Theater critic Marina Davydova fled Moscow in March. Now she will be director of the drama program at the Salzburg Festival. A conversation about Russian culture, propaganda and the task of art.
Interviewed by
Sonja Zekri
When Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and started a war in Donbass, Russian theater critic and curator Marina Davydova dedicated an issue of her magazine to Ukraine TEATR: blue and yellow cover, Ukrainian voices, pieces, lyrics. Back then, in 2014, she lost state support. In the spring of 2022 she lost her home. Again Russia attacked Ukraine, again she protested publicly, was persecuted, threatened, fled practically overnight. Since then she has lived in exile, currently in Berlin – and soon in Vienna. Marina Davydova becomes head of drama at the Salzburg Festival. A conversation about missed escapes and the enlightening view from space.