In the year of the 135th anniversary of the outstanding director, actor, and public figure Solomon Mikhoels, the Readings were held in an unusual format and brought together several dozen leading Russian and foreign researchers of national theatre.

The International Mikhoels Readings have been held by the Russian State Art Library (RSAL) since 1999. The scientific conference, held under the unifying name of Solomon Mikhoels, provides an opportunity to consider theatre in its global manifestations through the mutual influence and interpenetration of national cultures.

At the 14th International Mikhoels Readings ‘National Theatre in the Context of Multinational Culture,’ making presentations were 27 participants from M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Sergey Obraztsov State Academic Central Puppet Theatre, the St Petersburg State Theatre Library, The State Institute for Art Studies of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, and other organisations, as well as independent researchers. On the first day, the Conference was held at RSAL, which, during the renovation of its main building, is temporarily located in the premises of the Margarita Rudomino All-Russian State Library of Foreign Literature; and the second day took place in an unusual location for a scientific event—the Moscow Hermitage Theatre.

‘The readings have become the platform, the starting point where Mikhoels studies began to take shape as a science, where the key ideas of modern theatre studies crystallised.... Owing to the variety of topics presented, the content has been transformed, and the issues changed due to the expansion of the range of national cultures involved, presenting both the actual development of the national theatre and providing material for understanding the mutual influence and interpenetration of national theatres,’ noted RSAL Director Ada Kolganova.

On the first day of the Readings, the programme was dedicated to Solomon Mikhoels and the Jewish National Theatre. The reports presented on the second day revealed a wide range of issues related to national theatres that are immersed in the space of other cultures. Participants presented research on the images of China and Japan in pre-revolutionary posters, the embodiment of Chinese drama on the Soviet stage, the reflection of Buryat culture in national drama, and other relevant topics. Many presentations were based on the analysis of unique documents from the collections of museums, archives, and libraries. Following the results of the Conference, a collection of reports will be published.

The guest speaker was the Artistic Director of the Shalom Jewish Theatre in Moscow Oleg Lipovetsky. In a dialogue with the audience, he spoke about the ways to develop national theatre under contemporary conditions.

One of the most striking events was the reading of the play by Y L Peretz, Night at the Old Market. This work was the basis of one of the most famous and mysterious productions of the Moscow State Jewish Theatre (GOSET) in which Solomon Mikhoels played. The Russian translation of the play was first published by the library in the collection of materials from the 2023 International Mikhoels Readings. The play, which critics compared to a ‘carnival of ghosts,’ was read by People’s Artist of Russia, Artistic Director of the Nikitsky Gate Theatre Mark Rozovsky. His vivid, soulful performance allowed the audience to touch history and experience the atmosphere of a production iconic for its time.

As part of the readings, the exhibition ‘National Theatres. Architecture. Plein Air’ was opened featuring the best works by Members of the Association of Plein Air Artists in response to RSAL’s proposal to capture the external appearance of certain national theatres. Artists depicted the buildings of national theatres in Moscow, St Petersburg, Kazan, Yoshkar-Ola, Naberezhnye Chelny, Vladikavkaz, Baku, Tbilisi, Minsk, and other cities. Listeners and conference participants attended a curatorial excursion and became acquainted with rare publications about national theatres from RSAL collections.

A bright and unusual conclusion to the conference was the play Admirers performed by the Moscow Hermitage Theatre (directed by Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation Irina Bogdanova) based on the stories of the American writer Isaac Bashevis Singer.