The Krasny Fakel Drama Theater has withdrawn three planned performances by Timofey Kulyabin, who previously served as the theatre’s chief director. The shows were slated for early 2023, according to reports from New Newspaper.
The productions of Onegin, Wild Duck, and Children of the Sun were cancelled. The theatre stated that the cancellations were due to technical considerations rather than artistic or financial issues.
Timofey Kulyabin, who became a controversial figure for his staging of Tannhäuser at the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre, led the Red Torch from 2015 until his retirement in 2022. Reports indicate he left his post and the country in April 2022.
Across his career, Kulyabin has directed roughly 30 theatre pieces, with work at prominent venues such as the Theater of Nations in Europe and the Bolshoi Theatre. He has earned recognition in the theater world, including multiple Golden Mask nominations and awards. In January, sources say, he was preparing a new production titled In the Solitude of the Cotton Fields for the Dailes Theatre in Riga. The roles in that project reportedly featured Hollywood actor John Malkovich and a cast spanning Russian, British, and Lithuanian stage and screen talents, including Ingeborga Dapkunaite in a leading role.