Martin McDonagh International Festival

Martin McDonagh is a renowned British-Irish playwright, screenwriter and film director who is considered to be one of the most acclaimed living Irish playwrights. He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, four BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and three Laurence Olivier Awards. The biennial Martin McDonagh International Festival dedicated to his works is held in the Russian city of Perm.

The Martin McDonagh International Festival is hosted by the At the Bridge Theatre. Founded in 1988 as a recreation center for the workers of the local telephone factory, it was formally registered as a theatre in 1992. At the Bridge is known among locals as the mystical theatre because mysticism is one of the dominant themes in its productions.

Plays by Martin McDonagh, including The Cripple of Inishmaan, A Behanding in Spokane, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Lieutenant of Inishmore and The Pillowman, have always been an important part of the theatre’s repertory. In fact, At the Bridge is the only theatre in Russia to have several productions based on McDonagh’s plays. To properly celebrate the playwright and his works, the founder and artistic director of the At the Bridge Theatre Sergei Fedotov launched the Martin McDonagh International Festival.

The inaugural festival took place in October 2014. It featured productions based on the plays The Pillowman, The Lonesome West, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Cripple of Inishmaan and The Lieutenant of Inishmore, presented by Russian and foreign theatre companies.

The participants of the inaugural festival included Leon Cain’s Company (UK), the Azerbaijan State Theatre of Young Spectators, the Izhevsk Drama Theatre (Russia), the Sarajevo Youth Theatre (Bosnia and Herzegovina), nicht.THEATER Ensemble (Austria), the Chelyabinsk Chamber Theatre (Russia), the Dr. Krasy Theatre (the Czech Republic), the Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theatre (Russia), the Dzhigarkhanyan Moscow Drama Theatre (Russia), the Wilam Horzyca Theatre (Poland), and the Moscow Art Theatre (Russia).

The first festival was a huge success, so the organizers decided to honor Martin McDonagh’s legacy every two years. Since its inception, the Martin McDonagh International Festival has welcomed companies from Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Germany, Georgia, Hungary, Iran, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Northern Ireland, Poland, Romania Serbia and the United Kingdom, as well as several Russian theatres from different cities.

The Martin McDonagh International Festival is one of the most important cultural events in Perm. It introduces local audiences to McDonagh’s plays and international theatre, providing a unique theatrical experience.