Dmitry Glukhovsky
Writer / Director
Best known for his best-selling dystopian novel Metro 2033, translated into 40 languages, Dmitry Glukhovsky has often been called a star of Russian contemporary fiction. Glukhovsky graduated from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where he spent his youth. The White Factory is his second theatrical work after the adaptation of his realist novel Text, whcih tackles the lack of rights for ordinary people in the police state of Putin’s Russia. Glukhovksy worked on the adaptation of Text into an award-winning feature film, as well as the TV series Swamps. A former journalist, Glukhovsky speaks six languages and still writes columns for Novaya Gazeta, Die Zeit, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, La Liberation and the Guardian. Dmitry is known for his antiwar stance and, as a 'foreign agent' has had to leave Russia because of it.
Maxim Didenko
Director
Maxim is a theatrical director originally from St. Petersburg. His artistic research of Soviet totalitarian culture and society has led him to adapt for stage the works of Boris Pasternak, Isaac Babel and Vladimir Sorokin.
Maxim was one of the most celebrated directors in Russia and has received numerous awards including: Golden Mask, National Theatre Award, Golden Sophite, Sergey Kuryokin Award, GQ Award, Best Director for the Ballet The Overcoat at St. Petersburg Theatre Awards for Young Artists, Best Artist Breakthrough 2014, Made in Russia Award for Pasternak. My Sister - Life and Best Director I am here - inter-regional V festival contest.
After graduating from St. Petersburg Theatre Arts Academy, studying under G.M. Kozlov, from 2004-2009 he was an actor at Derevo Theatre (St. Petersburg - Dresden). Credits include: Ketzal, Execution of Pierrot, Dreams of Robert, DiaGnoze, La Divina Comedia, Islands, Once.
Since 2007 he has collaborated with the Russian Engineering Theatre KHE and the Centre of Contemporary Art DAKH in Kyiv. In 2010 he organized ‘The Drystone Pro-Theatre Union and celebrated several productions, performances and initiatives.
His directing credits include: Olesya: Love Story, Lyonka Panteleev: Musical, Second Vision, The Passenger, The Overcoat: Ballet, The Backbone Flute, Little Tragedies, Red Cavalry, Kharms. Myr, Earth, Young Guard, The Idiot, Chapaev and Pustota, The Trial, The Circus, Ten Days that Shook the World, Heart of a Dog, Run, Alice, Run, The Text, and many more.
After Russia began its war on Ukraine, Didenko, who publicly supported Ukraine’s resistance and made pro-peace statements, chose to leave Russia to preserve his artistic and personal freedom.
Galya Solodovinikova
Set & Costume Designer
Galya is a world famous practicing artist, theatre set designer, film and theatre costume designer, working with the most recognized new European directors and choreographers such as Kirill Serebrennikov, Ekaterina Evangelatos, Maxim Didenko, Yury Muravitsky, Timofey Kulyabin, Philipp Grigorian, Vladimir Varnava, Anna Abalikhina, Sebastian Welker and Michael Lockshin.
Master of Arts in Scenography, Central Saint Martins, College of Art and Design, London. Master of Arts in Fashion Design, Moscow State Textile University, Moscow.
Curator of the postgraduate course of Scenography in the British Higher School of Art and Design in Moscow.Her works have been exhibited and performed in London, Moscow, Berlin, Los Angeles, Saint Petersburg, Edinburgh, San Paulo and Monte Carlo. The productions that she designs are staged around the world, in theatres such as Deutsche Theater, Electrotheatre, Bolshoi Theatre, Mariinskii Theatre, Opera Garner Monte Carlo, Komische Oper, Alexandrinski Theatre, Theatre of Nations, BAC Art Center London and many more.
Winner of Golden Eagle Award for Best Costume Design in Film 2021, Winner of Nika Award for Best Costume Design in Film 2020, winner of Best Young Theatre Designer theatre award for “Proriv” in 2015, multiple Golden Mask Award nominee and winner of Golden Mask Award 2020 for Best Costume Design in Music Theatre for Opera “Rusalka”.
Julian Starr
Sound Designer
Julian is a Composer and Sound Designer, and is the Associate Sound Designer at the Finborough Theatre. He worked as a Touring Sound Engineer for“An Inspector Calls” (UK/Ireland tour) and as a Sound Engineer for “Songs for Nobodies” (Ambassadors), “The Tap Pack” (Peacock Theatre) and “Richard III” (Sydney Opera House).
Recent sound design work in the UK includes: “Potted Panto” and “It’s A Wonderful Life” (Reading Rep), “Union” (Arcola Theatre), “Song From Far Away” (HOME Manchester and Hampstead Theatre), “ZOG” (West End, UK tour), “Rose” (Hope Mill, Park Theatre, Ambassadors Theatre, Offie Nominated for Best Sound Design), “Animal” (Park Theatre and UK Tour), “Never Not Once”, “Cry Havoc”, “Martha and Josie and the Chinese Elvis” (all Park Theatre), “Lesbian Space Crimes”, “You Only Live Forever” (all Soho), “Sleep walking” (Hampstead Theatre), “How to Survive an Apocalypse”, “Scrounger” (Offie Nomination for Best Sound Design) and “The Wind of Heaven” (all Finborough), “The Dwarfs” (White Bear Theatre– Offie Nomination for Best Sound Design) and “Aisha” (Tristan Bates –Offie Nomination Best Sound Design).
