife and I have lived since 2018.

Escape, official website for Oksana Mysina's 2022 documentary film about a Ukrainian family escaping the war in Ukraine.

Insulted. Belarus(sia), the official website for Oksana Mysina's 2020 film of Andrei Kureichik's play about the 2020 revolution in Belarus.

Ivan Petrovich, the official website for Oksana Mysina's 2020 short film based in part on a monologue from Nikolai Erdman's play The Suicide, and a song by Oksana's rock band Oxy Rocks.

Ken Reynolds, a memorial site in honor of the great English photographer who chronicled the best of East-European theatre from 1995 to 2018.

Red, Blue, and Asya, the official website for Oksana Mysina's 2020 short film based on O. Henry's story, "The Purple Dress."

The Road to Antigone, the official website for Oksana Mysina's 2021 short film that mixes fiction and documentary styles. It features the women of a theater group in Chania, Crete, who are asked to think and talk about the topic of Antigone in any way, shape or form that they choose.

Russian Culture in Landmarks, a blogsite that features my photos and texts about architecture, monuments, memorial plaques and other landmarks around the world that are connected to Russian art and culture in some way.

Voices of the New Belarus, the official website for Oksana Mysina's 2021 film of Andrei Kureichik's play based on documentary texts about the 2020 revolution in Minsk, Belarus. This site also includes news and information about Love Is Stronger than Fear, Oksana Mysina's short film based on the material of Voices of the New Belarus.

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