Productions

The Snow Queen

Performed in Russian without surtitles

9th December 3:30 PM and 6:15 PM
10th December 13:30 PM and 16:30
Age guidance: 6+

Xameleon Theatre is happy to present the premiere a magical Christmas show The Snow Queen in London and Cambridge this winter.

The crooked mirror shattered and its fragments scattered all over the world. Getting into the eyes of people, they make them see only bad and evil, and piercing into the heart, they turn it into ice.

Brave Gerda goes to rescue her friend Kai, whose heart has turned into a piece of ice. She will have to overcome many obstacles: to get out of the Garden of Oblivion, to survive the freezing Lapland and to defeat the Snow Queen herself.

Xameleon Theatre has allocated some free tickets to Ukrainian refugee families, who recently arrived to the UK. If that applies to you, please get in touch with the box office info@xameleontheatre.com. Allocated on first come first served basis.

Cast & Creatives

Director: Ovlyakuli Khodhakuli

Designers: Maria Soshina, Anna Grigorianc

Cast: Eugenia Leverett, Nikita Zabolotny, Victoria Milham, Vlada Lemeshevska

Locations

The Playground Theatre, W10 6RQ

Duration

Duration: 1 hour 30 min (interval 15 mins)

ANTI GONE

Performed in Russian with English surtitles

2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th Nov 2022
Age guidance: 15+

ANTI GONE, a gripping re-imagining of Sophocles tragedy comes back to London’s stage in November 2022.

The war has ended. Antigone learns that both her brothers are dead. Forced onto opposing sides, they have killed each other in battle.

When dictator Creon takes control of the torn and hostile state, he buries one brother and proclaims another one a traitor, leaving him to rot in the streets of Thebes. Antigone chooses to bury her brother despite the danger it entails.

ANTI GONE is a newly commissioned two-hander play written by the Russian playwright Evgeniya Palekhova. Evgeniya’s latest two plays were staged at Theatre Doc in Moscow (‘Russia’s most daring theatre’ (BBC).

In this contemporary take on Sophocles tragedy, directed by an award-winning director Ovlyakuli Khodzhakuli, Xameleon Theatre explores the subjects of tyranny, abuse of power and living under dictatorship regimes.

The production first premiered at Marylebone Theatre in June 2022, and was supported by Goethe Institut, Arts Council England, Stone Nest, NDT Broadgate, Jerwood Space, Migrants in Theatre & Counterpoints Arts.

Behind Scenes

Behind the scenes video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbVCGfO_8S0

Cast & Creatives

Playwright: Evgeniya Palekhova

Director: Ovlyakuli Khodhakuli

Designer: Maria Soshina

Lighting Designer: Petr Vocka

Surtitles: Obskura

Cast:

Antigone: Vlada Lemeshevska
Creon: Oleg Sidorchik

Duration

Duration: 1 hour 30 min (no interval)

Pippi

Based on the novel Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

Performed in Russian (without surtitles)
Recommended age: 5+

Pippi is the high spirited, warm hearted incarnation of every child’s dream of freedom and power. Strong, brave and fearless, dressed in strange clothes and living with her horse and pet monkey she brings mischief, chaos and confusion to those who are afraid of being themselves. She doesn’t conform to the proper way of behaving, but she is always fair. She can put a bully in his place; she is loved by all children, and is totally unafraid of anything. What else would you expect from the daughter of a pirate captain?

Cast & Creatives

Playwright: Zhenya Palekhova

Director: Ovlyakuli Khodzhakuli

Designer: Irina Gluzman, Maria Soshina

Actors: Vlada Lemeshevska, Irina Kara, Oleg Hill, Diana Krasovska, Denis Ridvanski

Location

Location: The Tabernacle Theatre, 34-35 Powis Square, London W11 2AY

Duration

Duration: 1 hour 30 min (including an interval)

Love in a nutshell

Performed in Russian with English surtitles.
Recommended age: 12+

Date: to be announced later

The show is a stage adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s selected short stories exploring love and relationships between people.

Outside Russia Chekhov is mostly known for his full-length plays, but his ironic, visceral, hilarious and sad short stories also offer incredible source of material for theatre. Alongside with famous stories such as “The Proposal”, Xameleon’s cast will present London’s audience with Chekhov’s less known work such as “A Daughter of Albion” and “The Witch”. In our show, recognisable and timeless sketches of everyday life from the pen of one of the most loved Russian playwrights came together in a humorous and at the same time touching performance.