Recent sound design work in Australia includes: “Return to the Dirt” (Queensland Theatre Company), “Elektra/Orestes” (Brisbane Metro Arts – Blue Curtains Award for Best Sound Design), “Miss Peony” (Belvoir Street Theatre and Australian Tour) and “Hyperdream”(Sydney Theatre Award for Best Sound Design). Site–specific production work includes: “The Comedy of Errors”, “Pericles” (17th Century Valtice Castle, Czech Republic), “The King’s Head Theatre’s 50th Birthday Celebrations” and “The Third” (V&A Museum, London). Media and television work includes:“Fizzy Sherbet Podcast”, “White Tuesday” (The Sarah Awards New York City Best Audio Fiction) and “Bluey” (as Music Editor for BBC/ABC/Disney)
Oleg Mikhailov
Video Designer
Oleg is a video artist who works at the intersection of media technologies and video art. Since the late 1990s, he has been creating video and interactive installations, experimental animation and video art in the exhibition and theatre space. Oleg explores technologies for creating visual content and video engineering for theatre and music performances. For over a decade, Oleg has taught multimedia direction, video design, sound design, 3D modelling, animation and special effects.
Recent credits include: “Between Two. Bardo Todl” (2014, St. Petersburg),“The Choice” (2013, St. Petersburg. Alexandinsky Theatre), “Depot of Genius Delusions” (2012, Berlin. Berliner Festspiele), “Gobo. A Digital Glossary” (2007, St. Petersburg), “The Three Fat Men. Episode 2. Ironheart” (2018, St.Petersburg. BDT, Bolshoi Drama Theater),“The Governor” (2017, St. Petersburg.BDT), “Happiness” (2011, St. Petersburg. Alexandrinsky Theatre), “Schlachthof 5” (2020, Dresden. HELLERAU), “Norma”(2019, Moscow. Theatre on Malaya Bronnaya), “Ansichten eines Clowns”(2019, Mannheim. Mannheim Nationa lTheatre), “The Girl and Death” (2019, London. Tabernachle), “I Am Here”( 2018, Novosibirsk. Theatre “Staryi Dom”), “Trial” (2017, Prague. 64 UHRADEB), “Black Russian.” (2016, Moscow. Spiridonov’s Mansion), “TwoActs.” (2012, St. Peterburg. Hermitage Museum), “Bluebeard. Women’s Hope” (2010, St. Petersburg. Planetarium),“Goodbye Old World” (2019, online performance. Balett Moscow), “Medea” (2008, St. Petersburg. Modern Art Center “Priboi”), “Colider” (2019, Moscow. Festival of contemporary art “Forma”), “Architecture of Separation.” (2021, online performance. Dresden-Chemnitz) and “Slava Polunin’s Air Castles” (2022, Moscow. Manege).
Composer
Louis Lebee
Louis is a French-English musician and composer. After an early career in Paris composing music for advertising, he then moved to Russia, where he worked in the film industry, alongside the theatre.
He then started working as a teacher in music and composition at Moscow Music University. Since the war in Ukraine, he has settled in Berlin.
Highlights from Louis’s credits include“Revisor Gogol” in Warsaw for Yury Muravitsky, “Death and the Girl” in London for Maxim Didenko, “The Government Inspector” in Warsaw for Yury Muravitsky and “Le Tartuffe” in Moscow for Yury Muravitsky
Alex Musgrave
Lighting Designer
Alex designs lighting for theatre, opera and dance and has lit productions of all sizes across the UK. Notably “Home”at Chichester Festival Theatre, “Private Lives” at the Barn Theatre, Cirencester and “You Are Here” at the Southwark Playhouse, London, for which he was nominated for an Offie Award for Best Lighting Design. Alex was the 2019 Association of Lighting Production and Design Lumière 2019.
Design work includes:
“Private Lives” (Barn Theatre), “It’s a Mother F**king Pleasure” (Soho Theatre), “The Clockmaker’s Daughter” (New Theatre Royal Portsmouth), “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (Kings Theatre, Portsmouth), “The Cunning Little Vixen”(Royal Birmingham Conservatoire),“Urinetown” (Portsmouth New Theatre Royal), “Cinderella” (Kings Theatre,Portsmouth), “Rapunzel” (Watermill Theatre), “The Sleeping Sword” (The Watermill Theatre), “Tales of Acorn Wood” (National Tour), “Alice in Wonderland” (Backstage Theatre), “The Chronicles of Atom and Luna” (National Tour), “Tasting Notes,” “Anyone Can Whistle,” “You Are Here,” “Romeo and Juliet” (Southwark Playhouse).
