The Golden Mask Performing Arts Festival is the only annual festival in Russia that combines all performing arts - drama, opera, ballet, operetta/musical and puppetry and features best productions of the previous season.

The Festival was established by the Theatre Union of Russia in 1994. It is held under the auspices of the City of Moscow with the participation of the Russian Ministry of Culture, National State TV/Radio Company, number of leading newspapers and magazines. Some festival programs are held in cooperation and with financial support of the Soros Foundation, The British Council, European Commission, etc.

The participants of the Festival are selected by the Council of Experts that includes well-known theatre critics and journalists. Within 7 months they watch video tapes with productions-candidates and if experts are interested in their concept and artistic quality they travel to see live performances in various parts of the country and then reject or nominate them for the Festival. It is a matter of principle to present a variety of all styles and aesthetic trends to show a true picture of the last theatre season in the country. as a result theatre goers can see avantgarde as well as traditional realistic production.

All nominated performances are brought to Moscow and shown at the most prestigious venues. This is obviously an excellent and rare opportunity to see a concentrate of some of the best theatre that Russia can offer in a short time and in one city! The Festival culminates with the Final Ceremony of Awards which this year was held in the Bolshoi.

Prizes include Best Production, Best Director, Best Conductor, Best Choreographer, Best Designer, Best Actor, Best Actress in all types of theatre. In addition to that, and outside the contest, there are also "Prize of Honour", "Special Prize of the Jury", "Novation", "Critics' Prize", "Prize for the Best Foreign Production Shown in Russia.", "Prize for Support to Performing Arts".

There is also an international program with a series of workshops, lectures and seminars led by prominent national and international performing arts professionals.

Some of the artists awarded over the years have been Pyotr Fomenko, Kama Ginkas, Anatoly Vassiliev, Valery Gergiev, Evgeni Kolobov, Dmitry Bertman, Valery Fokin, Sergei Zhenovatch, Youri Butusov, Lev Dodin, Boris Pokrovsky, Boris Eifman, Dmitry Bryantsev, Ulyana Lopatkina.

During these five years the Golden Mask has distinguished itself as the most prestigious performing arts festival in Russia and become a serious cultural institution and national-scale event.

For further information please contact:
tel./fax + 7 095 2092153 / 2093450 / 2299242 / 2293039
E-mail: maska@theatre.ru
Golden Mask Festival
10 Strastnoi Boulevard, Moscow 103031, Russia