Cast & Creatives

Cast: Irina Kara, Oleg Hill, Vlada Lemeshevska, Oleg Sidorchik, Vadim Bogdanov, Alexey Averkin, Zhenya Leverett

Director: Dmitry Turchaninov

Lighting designer: George Galkin

Producer: Vlada Lemeshevska

Duration

Duration: 2 hours 15 minutes (with interval)

Location

Location: The Cockpit, Gateforth Street, Marylebone, London NW8 8EH

Nearest stations: Marylebone (Bakerloo, National_Rail_Logo National Rail), Edgware Road (Hammersmith & City, District, Circle, Bakerloo). Both are about a 7 minute walk.

Photos

Anna Karenina

Based on Leo Tolstoy’s novel.

Performed in Russian with English subtitles
Recommended age: 12+

Anna, facing a lifetime of unhappiness in a marriage void of affection meets a dashing military officer, Alexey Vronsky. Her story is paralleled by that of strong-minded Levin and charming Kitty, frivolous Stiva and loyal Dolly and their worlds are all falling apart.

“There are as many kinds of love as there are hearts” says Leo Tolstoy in his timeless novel.

There are as many adaptations of Anna Karenina, as there are actors and directors. London based Russian company Xameleon Theatre is back with the true theatrical roller coaster. Each of 4 actresses performing in the play are playing not only Anna Karenina, but also all other characters of the novel, including male characters. This adaptation of Anna Karenina is not a period drama, neither it is a tale of the distant past. It is a story about society, faith and love, told in a contemporary way.

Cast & Creatives

Director: Dmitry Turchaninov

Producer: Vlada Lemeshevska

Designer: Irina Gluzman

Lighting designer: Jana Marshall

Cast: Alexandra Tsarkova, Anna Neverova, Vlada Lemeshevska, Yana Lyapunova

Location

Location: The Cockpit, Gateforth Street, Marylebone, London NW8 8EH

Nearest stations: Marylebone (Bakerloo, National_Rail_Logo National Rail). The station is within 7 minute walk.

Diaries of Madmen

Based on Nikolai Gogol’s novel and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s diaries.

Performed in Russian with English subtitles.

Did you know that the Spanish King in disguise is pushing papers in an office in Saint Petersburg?
Did you know that by falling in love with the daughter of your boss, you start understanding dog’s language?
Is it true that the Moon is made in Hamburg and if you hear the steps of The Grand Inquisitor, you should hide under the chair?

Find out in a new adaptation of Nikolai Gogol’s novel by London based Russian theatre company Xameleon Theatre.

Re-imagined Russian classical farcical novel is a funny and brutal exploration of a civil servant’s Poprishchin struggle to keep a grip on reality.

Another civil servant Pyotr Tchaikovsky, who later became one of the greatest Russian composers, also had a complicated relationship between his inner world and reality. His personal diaries reveal his daunting self-doubt and loneliness.

Director Konstantin Kamenski combines the stories of two civil servants, and explores the relationship between genius and madness, hopelessness and the desire to escape into the imaginary world.

Cast & Creatives

Director: Konstantin Kamensky

Producer: Vlada Lemeshevska

Stage, Costume Designer and Animator: Irina Gluzman

Lighting designer: Becky Brown

Movement Director: Natalia Fedorova

Cast: Oleg Sidorchik and Irina Kara

Duration

Duration: 2 hours 15 minutes (with interval)

Location

Location: The Cockpit, Gateforth Street, Marylebone, London NW8 8EH

Nearest stations: Marylebone (Bakerloo, National_Rail_Logo National Rail). The station is within 7 minute walk.

Photos

Photo credit: Oleg Katchinsky

Interview with the creaative team
Audience Reviews

Глубокое, Талантливое проживание!!!👏🏼✨БРАВО!!!

