The premiere of the play "Nervous People" took place at the Nizhny Novgorod Puppet Theatre.
The premiere of the play based on the humorous stories of Mikhail Zoshchenko, "Nervous People" (18+), took place at the Nizhny Novgorod State Academic Puppet Theater. This was reported by the Ministry of Culture of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.
The production director is the chief director of the Volgograd Regional Puppet Theater, Ekaterina Urzhumova; the production designer is Varvara Probodyak; the lighting designer is Elena Drevalyova from the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Russia; the composer is Valeria Finkelshtein.
The adaptation includes the stories "The Tsar’s Boots," "The Aristocrat," "A Victim of the Revolution," "The Bathhouse," "On the Tram," "The Actor," "Nervous People," "A Dog’s Sense of Smell," "Economy Mode," and "A Strong Woman."
"Puppet theatre is not only for children. It is a living art capable of speaking to every adult about important things in a simple and metaphorical language. In the new production not only Mikhail Zoshchenko’s characters come to life, but also the very atmosphere of a bygone era, filled with subtle humor, absurdity and surprising warmth. We want the audience to see themselves in these stories, their own anxieties and funny moments, to feel how important it is to preserve respect for personal space, and to understand that kindness and attention to one another can overcome any alienation. Our play is an invitation to dialogue, where humor becomes a bridge to understanding," said Alla Zabegalova, director of the Nizhny Novgorod Puppet Theater.
The theater company strove to masterfully recreate an atmosphere that transports the audience to Zoshchenko’s era. On stage — a "worn" man with a balalaika, a hysterical lady prone to heart palpitations, a citizen perpetually dissatisfied with everything. They all converge in a battle for silence and personal space. Through absurd everyday scrapes, driven to the grotesque by puppets, the directors expose eternal human vices — stinginess, vanity, stupidity, stubbornness, and an incredible ability to make a mountain out of a molehill. This is not merely a collection of jokes, but a mirror in which the viewer recognizes themselves with a smile, and sometimes with a slight shudder. Zoshchenko’s satire, translated into the language of puppet theatre, sounds even sharper and brighter.
"The stories included in the play complement each other, creating a single picture of the absurd and grotesque world of the Soviet communal apartment of the 1920s–1930s. The main thematic focus is on conflicts between people living in the cramped space of a communal flat. These domestic quarrels and clashes of personal interests continue to occur in modern society. The problems of human relationships that Zoshchenko touched upon have not disappeared to this day. Therefore his works, like those of Shakespeare, Brodsky or Akhmatova, will always be relevant. I should note that the play features a character who is rather a generalized 'image of the writer' than a direct embodiment of Zoshchenko. This image is intended to show the process of creating the stories: how the writer draws inspiration from life, observing and recording the stories of his neighbors in the communal apartment. Thus the audience sees where the plots come from and how they are transformed into a work of art. Our play aims to give viewers not only a laugh at the stories but also an understanding of the writer’s fate, his personal drama and his contribution to Russian literature," explained the production director of the play, Ekaterina Urzhumova.
"Nervous People" is a story about contemporary realities, about how we cope with internal conflicts and the challenges that life presents to us. The play is filled with deep emotions, witty dialogues and unexpected plot twists.
The next performances of "Nervous People" will take place on October 27 and 28. Detailed information is available on the theater’s website: https://www.ngatk.ru.
Photo: Nizhny Novgorod Puppet Theater
More news about the event:
"Nervous People" in the puppet theatre
At the Nizhny Novgorod Puppet Theater everyone is a little on edge this time. How could it be otherwise with the premiere of the play "Nervous People"? 20:06 20.10.2025 GTRK Nizhny Novgorod - Nizhny Novgorod
The premiere of the play "Nervous People" was held at the Nizhny Novgorod Puppet Theater
The play was created based on the humorous stories of Mikhail Zoshchenko. 18:33 20.10.2025 Vremya N - Nizhny Novgorod
The premiere of the play "Nervous People" was held at the Nizhny Novgorod Puppet Theater
The premiere of the play "Nervous People" (18+), created on the basis of the humorous stories of Mikhail Zoshchenko, took place at the Nizhny Novgorod State Academic Puppet Theater. 17:00 20.10.2025 NTA-Privolzhye - Nizhny Novgorod
The premiere of the play "Nervous People" was held at the Nizhny Novgorod Puppet Theater
The premiere of the play based on the humorous stories of Mikhail Zoshchenko, "Nervous People" (18+), took place at the Nizhny Novgorod State Academic Puppet Theater. 16:57 20.10.2025 Nizhegorodskaya Pravda - Nizhny Novgorod
The premiere of the play "Nervous People" was held at the Nizhny Novgorod Puppet Theater
The premiere of the play based on the humorous stories of Mikhail Zoshchenko, "Nervous People" (18+), took place at the Nizhny Novgorod State Academic Puppet Theater. 16:28 20.10.2025 Government of the Nizhny Novgorod Region - Nizhny Novgorod
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The premiere of the play based on the humorous stories of Mikhail Zoshchenko, "Nervous People" (18+), took place at the Nizhny Novgorod State Academic Puppet Theater. This was reported by the Ministry of Culture of the Nizhny Novgorod Region.
