The All-Russian tour and concert plan orchestrated by the Russian Ministry of Culture seeks to refresh the country’s unified touring network. It operates not only across the Russian Federation but also in neighboring nations. The initiative comprises two major federal programs: Grand Tours, which covers theatrical tours, and We Are Russia, dedicated to national group tours.
In 2023, nearly 500 applications were submitted for the Grand Tour program. Following the selection, 260 theaters participated, including top national venues as well as interregional, children’s, youth, student, and private theatres. This year also saw eight foreign theatres from Belarus, Abkhazia, Armenia, South Ossetia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan joining the program. In total, 1,661 performances were staged across 82 regions, in 142 cities from Kaliningrad to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, drawing almost 509,000 spectators—watching the Grand Tour performances.
Touring brings new audiences, fresh working conditions, and vital energy to the arts. A performer might present the same work, yet each auditorium shapes the experience within living boundaries defined by the local crowd. In another country, the audience carries its own mood, aims, destiny, and the shared fate of Russian-speaking people, highlighting the cultural significance of tours in national life, as noted by Konstantin Raikin, artistic director of the Russian State Theater Satyricon and People’s Artist of the Russian Federation.
Some theatre squads traveled thousands of kilometers to present shows nationwide. The Moscow theatre Et cetera, led by Alexander Kalyagin, became a record holder by visiting Lugansk, Kazan, Magadan, and Kamchatka, covering roughly 7,000 km to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and 6,000 km to Magadan. The troupe staged performances in these cities for the first time.
Participation in the Grand Tour is described as both prestigious and responsible. It aligns the theatre with state touring policies crafted with insight, allowing leaders who know each theatre’s repertoire and artistic level to determine where demand and reception will be strongest. Thus, joining the Grand Tour is a source of confidence and strategic advantage, according to Alexander Kalyagin, artistic director of the Moscow Et Cetera Theater and a People’s Artist of the Russian Federation.
Several new players joined the Grand Tour this year. Berezniki Drama Theater marked its first interregional participation from Berezniki in the Perm Region. The Nizhny Novgorod Youth Theater Mytishchi Puppet Theater Ognivo joined for children and youth, along with the Krasnodar Regional Puppet Theater. For private theatres supporting touring activity, Tuki-Luki Puppet Theater from Perm, Oda Drama Theater from Vologda, Fora Dance Theater, and Sreda Creative from Yekaterinburg participated. From Moscow to St. Petersburg, the ASB Theater Workshop participated, and the Moscow State Institute of Culture joined the student direction for the first time.
Benefits for everyone
Feedback on the project has been overwhelmingly positive. Grand Tours offer broad opportunities and vivid moments for both audiences and performers alike:
Grand Tours grant performers the pleasure of meeting new crowds. Each city presents a unique context where audiences first encounter the artistry, and the aim is to invite them into the performers’ world from the first moment. If Muscovites can choose when to march, residents of touring cities now gain that chance. The more performances reach other towns under this program, the more people visit theatres, which is essential for connecting diverse groups with the stage. This perspective was emphasized by a Moscow Art Theatre actor, Alisa Grebenshchikova, quoted at length here as a participant in the program.
People’s Artist of the Russian Federation and artistic director of the Moscow Provincial Drama Theater, Sergei Bezrukov, echoed the sentiment. Touring offers immersive experiences for both regular theatre fans and new audiences, fueling artistic growth. The opportunity to encounter a city’s cultural figures and administrators during tours further stimulates creative development across the arts. Gratitude is expressed to ROSCONCERT and the Grand Tours program for enabling regional performances of large-scale productions that span from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok.
Make room for national teams
The We Are Russia program remains popular. In 2023, 110 applications were received; 52 creative groups performed in 235 cities and towns across 81 regions, with some groups undertaking multiple tours. Altogether, these participants entertained roughly 191,000 spectators through 398 concerts.
Participation in the all-Russian tour and concert plan serves as a fortunate opportunity not just for individual ensembles but for the country’s many cultural collectives. The program helps preserve and grow the intangible heritage that defines the homeland. Audiences gain exposure to a wide range of choral and dance performances showcasing regional accents of Russia’s cultural landscape, articulated by Marina Kuklina, Honored Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation and director of Moscow State Academic Dance Theater Gzhel.
This year saw 18 new groups join, including Islamey, the Adygea State Folk Song and Dance Ensemble from Maykop, and the State Vocal and Choreographic Ensemble Rus. Other notable participants included Firsov from Vladimir and the St. Andreeva ensembles from St. Petersburg, plus the Russian Army Academic Song and Dance Ensemble and others from Moscow. The program has supported tours across Yoshkar-Ola, Cheboksary, Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl, and a first international touring opportunity in Tashkent, with further performances planned in Minsk. The broader aim is to ensure that audiences everywhere engage in meaningful dialogue through shared performances, as observed by Nikita Mikhalkov, People’s Artist of the Russian Federation and artistic director of the Center for Theater and Cinema, who reflects on the enduring impact of the touring experience and its reception across diverse cities.