Alvira Kruglova

Совершенно удивительный спектакль театра Хамелеон “Записки сумасшедших” удалось посмотреть вчера. Это безусловно выдающееся событие в жизни русского (да и не только русского!) театрального Лондона. Во-первых, просто гениальная идея совместить “Записки сумасшедшего” Гоголя и Дневники Чайковского (идея Константина Каменского). Во-вторых, это все очень талантливо перенесено на сцену, а популярная и гениальная музыка Чайковского (также как и графическое изображение, присутствующее в спектакле) органично вплетена в постановку и звучит именно дополняя, а не перебивая/затмевая (как это иногда бывает) великолепную актёрскую игру звёзд русского театра в Лондоне Олега Сидорчика Oleg Sidorchik и Ирины Кары Irina Kara. Собственно, в третьих, это как раз и есть просто невероятная актерская работа и удача Олега и Ирины, играющих на высочайшем профессиональном уровне, совмещая приёмы Станиславского и Брехта. Потрясающе!!! Все молодцы, но Константин Каменский – просто гений! Безусловно, это лучшая лондонская постановка, которую я когда-либо видел здесь в Лондоне на русском языке. Уверен, спектакль ждёт большое будущее и международные театральные призы – главное только, чтобы авторам этого выдающегося (без преувеличения!) спектакля, а также всему замечательному коллективу театра, сопутствовала удача!
P.S. Забыл отметить, что и субтитры – перевод на английский – как мне показалось, были на высоте! Очень хороший перевод и правильный английский – так что, и переводчику или тому, кто адаптировал перевод «Записок сумасшедшего» Гоголя к тексту самого спектакля, тоже огромное спасибо и благодарность!

‎Alexey Smirnov

Сквозь все преграды – вплоть до небывалых по субботам в Лондоне пробок – добралась до спектакля “Записки сумасшедших”. В результате впала в полный экстаз, названный великим Аристотилем красивым словом катарсис.

Лидия Григорьева

Сквозь все преграды – вплоть до небывалых по субботам в Лондоне пробок – добралась до спектакля “Записки сумасшедших”. В результате впала в полный экстаз, названный великим Аристотилем красивым словом катарсис.

Лидия Григорьева

Спектакль потряс и понравился (местами до выноса мозга).
На белой авансцене (квадрат посередине театра) актёры в белом! Неожиданно и здорово! Говорят белый цвет поглощает, нейтрализует все остальные цвета и может ввести в транс…
Моя соседка Татьяна, в какой-то момент заплакала. Достучались!!! Затронули какие-то особые душевные струны (а у каждого они свои).
На сцене два актёра Олег Сидорчик (Поприщин) и Ирина Кара (безмолвная служанка Мавра) — слаженный, потрясающий тандем!
Минимум декораций, костюмы, освещение, оригинальное аниматорское оформление – всё заслуживает восхищения. И белая верёвка…символизирующая почти всё!
Спектакль уникален и необычен. О попытке найти своё место в жизни и не только…
Спасибо всему творческому коллективу и режиссёру Константину Каменскому (Konstantin Kamenski).

Валентина Коркоран

Невероятно. Чудесно глубоко. Влюблена в режиссуру и сценографиию. Не ожидала.

Aleix Von Sauber

A Dog’s Heart

Stage adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov’s famous novel by London based Russian company Xameleon Theatre

Performed in Russian with English subtitles.

A brilliant medical professor transplants human hypophysis into a stray dog and creates a monstrous man who turns on his creator…

Xameleon Theatre is presenting its previously sold-out show – A Dog’s Heart – an interactive, contemporary and original adaptation of Master and Margarita’s author Mikhail Bulgakov’s satiric masterpiece.

A Dog’s Heart written in 1925, set in the surrealistic world, and featuring a stray dog named Sharik who takes human form as narcissistic incarnation of the New Soviet Man, was banned in Russia for over 60 years for its controversial portrayal of the social clash between the old and the new generations. The plot of this story, traditionally interpreted as an allegory of the Communist revolution, sounds surprisingly relevant in today’s world, by examining the struggle between opposing social classes and their conflicts.