Isabella Van Braeckel
Associate Set & Costume Designer
Isabella is a London-based Set & Costume Designer for Theatre, Art Director for Immersive Theatre and Film, and Costume Supervisor. She trained at Central St Martins & has worked extensively across mediums both in the U.K. & around the world. Recent Design Credits include: “The Ring Cycle” (Regents Opera, Freemason”s Hall), “Jules and Jim”, “The Oyster Problem”, “Cancelling Socrates”, “The Dog Walker” (Jermyn Street Theatre), “Blanket Ban”, “The Lesson” (Southwark Playhouse), “Dual” (Vault Festival, UK Tour), Red Ink (Sadlers Wells, LeicesterCurve), “Piloten”, “Polarörnen”,“Midnight Train to Marrakesh” (Teateri, Swedish Touring Productions), “The Dwarfs” (White Bear), and “Into The Numbers” (Finborough Theatre). Art Direction: “Peaky Blinders: The Rise”(Gamers 8, Saudi Arabia), “Knorr : Dareto Try” (Swamp Motel, Mexico), “Dirty Dancing” (Secret Cinema). Associate Design includes “Burgerz”(Southbank Centre & Tour), “The Boys in the Band” (Park Theatre, Vaudeville Theatre), “Eclipsed” (Gate Theatre).
Helena Palmer CDG
Casting Director
Helena is a freelance casting director with over 20 years’ experience.
She began her casting career at theRoyal Exchange, Manchester and then with the National Theatre. She was Casting Director at the Royal Shakespeare Company from 2008 to 2021, casting over 50 classical and contemporary plays.
Recent projects include “Untitled F*ck M*ss S**gon Play” (Manchester Royal Exchange/ Young Vic) “No Pay? No Way!”, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and “Beginning” (Manchester Royal Exchange), “The Tempest” and “Cymbeline” (Royal Shakespeare Company), “Linck & Mülhahn”, “Mary and The Fever Syndrome” (Hampstead Theatre), “Dmitry” (Marylebone Theatre), “The Wind in the Willows”and “The Child in the Snow” (Wilton’s Music Hall), “Sarah” (Coronet Theatre), “Blackmail” and “Antigone” (Mercury Theatre, Colchester) and “The Mirror and the Light” (Gielgud Theatre).
She is a member of the Casting Directors’ Guild.
Assistant Director
Maria Zemlinskaya
Maria Zemlinskaya is a Director and Applied Theatre Practitioner. Maria has transitioned to directing after 9 years of delivering applied theatre workshops. She holds an MFA in Theatre Directing from Birkbeck College, with her residencies at RADA and the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. Some of her assisting credits include “Stoning Mary” (directed by Che Walker) and “Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart’’ (directed by Debbie Hannah).
Her directing credits include R&D “Agua Viva” (Donmar Warehouse) and residence at The Shoreditch Town Hall with “Loud Objects,” “Keep The Change” (Zoo Venues, Edinburgh), The Clown (The Impact Theatre) and others
Ekaterina Kashyntseva
Producer
Following a career in the fashion industry, Ukrainian born Ekaterina retrained as an art historian, completing her Masters in Contemporary Art at Glasgow University.
Her first theatrical project was coordinating the 2017 London tour of the Sovremennik Theatre (Piccadilly Theatre), acting as the sponsor’s representative. Katya became a director of Belka Productions thereafter and co-produced the 2018 Maly Drama Theatre tour of “Life and Fate”, “Uncle Vanya” (Theatre Royal Haymarket), and “Three Sisters” (Vaudeville Theatre).
In 2019 she co-produced a new cabaret musical show, “Lilith”, in collaboration with Damsel Productions, written by Holly Aston and dramaturged by Hannah Hauer-King.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Katya has been based in Berlin and is currently working on an immersive production of “Diaghilev in Limbo”alongside Maxim Didenko and Dmitry Glukhovsky.
Oliver King
Producer & General Manager
After graduating from Durham University, Oliver trained as an actor at Drama Centre London & The Boris Schukin Theatre School.
His producing and general management credits include “United Ukranian Ballet” (London Coliseum), “The Art of Banksy” (Exhibition), “Egyptians”, “The Suppliant Women” (Gulbenkian Arts Centre) “Counting Sheep” (VAULT Festival), “Tartuffe”, “Life & Fate”, “Uncle Vanya” (Theatre Royal Haymarket) “Queens of Syria” (Young Vic, New London & UK Tour) “The Sovremnnik Theatre Season” (Piccadilly Theatre), “And HereI Am” (UK Tour & International Tour),“Requiem for Aleppo” (Sadlers Wells & Touring), “Three Sisters”, “Uncle Vanya” (Wyndham’s), “Donkey Heart” (Trafalgar Studios), “Luce” (Southwark Playhouse), “A Dashing Fellow”, “An Imaginary Circus” (New Diorama), “A Warsaw Melody” (Arcola Theatre), “Sunstroke” (Platform Theatre), “Lunch” (Vault Festival, Edinburgh & touring), & “The World to Hear” (Documentary).
Oliver is a member of the Society of London Theatre (SOLT)