The literary and musical project «Performance in the Dark» will be presented in the capital for the first time. The audience will find themselves in absolute darkness and will see the performance through sound, emotions and their own imagination. The project is being implemented with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives.
«Performance in the Dark» is an immersive format in which vision is intentionally excluded. The costumes, decorations, and gestures of the actors disappear. The voices of the performers, the lively music, and the power of each viewer’s own imagination come to the forefront. The project creates a profound emotional experience, expands the boundaries of perception of familiar works, and becomes a platform for collaboration between professional artists and creative people with disabilities.
From September 23 to September 25, 2026, three performances will be held in Moscow/ Address: Moscow, Tverskaya Street, 14, Nikolai Ostrovsky Museum.
«Moths on a Candle»
Director — Vladimir Bilyk
September 23, 19:00
A sparkling comedy based on a story by Arkady Averchenko. Big money and a complete lack of professionalism turn a theatrical premiere into a colossal failure. At the heart of the story is the charming but untalented actress Zelyonaya, who, after receiving an inheritance, decides to conquer the stage. A colourful group of «stars» gathers around her: an intrusive poet, a playwright with a «brilliant» play about 1812, a self‑absorbed director, and an actress with modest talent. The louder the ambitions, the more inevitable and comical the fiasco.
Registration: peoplein.timepad.ru/event/4067815/
«The Musician»
Director — Egor Salnikov
September 24, 19:00
A touching drama based on Vladimir Korolenko’s story «The Blind Musician.» In complete darkness, every viewer temporarily becomes little Petrusha and rediscovers the world through sounds, smells, and touch. The play tells the story of a blind boy’s coming‑of‑age in the 19th century and raises questions: how not to become bitter when feeling one’s loss? How to overcome loneliness? And can music heal the soul?
Registration: peoplein.timepad.ru/event/4068101/
«Marina Tsvetaeva’s Night»
Director — Anna Politova
September 25, 19:00
A poetic performance based on Marina Tsvetaeva’s autobiographical prose «The Devil». This is a deep dive into the poetess’s formula «I don’t dream of a dream, I dream it…» Spectators find themselves in the sacred corners of the soul, where dreams merge with memories. The performance speaks of the right to accept oneself entirely — together with the «native darkness," in which true freedom is born.
Registration: peoplein.timepad.ru/event/4068112/
**Project partners: **executive authorities and institutions of Moscow, the Tavrida art cluster, the Creative Industries Agency, the Federation of Creative Industries, the public association «Union of All‑Russian and Leading Organizations of People with Disabilities ‘ABIART'", and the All‑Russian public movement «Culture Volunteers».
**The creator and copyright holder of the project **is the State Budgetary Institution of Culture of Moscow, the
**Project organizer: **Autonomous Non‑Profit Organization «Center of the Sociocultural Programs ‘People IN'".