Cast & Creatives

Director: Konstantin Kamensky
Producer: Vlada Lemeshevska
Stage, Costume Designer and Animator: Irina Gluzman

Lighting designer: Jana Marshall

Video Content Creator: Natalia Lavrova

Cast: Oleg Sidorchik, Sergey Kotukh, Eimas Minkelis, Vlada Lemeshevska, Vadim Bogdanov, Marina Kazankova

Duration

Duration: 2 hours 15 minutes (with interval)

Location
Photos

Photo credit: Oleg Katchinsky and Gemma Mount

Dog's Heart Video
Audience reviews

Yesterday first time I experienced Xameleon Theatre; I saw play ” A Dog’s Heart”. It was enjoyable and funny performance . One of the Best play I saw! Recommended to anyone!

Anželika Krylova

The Little Prince

By Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Performed in Russian with English subtitles.

A pilot crashes his plane in the desert and meets the little prince from a distant asteroid…

Directed by renowned Central Asian theatre director Ovlyakuli Khodzhakuli, this play talks about love, responsibility and loyalty in a simple and non-dogmatic way by bringing us back to the heart of what truly matters. This philosophical tale is intended for children and adults alike – as the author wrote “All grown-ups were once children… but only few of them remember it”.

Cast & Creatives

Director: Ovlyakuli Khodzhakuli

Stage and Costume Design: Irina Gluzman

Choreographer: Svetlana Malinina

Lighting designer: Yana Demo

Executive Producer: Vlada Lemeshevska

Cast: Sasha Plaige, Oleg Sidorchik, Vlada Lemeshevska

Duration

Duration: 1 hours 20 minutes (without interval)

Location

Location: The Cockpit, Gateforth Street, Marylebone, London NW8 8EH

Nearest stations: Marylebone (Bakerloo, National_Rail_Logo National Rail). The station is within 7 minute walk.

Photos

Photo credit: Oleg Katchinsky

Audience reviews

Saturday performance at the Cockpit ‘The little prince’ -heart, love, life❤️🌹My favourite book and #xameleontheatre made my day! Thank you for beautiful memories of childhood revived in this play! Вечные вопросы любви, счастья, заботы о ближнем, выраженные в простых репликах маленького принца позволили пережить моменты детства и юношества! Маленький принц, роза 🌹 и пилот 👨‍✈️- аплодисменты! Самолёт ваш вообще улётный! ✈️ Жду следующего!

Yulia England

Удивительный, ни на что не похожий спектакль! Давно не получала такого погружениям в постановку. Игра актеров, свет, музыка, каждый жест – все на своём месте! Спасибо театру Хамелеон!

Marina Shmayger

Маленький принц- Спектакль для внутреннего ребёнка.
В прошлом году я уже была на этом представлении, но есть у меня такая привычка перечитывать и пересматривать.
А тем более, что Спектакли они как дети, растут, набирают энергии и изменяются.
Энергетика принца меня просто спасла в этот грустный и дождливый день Настолько солнечное исполнение, в каждом движении и слове. Очень интересные находки работы с залом.
Столько доброты и мудрости вы вложили в этот проект, ребята вы меня исцелили вчера от хандры!
Я правда не удержалась и смахнула слезу от последней сцены, но это было так чувственно красиво и до самой глубины души.

Mirabel Tuk

New Drama Week

Series of rehearsed readings, 2018

New Drama Week showcased some of the most important Russian language drama of the last 25 years. Plays from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus that were presented have previously won various international competitions and were staged in theatres across Europe and the US. Three out of the five plays being part of the New Drama Week 2018 have never been performed in the UK previously. Rehearsed readings were followed by Q&A and conversations with the director and the cast after each performance.

Tanya Tanya by Olga Mukhina

In English with Russian surtitles. Translated by John Freedman.

Written in 1996, Tanya Tanya is probably one of the best known contemporary plays of that decade in Russia. Famous Fomenko theatre in Moscow performed it to a great success and Olga Mukhina was praised for her unique style and called “new Chekhov”. The play is considered the starting point of New Drama movement in Russia. According to the critic and translator John Freedman, “This is the play that broke the vicious circle, that proved to large numbers of people with disparate backgrounds, styles and tastes, that a contemporary play could look, sound and feel good when performed on the stage”.

Sensitive, light, atmospheric and funny — Tanya Tanya was staged in countries across Europe and in the US, but never previously in the UK.

Cast: Vlada Lemeshevska, Helen Baranova, Aleksandra Tsarkova, Lev Levermore, Nemanja Oskorus, Victor Averyanov, Eimas Minkelis.

