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Pussy Riot’s o-founder and most visible member Nadya Tolokonnikova is teaming with London-based company Les Enfants Terribles for a new immersive theater project. Dubbed Inside Pussy Riot, the show will “take the audience into the journey Pussy Riot endured during their epic ordeal when they were arrested, forced through a flawed judicial system and finally transported to a Russian jail.”
The show is set to run for six weeks at an undisclosed London venue. Tolokonnikova herself will participate in the opening day showings, as well as select engagements throughout the run. The experience will take audiences through different rooms designed to represent specific locations and experiences from Pussy Riot’s political story. There will be the cathedral altar where the group infamously burst onto the public scene with the performance that led to their arrest, the Russian courtroom where they were tried, and the labor colony where they were sentenced to work for two years.
“The audience will actually get the chance to re-live each one of these experiences themselves in London, learning what it means to be a political opponent in Russia today,” Tolokonnikova said in a statement. She added, “Hopefully, this is a journey that you’ll only have to make once in your life.”
To help fund the project, Tolokonnikova and Les Enfants Terribles have launched a Kickstarter campaign. Pledge levels include “Kill the Sexist!”, which includes a personalized postcard mailed to Vladimir Putin ahead of the 2018 election; “Straight Outta Vagina”, which gets you a ticket to Inside Pussy Riot and a chance to participate in a Facebook photo campaign; “Police State”, featuring a signed copy of Russian Criminal Tattoo Police Files Vol I; and “Balls Deep in Pussy Riot”, which will take you behind the scenes of the show for a rehearsal and net you two passes to the premiere. There’s also “Riot City”, which includes an “alternative” tour of Moscow with Tolokonnikova and a program credit.
The fundraiser will run for four weeks and seeks to raise $78,075. Below, watch the Kickstarter pitch video.