Pussy Riot: Riot Days

Their last appearance at the Kammerspiele took place at a significant point in contemporary history: Maria Alyokhina, fresh from her spectacular escape from Russia, gathered her artists’ collective around her to unload a hefty dose of fury at a conflict that at that time still felt jarringly new – the senseless war against Ukraine. That evening rallied the full power of the counterculture in a space that was deeply grateful to her; a space seething with rage.

Four years later, Pussy Riot are returning with “Riot Days”. The war remains ongoing, and many other scenes of suffering have unfolded in the interim. When we look at Maria Alyokhina, we can immediately see that a place exists beyond despair: a place that Pussy Riot evoke with their fusion of punk and performance. Through the power of art, protest and collective spirit, a stirring and challenging evening will emerge that tells their story via Alyokhina’s books “Riot Days” (2017) and “Political Girl” (2025).

It is a story that begins in 2011 in Moscow, in the full grip of the patriarchy, with radical and undeniably feminist actions carried out in the public sphere. The band’s “Punk Prayer” in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour garnered Pussy Riot worldwide attention. It was a caustic prayer that led to years of imprisonment for several members and sparked an international debate about artistic freedom and freedom of expression.

The collective has since maintained a clear political stance: Pussy Riot are firmly on the side of Ukraine and are actively engaged – via both humanitarian work and artistic expression – in opposing war and authoritarian violence.

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Enid Valu

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Enid Valu

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Enid Valu

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Enid Valu

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