In an age of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and complete shutdown of freedom of speech at home, the future of theatre in Russia is bleak. As theatre is instrumentalised by the state in line with its “patriotic cultural policy”, prominent directors and writers have been forced into exile. Putin has effectively cancelled Russian culture.
But what about outside of Russia? How can we portray Russia onstage? Should we?
Join the Pushkin Club for an evening with Erica Whyman (acting artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, director of Hamnet) and Roxy Cook (writer and director of A Woman Walks Into a Bank).
Inspired by the experiences of Roxy's Russian relatives, A Woman Walks Into a Bank follows an old woman suffering from dementia when she walks into a bank looking for help… only to be conned into taking out of Russia’s notoriously high interest loans which she immediately forgets all about. A catastrophic series of events are set into motion, with only her disinterested cat Sally to bear witness. Earlier this year, A Woman Walks Into a Bank won the Theatre503 International Playwriting Award 2023. Selected from over 1400 entries, it will be produced at Theatre503 from 21 November –9 December and published by Concord Theatricals.
Russia continues to be in the news for all the wrong reasons, but theatre makers aren’t slowing down in their desire to capture, or explore the country onstage. Lucy Prebble’s searing account of the investigation into Alexander Litvinenko’s murder, A Very Expensive Poison, and Peter Morgan’s brilliant chronicle of the rise (and fall) of Boris Berezovsky, Patriots, have both been huge hits on London stages. A Woman Walks Into a Bank takes a slightly different approach, exploring modern Russian society via ordinary, working-class Russians, none of whom will make the papers. It looks at these character’s responsibility to one another via the mundane act of a bank loan. Told in the format of a modern Russian fairytale, with jokes and a talking cat. And it never mentions Putin’s name. Should it?
Join us as we grapple with how to portray Russia onstage – whether oligarchs, politicians, spies… adaptations of Chekhov… or just ordinary people. The event will include a twenty-minute reading of A Woman Walks into a Bank, Q&A, and launch our newly published playtext.
about the speakers
Erica Whyman OBE is a leading British theatre director. Erica joined the Royal Shakespeare Company as Deputy Artistic Director in January 2013, was appointed Acting Artistic Director in 2021 and led the company as it recovered from the pandemic. She was previously Chief Executive of Northern Stage, and Artistic Director of Southwark Playhouse and the Gate Theatre.
Roxy Cook is a writer and director working across theatre and TV. A Woman Walks Into a Bank is her debut play.