Pussy Riot: Riot Days
+ New Age Doom
On International Women’s Day, “Pussy Riot: Riot Days” will come to Doornroosje. Through a multidisciplinary performance based on the memoirs of Maria Alyokhina, “Pussy Riot: Riot Days” immerses the audience in a narrative of resistance, repression, and revolution – blending elements of a concert, a rally, a theatrical production, and a political happening.
The story is told through the eyes of Maria Alyokhina, a member of Pussy Riot. She spent two years in a penal colony following “Punk Prayer” – a 2012 protest action by Pussy Riot directed at Putin, staged inside Moscow’s main cathedral. She later chronicled her time in the penal colony in “Riot Days”, a book that provides a detailed account of her arrest, trial, and imprisonment. This was followed by “Political Girl”, in which she describes life following the onset of the full-scale war against Ukraine.
She remained in Russia and continued her resistance, but it came at a high cost: in 2022, she was placed under house arrest in Russia, after which she eventually managed to flee the country.
In 2016, “Riot Days” was adapted into a theatrical show, incorporating spoken word, video, performance art, and punk music. The production has been touring for some time, yet it has never been a static piece; it continuously integrates unfolding events in Russia and Ukraine, ensuring that no two performances are ever the same. “Pussy Riot: Riot Days” is a show, not merely a concert. It draws you into the memoirs of Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina – a story of resistance against dictatorship. This evening in March marks the only live performance of the show in the Netherlands.
Each performance opens with a solo set by Eric Breitenbach of New Age Doom. Barely controlled chaos, dark and cinematic: drums and electronics are pushed to the limit before “Riot Days” begins. Eric Breitenbach is part of “Pussy Riot: Riot Days”.
“Pussy Riot: Riot Days” consists of: Alina Petrova (composer and multi-instrumentalist), Eric Breitenbach (drummer and co-founder of New Age Doom), Taso Pletner (actor, theatre and documentary-theatre director, activist), Alexander Cheparukhin (producer, festival director, and the driving force behind “Riot Days”), and Maria “Masha” Alyokhina (vocals and author).
“It’s impossible to look away. Powerful and exhilarating” – THE GUARDIAN
“Swaggering, throbbing gig. Clever and enthralling” – THE TIMES
“Far from being a conventional gig, it is instead a hard-hitting, punk-spirited piece of art theatre” – THE ARGUS
