The Presnyakov Brothers

The Presnyakov Brothers, sons of an Iranian mother and Russian father were born in Sverdlovsk, Siberia. Oleg in 1969, and Vladimir in 1974. Both attended Gorky Urals State University in Yekaterinburg, Siberia, where they later became faculty members (Oleg in literary theory and philosophy, and Vladimir in sociology and political science). There they founded The Gorky Urals State University Youth Theatre, where they continue to produce new and experimental theatre.

Writing together under the joint name ‘The Presnyakov Brothers’, Oleg and Vladimir have had their plays translated and performed worldwide to much acclaim. In Russia they receive praise for their attention to naturalistic dialogue, and cool sardonic wit, examining life in post-Soviet Russia. These same social observations have struck a cord in other modern cultures.

Terrorism is the duo’s best-known and most widely performed play. It premiered at the Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre in 2002, winning that theatre’s annual competition for best new play, an award funded by the Russian Ministry of Culture. Through the Royal Court and British Council’s New Writing Project in Russia, the Presnyakov Brothers and translator Sasha Dugdale brought the play to the Royal Court’s Jerwood Theatre Upstairs in London in 2003, where it became a critical and popular success.

Terrorism has been performed across the globe, in Germany, Sweden, Serbia, Italy, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Slovenia, Romania Estonia and Brazil. It had its American premiere off-Broadway in May 2005 in a co-production between The New Group and The Play Company in New York.   Their first novel, To Kill The Referee, was published in Russian in 2005.

The Presnyakov Brothers have written over ten other theatrical works. In 2003 Playing the Victim saw its English language premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, in a joint production by the Royal Court Theatre and innovative British company Told By An Idiot. We Shall Overcome, a short political play was commissioned by the Royal Court as part of their International Playwrights Season in 2002. Their works Floor Covering and Captive Spirits have been performed at Russia’s Playwright and Directors’ Center in Moscow and their play Resurrection. Super was produced at Moscow’s Tabakov Theatre in 2005.