Theatre in the Solovki Prison Camp

There were theatres in many Soviet concentration camps. What were they like? Can we regard them as an artistic phenomenon? Do they constitute a distinct unity? This account provides answers to these questions as well as precise dates and names of the theatre managers, directors and actors. There were theatres in many Soviet concentration camps. What were they like? Can we regard them as an artistic phenomenon? Do they constitute a distinct unity? It has been difficult to answer these and many other questions concerning the term "concentration camp theatre" mainly because the KGB archives are still largely inaccessible and few are still alive of those who worked in the theatres of the "world behind the barbed wire". The most important theatre of this kind, serving as a model for others, was in the Solovki camp for political prisoners. This account provides precise dates and names of the theatre managers, directors and actors.