Ryazan Puppet Theatre tells about Ryazanskie Smotriny Festival

The 20th International Puppet Theatre Festival "Ryazanskie Smotriny" will take place from 12 to 18 September 2025. Over seven days, audiences will see 23 performances in 55 shows. Around 500 guests and thousands of spectators are expected to attend. TV BRICS is the international media partner for the event.

Elena Rokhlina, Minister of Culture of the Ryazan Region, noted that over the past forty years, Ryazan Smotryny has become one of the region's main cultural brands.

"True art knows no distance or language barriers. More than 500 performances and 80,000 spectators throughout the history of the event are the best proof of its status," she said.

Konstantin Kirillov, Director of the cultural event, emphasised that the Ryazan Smotry is the largest puppet theatre festival in the post-Soviet space, attracting participants from all over the world.

Artistic Director of the event Valery Shadsky said that for the first time, the programme includes performances from Africa and China, and the opening ceremony will take place on a new open-air stage.

The festival will be held at eight venues: three stages of the Ryazan Puppet Theatre, two stages of the Ryazan Drama Theatre, the stage of the large concert hall of the regional philharmonic, the Gorky Regional Library and the Theatre of the Young Spectator.

The programme includes performances from Russia, China, India, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Iran, Brazil, and Italy. All participants and partners will receive personalised engraved diplomas and unique festival prizes created by artists from the Ryazan Puppet Theatre.

Photo: SL_Photography / iStock