Arrest of Russian theatre director hampers ‘Nureyev’ premiere
Kirill Serebrennikov has a history of criticising Russian authorities and the Orthodox Church, and his supporters say he was framed in a fraud case as part of a government crackdown on artistic freedoms. The arrest of prominent Russian theatre and film director Kirill Serebrennikov has complicated plans to stage the premiere of a ballet about the late dancer Rudolf Nureyev, who was openly gay and fled the Soviet Union. The head of Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre has said he hopes the ballet will be staged in the 2017/18 season – i.e. by next summer – and suggested it could be performed even in the absence of Serebrennikov.