Produced by Vlada Lemeshevska.

Directed by Dmitry Turchaninov.

Tomorrow & The Khomenko Family Chronicles by Natalia Vorozhbyt

In English. Translated by Sasha Dugdale.

You live your life the best you can and then a war breaks out in your country. Impossible to ignore, war is something no one can escape – man, woman, child, artist, intellectual or an elephant, dead or alive – you have to respond the best way you can.

Will Tomorrow ever come? Is there a tomorrow? Aren’t all tomorrows truly impossible during the course of today?
Natalia Vorozhbyt is one of Ukraine’s most established playwrights. She was born in Kiev and studied at the Moscow Literary Institute. Natalia has been a member of the International Writers Program at the University of Iowa (USA) and International Playwright Residence at Royal Court Theatre (UK). Vorozhbyt is an author of more than 20 plays, which were performed in Ukraine, Russia, Latvia, Poland, Germany, the US and the UK. In the UK her plays were performed at The Royal Court, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Exchange and the National Theatre in Scotland.

Cast: Aleksandra Tsarkova, Andrew Byron, Louise Hadley, Irina Kara, Lev Levermore and Vera Horton.

Produced by Vlada Lemeshevska.

Directed by Alice Terekhof.

Somnambulism by Yaroslava Pulinovich

Читка на русском языке без субтитров.

One of the most influential playwrights in Russia today, Yaroslava Pulinovich, was born in Omsk, Russia in 1987, into a family of journalists. In 2009 she graduated from the Yekaterinburg Theatre Institute, where she trained under Nikolai Koliada. Her plays have been performed in the UK, the US, Poland, Estonia, Ukraine and in over forty theatres across Russia: in Moscow, St Petersburg, Omsk, Krasnoyarsk and many other cities.

Yaroslava’s plays won various international contests including the Voice of a Generation Prize, the Debut Prize, the Eurasia Prize, the Best New Play award at the Golden Mask Festival, and the Harlequin Prize.

Somnambulism, one of her most recent plays, is a serious and honest discussion about life and relationship. Somnambulism is a drama of new wave, but the basis of the play brings us back to the eternal question — are we alive or are we deeply asleep? The main character of the play has decided to speak the truth after one tragic event of in his life… And the truth is not going to be nice…

Cast: Oleg Sidorchik, Irina Kara, Vera Horton, Alexey Shedko, Oleg Hill, Dmitry Turchaninov, Vlada Lemeshevska.

Produced by Vlada Lemeshevska.

Directed by Dmitry Turchaninov.

The Locked Door by Pavel Pryazhko

In Russian.

Pavel Pryazhko’s highly distinctive plays have won him several major Russian language theatre awards and have been presented all over Europe.

Andrew Dickson from The Guardian called Pryazhko “a writer to watch” as “he knows how to leave the most profound things unsaid”. However, Pavel Pryazhko is fairly unknown in the UK: apart from one rehearsed reading at the Royal Court in 2011 and production of Harvest at Theatre Royal Bath and Soho Theatre in 2015 his plays haven’t reached the UK yet.

One of the most important traits of Pavel Pryazhko — is the ability to hear his time. For us, his contemporaries, to watch his plays — is an excellent opportunity to look at ourselves and the kind of society we live in. The Locked Door is a play about emptiness of the soul and mind. This kind of emptiness has to be covered from friends and family, and one has to lock the door and pretend that “Everything is going fine…”.

Cast: Alexey Averkin, Yana Lyapunova, Alexey Shedko, Oleg Hill, Dmitry Turchaninov, Irina Kara, Vlada Lemeshevska.

Produced by Vlada Lemeshevska.

Directed by Dmitry Turchaninov.

Location

Location: The Cockpit, Gateforth Street, Marylebone, London NW8 8EH

Nearest stations: Marylebone (Bakerloo, National_Rail_Logo National Rail). The station is within 7 minute walk.

A Doll’s House

By Henrik Ibsen

Performed in Russian with English subtitles

Nora and Torvald’s family seems to be very happy. They have three wonderful children, a beautiful house and a bright future ahead of them. But is their marriage as perfect as it appears if just a little secret can tear it apart?

