THe last of the soviets

The interdisciplinary project The Last of the Soviets is inspired by the works of Svetlana Alexievich, particularly the books Secondhand Time, The Unwomanly Face of War, Voices from Chernobyl, and Zinky Boys. These reflect on modern Russian history through events such as the Chernobyl tragedy in Ukraine, the Soviet-Afghan war, and the Great Patriotic War.

The performance’s poetic expression—resembling live cinema—is saturated with brutal black humor.

It can be compared to the best of the world-renowned surrealist and filmmaker Jan Švankmajer.

The performers, Russian actors in exile Inga Mikshina-Zotova and Roman Mikshin-Zotov, have lived and worked as artists in Prague for many years.

Their authenticity and sharp insight into the shared Russian present and Soviet past give the performance credibility and an almost unbelievable dose of dark humor.

The performance is framed as a news broadcast from an official Russian TV channel, which—gradually overwhelmed by the flood of information—disintegrates into an absurd encounter with today’s Russian reality.

There will be a post-show conversation with the performers.

The Guardian **** - Mark Fisher

“The more their jokes about Chernobyl victims get lost in translation, the more

disturbing the reality seems. (...) On the dark and surreal menu are ice-

cube soldiers, blood-red caviar, spray-painted tanks and human hair. A

plate is smashed with sudden rage, adding to the mess of soil, jelly and

chicken, symbols of squandered human life.”

The Scotsman**** - David Pollock

“The Spitfire Company’s previously acclaimed Fringe hits include Miss

America and Antiwords. If it all sounds grim and harrowing, the stark and

relentlessly uncompromising sense of humour permeates everything

happening on stage, creating a striking, moody piece of work which is as

captivating as a disaster happening in real time.”

The Telegraph**** - Dominik Cavendish

“You don't need to be thinking much about Ukraine to reflect on the continuum

of benighted people heedlessly visiting their hell on others. One for the Royal

Court - as part of a season - perhaps.”

The guest performance is supported by Arts and Culture Norway and The Ministry of Culture in Czech Republic