The Mossovet Theater press service announced that at the request of the actor Alexander Domogarov, he was relieved from the lead role in the production Tartuffe, or the Deceiver. This information came through RIA News and has since been reflected in subsequent reports. The theater stated that the decision was made to respect the actor’s professional commitments on other projects and to allow him to focus on those endeavors without the burden of a major central role in the Tartuffe run.
According to preliminary coverage, the release from the role was approved by the theater’s artistic director Evgeny Marcelli and the production director Alexey Cherepnev. The timing of this change followed a September 29 rehearsal of Tartuffe at the Mossovet venue, during which Domogarov was already preparing to step away from the character. At that moment he was engaged with the premiere of another performance, Masquerade, at the Soviet Army Theater, which added to the scheduling complexities surrounding the Tartuffe project.
After discussions with the theater leadership, Domogarov coordinated with the city council about the rehearsal timetable. Yet, after that rehearsal, the actor was directed to the directorate and handed a document asking for an explanation regarding his absence from both the theater and the country on a specific date in mid September. This sequence of events points to a broader pattern of balancing artistic obligations with other professional commitments across the circled period.
Reports note that Domogarov was selected to attend the Russia Cyprus Film Festival at the invitation of Alina Radchenko, who serves as Counselor of the Russian Embassy in Cyprus. The festival appearance appears as part of the actor’s wider international engagements, which also intersect with his domestic stage responsibilities. The Moscow City Council then emphasized in its documentation that the artist was traveling to a country listed among foreign states and territories recognized for actions the Russian Federation regards as hostile against its legal entities and individuals. This classification added a political dimension to the travel noted during the period of the Tartuffe production and Domogarov’s absence from the theater.
The developments surrounding Alexander Domogarov have drawn commentary within Russia’s theater and cultural scenes, with observers tracing the timeline from the September rehearsals through his later travel and the formal explanations requested by authorities. While the specifics of the internal decisions at the Mossovet Theater remain the property of the institution and its leadership, the public summaries indicate an emphasis on professional diversification and compliance with both national policy and institutional schedules. The episode also touches on the broader practice of actors negotiating multiple commitments across reputable stages, festivals, and national events, sometimes resulting in role changes or scheduling adjustments in ongoing productions. The coverage has linked the incident to earlier, unrelated discussions in the cultural press, where other family or contractual matters were noted in passing, illustrating how public attention can converge on a single cast change in a major Moscow theater. The situation at the Mossovet thus serves as a case study in how theaters manage star actors who juggle several high-profile projects, while balancing artistic priorities with personal and diplomatic engagements.