Henrik Ibsen’s play has been considered controversial and shocking due to its style and content when it was first staged. However, this play exploring marriage, trust and duty is still disturbingly relevant today.

A Doll’s House is often perceived as proto-feminist, but Xameleon Theatre’s production is much more than a feminist play. It is a contemporary interpretation talking about the courage to be yourself, the right to make decisions and to take responsibility for those. It is the tale about the duty to oneself.

Cast & Creatives

Directed by Dmitry Turchaninov

Produced by Vlada Lemeshevska

Stage and Costume Design by Irina Gluzman

Costumes assistant: Elizabeth Khan

Lighting design: Yana Demtsenko

English surtitles: Obskura

Duration

Duration: 2 hours 30 min (with interval)

Location

Location: The Cockpit, Gateforth Street, Marylebone, London NW8 8EH

Nearest stations: Marylebone (Bakerloo, National_Rail_Logo National Rail). The station is within 7 minute walk.

Photos

Photo credit: Oleg Katchinsky

Promo Video
Audience Reviews

The place to be- The Cockpit! Xameleon production ‘ Doll’s house’ with a twist! Loved it! Very original play & talented performers! Thank you!

Yulia England

OMG! These guys just smashed it tonight! Outstanding performances of Ibsen’s Doll’s House from the whole cast. So happy to discover this company. A fresh and lively revival of timeless classics. Be sure not to miss their next show. Best Russian theatre company in London.

Eva Mashtaler

Odessa stories

A stage adaptation of Isaac Babel’s selected stories.

Performed in Russian with English subtitles.

Following the success of A Dog’s Heart by Bulgakov, Xameleon Theatre continues its Russian Revolution season with a show exploring the dark and fascinating world of Odessa’s gangsters.

The Russian Revolution and the civil war that followed were disastrous events in the lives of millions. The society was split apart and the gap was getting wider and deeper every day. Some people were able to find a place in new world, others were recognised as ‘needless’ and ‘undesirable’.

Isaac Babel witnessed and beautifully described The ‘Knights of Moldavanka’, the romantic thugs, all the beggars, small-time businessmen and smugglers that played essential part in Odessa’s Jewish community at the time. Could they fit in or did they become unwanted strangers, aliens in this new world? Explore Babel’s magical world with Xameleon Theatre’s new production featuring live music and strong ensemble led by Moscow Arts Theatre actor Alexey Shedko.

Cast & Creatives

Cast: Alexey Shedko, Oleg Sidorchik, Alexey Averkin, Vlada Lemeshevska and Irina Kara

Director: Konstantin Kamenski

Producer: Vlada Lemeshevska

Duration

Duration: 2 hours 15 minutes (with interval)

Location

Location: The Cockpit, Gateforth Street, Marylebone, London NW8 8EH

Nearest stations: Marylebone (Bakerloo, National_Rail_Logo National Rail), Edgware Road (Hammersmith & City, District, Circle, Bakerloo). Both are about a 7 minute walk.

Photos

Photo credit: Oleg Katchinsky

The Marriage of Figaro

Performed in Russian with English subtitles.

Pierre Beaumarchais’s comedy “The Mad Day, or The Marriage of Figaro” has been successfully staged all over the world and also served as an inspiration for Mozart’s opera of the same name. Russian speaking audience knows “The Marriage of Figaro” primarily as a production of Moscow ‘s Satire Theatre, with legendary Soviet actor Andrei Mironov in the title role. Bringing together a strong cast of Russian speaking actors, we decided to show our own take of this famous play.

Adapting Beaumarchais’ original text, we tried to be faithful to the ideas of the author, who initially wrote this play for Theatre of Commedia Dell’Arte. In our production, elements of Commedia are combined with traditions of Russian and Western theatre schools that were brought to this play by its creators.

Even though it was written around the time of The French Revolution, this play remains relevant, raising ever present questions of desire, hypocrisy, love and politics. Facing those issues, our characters are going through an extraordinary journey taking place throughout the course of this mad day.

