Description
THE GRAMMAR OF SILENCE Silence has become their mother tongue. A visual queer collage from Russia. The Grammar of Silence is a visual stage work about the experiences of gender and sexual minorities in Russia from the 2010s to the present day. It is based on conversations with LGBTQ+ people living in Russia and those who have left the country – people whose identity, intimacy, and visibility have gradually become increasingly dangerous in their lives. Since the 2010s, the systematic suppression of LGBTQ+ identities in Russia has led to a situation where mere existence can be a crime: public expression, communities, and symbols have been criminalized, resulting in arrests, exile, and silence. But what happens in silence? What remains unsaid to friends, family, at work – and to oneself? The creators of the performance explore silence and what happens within it. The work has no traditional plot, and interviews are not presented verbatim on stage. The moods, memories, and internal conflicts of the interviews are transformed into a visual collage: objects, materials, puppets, shadows, and the physical expression of the actors. Words recede, but emotions become visible. Some of the background interviews for the stage work were conducted in person, and some anonymously in text form, as digital video conversations would pose a security risk for many participants. The work protects its narrators and does not reveal their identities. It makes visible what fear, shame, longing, love, and constant vigilance can do to a person. The Grammar of Silence does not seek to explain Russia through political slogans, nor does it offer the audience ready-made emotions. It invites viewers to see people as individuals: to listen to silence, to recognize the mechanisms of fear, and to reflect on what kind of freedom we take for granted in our own lives. The work is directed by Russian director Roman Boklanov, who left Russia for Germany in 2022. The idea was born when Boklanov and the actors of Helsinki 98 met during theatre training in Spain in 2025. Roman Boklanov is a director specializing in object and puppet theatre, working in Germany. He holds a master's degree in puppet theatre directing from the St. Petersburg State Theatre Arts Institute, and his productions have been seen in Russia, Germany, Spain, and Kazakhstan. Boklanov's works were awarded at several festivals in Russia before his forced relocation to Germany in 2022. Helsinki 98 is a theatre founded in 2023 that asks: what can art be after 24.2.2022? Over three years, nine stage works have been created on the theatre's own 80-seat stage at Vuosaaren Tilajakamo, attracting over 9,400 spectators. Premiere on Tuesday, 29.9.2026 at the Helsinki 98 stage, Vuosaaren Tilajakamo. The project is supported by project grants from the Ministry of Education and Culture to mitigate the effects of international crises in the field of art and culture, as well as by the City of Helsinki. Team: Direction: Roman Boklanov Set design, video design, lights, poster: Pavel Semchenko Dramaturgical consultation: Mihail Durnenkov Text translation: Taisiya Kostyuk Costume design, props: Anis Kronidova Actors: Taisiya Kostyuk, Fanni Vihersaari, Kasper Korpela, Toni Nikka Production: Taisiya Kostyuk, Fanni Vihersaari Producer: Producer HELSINKI 98 -PRODUCTION PERFORMANCE DETAILS Duration 70 min Age recommendation 16+ Language Finnish Arrival instructions to Vuosaaren Tilajakamo (Vuosaarentie 7): By metro: Vuosaari stop, walk left from the metro's Columbus exit, walk towards the main entrance of Vuotalo, opposite which is the former Vuosaari high school, now Vuosaaren tilajakamo. The walk from the metro to Tilajakamo takes 3 minutes. By car: There is a parking lot at Vuosaarentie 7.