The production director is the chief director of the Volgograd Regional Puppet Theater, Ekaterina Urzhumova; the production designer is Varvara Probodyak; the lighting designer is Elena Drevalyova from the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Russia; the composer is Valeria Finkelshtein.
The adaptation includes the stories "The Tsar’s Boots," "The Aristocrat," "A Victim of the Revolution," "The Bathhouse," "On the Tram," "The Actor," "Nervous People," "A Dog’s Sense of Smell," "Economy Mode," and "A Strong Woman."
"Puppet theatre is not only for children. It is a living art capable of speaking to every adult about important things in a simple and metaphorical language. In the new production not only Mikhail Zoshchenko’s characters come to life, but also the very atmosphere of a bygone era, filled with subtle humor, absurdity and surprising warmth. We want the audience to see themselves in these stories, their own anxieties and funny moments, to feel how important it is to preserve respect for personal space, and to understand that kindness and attention to one another can overcome any alienation. Our play is an invitation to dialogue, where humor becomes a bridge to understanding," said Alla Zabegalova, director of the Nizhny Novgorod Puppet Theater.
The theater company strove to masterfully recreate an atmosphere that transports the audience to Zoshchenko’s era. On stage — a "worn" man with a balalaika, a hysterical lady prone to heart palpitations, a citizen perpetually dissatisfied with everything. They all converge in a battle for silence and personal space. Through absurd everyday scrapes, driven to the grotesque by puppets, the directors expose eternal human vices — stinginess, vanity, stupidity, stubbornness, and an incredible ability to make a mountain out of a molehill. This is not merely a collection of jokes, but a mirror in which the viewer recognizes themselves with a smile, and sometimes with a slight shudder. Zoshchenko’s satire, translated into the language of puppet theatre, sounds even sharper and brighter.
"The stories included in the play complement each other, creating a single picture of the absurd and grotesque world of the Soviet communal apartment of the 1920s–1930s. The main thematic focus is on conflicts between people living in the cramped space of a communal flat. These domestic quarrels and clashes of personal interests continue to occur in modern society. The problems of human relationships that Zoshchenko touched upon have not disappeared to this day. Therefore his works, like those of Shakespeare, Brodsky or Akhmatova, will always be relevant. I should note that the play features a character who is rather a generalized 'image of the writer' than a direct embodiment of Zoshchenko. This image is intended to show the process of creating the stories: how the writer draws inspiration from life, observing and recording the stories of his neighbors in the communal apartment. Thus the audience sees where the plots come from and how they are transformed into a work of art. Our play aims to give viewers not only a laugh at the stories but also an understanding of the writer’s fate, his personal drama and his contribution to Russian literature," explained the production director of the play, Ekaterina Urzhumova.
"Nervous People" is a story about contemporary realities, about how we cope with internal conflicts and the challenges that life presents to us. The play is filled with deep emotions, witty dialogues and unexpected plot twists.
The next performances of "Nervous People" will take place on October 27 and 28. Detailed information is available on the theater’s website: https://www.ngatk.ru.
