Nikolaij Gogol is a constant presence in the artistic career of Valerij Fokin. He is an author to which the theatrical director and director of the Alexandrinsky in Saint Petersburg returns constantly - he has directed approximately twenty productions based on his works - always finding new contemporary cues and meaning.
In Your Gogol. The last Monologue, Fokin tells of the final days in the life of the writer, staging a theatrical reflection on Gogol’s destiny, his religious beliefs and his philosophy, and on the position that this artist still holds in the lives and thoughts of the Russian people. Folkin’s piece is based on an attentive research which began with Gogol’s letters and other material on the life of the writer, who, in the last few years of his life, underwent a profound crisis of faith which even led him to burn a part of his works and to undergo long and debilitating periods of fasting and penitence.
“I have been wanting to write about another Gogol for some time - explains Fokin - one that differs from the figure we all know, the comical and satirical writer. What interested me was to show the other side of his personality, his profound spirituality. Above all in the final years of his life, he behaved like an ascetic, a monk who withdrew into himself. The aim of my research is to explore this lesser-known aspect of his experience as a martyr”.


The Russian seasons in Italy
It is a particularly solid relationship that unites the Piccolo with the Russian theatres of Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
The Piccolo’s shows find, in Russia, a cultured and attentive audience, characteristics which are also reflected in the Russian language productions proposed in our three auditoriums. The Piccolo has been collaborating with the Aleksandrinskij Theatre since 2006 and was invited to participate in the Festival which celebrated the 250th anniversary of this historical institution, whose current architecture was designed in 1832 by the Italian Carlo Rossi.
The Maly in Saint Petersburg, directed by Lev Dodin, and the Maly in Moscow, are regular visitors to our stages.
On the occasion of the 2018 edition of the Russian Seasons Festival in Italy, promoted by the Russian Ministry for Culture, Milan and the Piccolo seemed to be the ideal location for the theatrical section of the event.
The Teatro Strehler and Studio Melato will see the staging of three productions by the Alexandrinsky Theatre of Saint Petersburg - one of which has been written and directed by its director, Valerij Fokin - and a production by the Vachtangov State Academic Theatre of Moscow. From 27 November to 1 December, at the Chiostro Nina Vinchi, in the areas of the Piccolo and the School of Theatre, there will be meetings, exhibitions, conferences and in-depth studies dedicated to the authors, directors, and the extraordinary history of Russian theatre.