Cast & Creatives

Director: Alexia Mankovskaya

Assistant Director: Konstantin Kamensky

Lighting designer: Yuri Galkin

Executive Producer: Vlada Lemeshevska

Cast: Vadim Bogdanov, Vlada Lemeshevska, Oleg Hill, Alexia Mankovskaya, Irina Kara, Oleg Sidorchik, Nikita Zabolotny, Maria Blatstein, Eimas Minkelis

Duration

Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes (with interval)

Location

Location: The Cockpit, Gateforth Street, Marylebone, London NW8 8EH

Nearest stations: Marylebone (Bakerloo, National_Rail_Logo National Rail), Edgware Road (Hammersmith & City, District, Circle, Bakerloo). Both are about a 7 minute walk.

Photos
Reviews

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Russian Theatre in London

Xameleon Theatre

is a London based theatre company working with artists originally from former Iron Curtain countries.

Working with migrant artists of Eastern & Northern European, Russian and Central Asian background, Xameleon Theatre is drawing inspiration from the varied theatre traditions of these regions. Xameleon is creating contemporary and bold adaptations of classical texts. 

The company has created 

— 8 full-scale productions, including all-female Anna Karenina (The Cockpit, 2019), A Dog’s Heart by Mikhail Bulgakov (Pleasance 2017), Love in a Nutshell (after Anton Chekhov)( The Cockpit 2016, 2017, 2020).

— 3 family shows, including Pippi Longstocking (Young Actors Theatre & Canada Water Theatre 2019, The Tabernacle 2022) and The Little Prince (The Cockpit, 2017, 2018).

— one week of rehearsed readings from contemporary playwrights from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine..

Team

  • Vlada Lemeshevska
    Vlada Lemeshevska Artistic Director, Producer and Actress

    Vlada trained professionally in London at East 15 Acting School and graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in Acting. She participated in acting residencies at Shakespeare’s Globe and Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS, Moscow). In 2015, she took part in The Summer Theatre School in Moscow, where she worked with the most prominent Russian theatre practitioners and performed in Evgeni Ibragimov’s play “ours AND ours”. Vlada founded Xameleon Theatre in 2015 and she is the company’s Artistic Director and Producer. She also continues to work as an actress, and most recently performed a role of Suzanna in “The Marriage of Figaro”.

  • Ovlyakuli Khodzhakuli
    Ovlyakuli Khodzhakuli Associate Director

    Ovlyakuli was born in Turkmenistan. He graduated in Directing from Tashkent State and Art Institute and later studied under renowned Soviet and Georgian Director and Teacher Mikhail Tumanishvili in Tbilisi (Georgia). Between 1991-1993 Ovlyakuli was Artistic Director of the Theatre-studio and Youth Theatre in Ashgabat (Turkmenistan). Ovlyakuli has directed more than sixty plays by authors such as Euripides, Sophocles, Shakespeare, Byron, Wilde, Mann and others. A number of his performances have been presented at International festivals in Finland, Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Russia, Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, India, Japan and South Korea.

  • Irina Kara
    Irina Kara Actress

    Irina Kara studied at The Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) in Moscow under the mentorship of legendary Soviet film director Sergei Bondarchuk. After graduating in 1989, she toured Canada with a performance group “The Players”, settling in the UK in 1992. Since then she has worked extensively in theatre, film and television. Her credits include “Lord Have Mercy” (film, dir. Vigen Chaldranyan), “Legends” (TV series, dir. Jamie Payne) La corrispondenza ( film, dir. Giuseppe Tornatorre) and “Snowman” (film, dir. Thomas Alfredson).

  • Konstantin Kamensky
    Konstantin Kamensky Associate Director

    Konstantin graduated from the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts (GITIS/RATI) as a Drama and Opera Director, a pupil of the renowned theatre maestro Roman Viktiouk. He ran his own independent fringe theatre in Moscow from 1999-2004. His production credits include several award-winning theatre productions. He has completed his MA in Advanced Theatre Practice at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. Since then he directed “Brodsky Station” about Joseph Brodsky’s life, one-woman show “Prison Psychologist” by Elena Isaeva and also co-directed “The Marriage of Figaro” for Xameleon Theatre.

  • Maria Blatstein
    Maria Blatstein Actress

    Maria Blatstein graduated from Technion — Israel Institute of Technology. She has been living in Britain since 2007 and studied acting in City Academy and Actors Studio in London. Maria performed in several music, theatre and film projects, including “Love in a Nutshell” by Xameleon Theatre and “The Cry of the Queen” by Orzu Arts. She is a also a permanent cast member of LiveWired — the resident comedy improvisation troupe at The London Improv Theatre.

  • Dmitry Turchaninov
    Dmitry Turchaninov Associate Director / Actor

    Dmitry graduated with Masters degree in Directing from Moscow Arts Theatre School. Prior to that he graduated in Acting from Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre and worked as an actor at Lithuanian Russian Theatre in Vilnius. He also performed the main role in the show “Walking with Dinosaurs” which was staged in Saint-Petersburg (Russia) in association with BBC Worldwide. He moved to London in 2011, having previously directed in Vilnius (Lithuania) and Saratov (Russia). In London he directed a number of shows including an adaptation of Chekhov’s short stories — “Love in a Nutshell” for Xameleon Theatre.

  • Vadim Bogdanov
    Vadim Bogdanov Actor

    Vadim graduated from Russian State University of Performing Arts in Saint-Petersburg in 2010. From 2010 to 2015 worked at Samara Academic Theatre. During that time, he played various roles including: Romeo (Romeo and Juliet), Bulanov (The Forest), Egor (Our Kitchen), Gluhovtsev (Days of Our Lives), Curley (Of Mice and Men) and Malcolm (Macbeth). Vadim is playing title roles in “Love in a Nutshell” and “The Marriage of Figaro”.

  • Oleg Hill
    Oleg Hill Actor

    Oleg Hill graduated in 1989 from Riga Drama Studio in Latvia. In 2006 he moved to the UK, where he trained at London School of Performing Arts and since then has worked in theatre, film, radio and television. He has taken part in many projects and has worked with directors such as Mark Forster (World War Z), Frank Harper (St George’s Day), Brian Grant (New Tricks).

  • Eimas Minklelis
    Eimas Minklelis Actor

    Eimas Minklelis was born in Lithuania. From the early age, he was part of the local theatre group. Combined his interest in theatre with achievements in sports, becoming Lithuania’s champion in Athletics. Eimas moved to London in 2001 and since then performed English and in Russian theatre. His credits include Astrov in “Uncle Vanya”, Treplev in “The Seagull” and pastor Manders from Ibsen’s “Ghosts”. He previously worked with Xameleon Theatre, playing Antonio in “The Marriage of Figaro”.

  • Alexey Shedko
    Alexey Shedko Actor

    Alexey was born in Belarus. He graduated from Belarus Theatre Academy as an actor. Worked at Tambov and Grodnenskaya Philarmonic society and at Mikhail Finberg’s orchestra. In 1989 created the band “Doctor Moro” in Saint Petersburg. In 1991 Alexey started working at Gorky’s National Russian theatre in Minsk, Belarus, where he played numerous roles such as Podkolesin, Podsekalnikov, Amphitrion, sir Robert Chiltern, and others. Since 2009 Alexey worked as an actor at Moscow Arts Theatre, where he played Ahov in Ostrovsky’s “It’s not all Shrovetide for the cat”, Ignatov in “Tanya”, Belugin in “The Marriage of Belugin” among others. For Xameleon Theatre he played various parts in Odessa’s Stories, based on Isaac Babel’s stories.

  • Lena Roganyan
    Lena Roganyan Box Office Manager

    Lena was born in Moscow. In 2012 she graduated from Moscow State University of Economics, Statistics and Informatics with BA in Linguistics. Taught English as a foreign language. Moved to London in 2014, where she graduated from Met Film School in Editing. Now studies Filmmaking at Raindance Film School. Lena works professionally as video content creator/editor. Works with Xameleon Theatre as a General Manager.

  • Svetlana Malinina
    Svetlana Malinina Choreographer

    Svetlana graduated from Moiseev Dance Academy in Moscow. She was a ballet dancer of Moiseev Ensemble and premier dancer of Irish show “Riverdance”. Works with Alive Dance Company. As a choreographer worked on Kosh physical theatre’s show The Square of Sky, BBC’s Wolf Hall; The Seagull for The Royal Court, Stones in His Pockets for Tricycle Theatre and social advert for Action Aid. Svetlana worked on number of Xameleon Theatre’s projects including Odessa Stories, The Little Prince and A Doll’s House.

Contact Xameleon Theatre

Or email us on: info@xameleontheatre.com