Photo: Nizhny Novgorod Puppet Theater
More news about the event:
"Nervous People" in the puppet theatre
At the Nizhny Novgorod Puppet Theater everyone is a little on edge this time. How could it be otherwise with the premiere of the play "Nervous People"? 20:06 20.10.2025 GTRK Nizhny Novgorod - Nizhny Novgorod
The premiere of the play "Nervous People" was held at the Nizhny Novgorod Puppet Theater
The play was created based on the humorous stories of Mikhail Zoshchenko. 18:33 20.10.2025 Vremya N - Nizhny Novgorod
The premiere of the play "Nervous People" was held at the Nizhny Novgorod Puppet Theater
The premiere of the play "Nervous People" (18+), created on the basis of the humorous stories of Mikhail Zoshchenko, took place at the Nizhny Novgorod State Academic Puppet Theater. 17:00 20.10.2025 NTA-Privolzhye - Nizhny Novgorod
The premiere of the play "Nervous People" was held at the Nizhny Novgorod Puppet Theater
The premiere of the play based on the humorous stories of Mikhail Zoshchenko, "Nervous People" (18+), took place at the Nizhny Novgorod State Academic Puppet Theater. 16:57 20.10.2025 Nizhegorodskaya Pravda - Nizhny Novgorod
The premiere of the play "Nervous People" was held at the Nizhny Novgorod Puppet Theater
The premiere of the play based on the humorous stories of Mikhail Zoshchenko, "Nervous People" (18+), took place at the Nizhny Novgorod State Academic Puppet Theater. 16:28 20.10.2025 Government of the Nizhny Novgorod Region - Nizhny Novgorod
News from neighboring regions on the topic:
A premiere of an unusual play was held in Levoberezhny
A new unusual "Playback Theatre" has appeared in our district. The premiere of its first performance "Summer Inside" took place at Children’s Library No. 22 named after. 19:05 20.10.2025 Levoberezhny District - Moscow
Performances without rehearsal await participants of the interactive play in the Northern Administrative Okrug
Audience members will be able to go on stage and share real-life stories in the new "Playback Theatre" in the north of the capital. 18:12 20.10.2025 Zapadnoye Degunino - Moscow
The premiere of a play based on events from the history of Ancient Rus took place at the Volgograd Puppet Theater
Last weekend the troupe of the Volgograd Regional Puppet Theater presented a new work by the chief director of the St. Petersburg Bolshoi Puppet Theater, Golden Mask laureate Ruslan Kudashov, to the Volgograd public. 17:22 20.10.2025 Portal of Culture - Volgograd
Father’s Day was celebrated at the Regional Puppet Theater
Before Barbos and Bobik staged their famous rampage, Nastasya Ponomaryova (head of the literary-dramaturgical department of the Krasnodar Regional Puppet Theater and a member of the youth council at the Ministry of Culture...) 17:15 20.10.2025 Ministry of Culture - Krasnodar
The premiere of a play based on events from the history of Ancient Rus took place at the Volgograd Puppet Theater
Last weekend the troupe of the Volgograd Regional Puppet Theater presented a new work by the chief director of the St. Petersburg Bolshoi Puppet Theater, Golden Mask laureate Ruslan Kudashov, to the Volgograd public. 16:05 20.10.2025 Regional Committee of Culture - Volgograd
The III Festival of Puppet Theaters "Fairy World" is starting in the Tyumen Region
The III Festival of Puppet Theaters of the Ural Federal District "Fairy World" will take place in the Tyumen Region from October 21 to 24. 17:31 20.10.2025 IA Tyumenskaya Liniya - Tyumen
The Puppet Theater in Novosibirsk staged a performance aimed at teenagers
Photo: Ministry of Culture of the Novosibirsk Region
The premiere of the play "Prometheus" took place at the Novosibirsk Regional Puppet Theater. 15:18 20.10.2025 4S-Info.Ru - Novosibirsk
The Naberezhnye Chelny Puppet Theater performed at the Puppet Theater Festival in Vladimir
Last weekend the artists of the Naberezhnye Chelny State Puppet Theater performed on the stage of the Vladimir Regional Puppet Theater as part of the VI Interregional Puppet Theater Festival "Golden Ring". 11:48 20.10.2025 Ministry of Culture - Kazan
The Tver Puppet Theater will show its performances in Yoshkar-Ola
From October 23 to 26 there will be major exchange tours between the Tver State Puppet Theater and the Republican Puppet Theater of Mari El with performances for children and adult audiences. 11:17 20.10.2025 Ministry of Culture - Yoshkar-Ola
The premiere of the play "The Heart of a Man" was presented at the "Ulgэр" Puppet Theater
At the "Ulgэр" Puppet Theater the premiere of the play "The Heart of a Man" was presented
photo: press service of the theater
On October 16 the premiere of the 59th theatrical season took place at the KTC "Phoenix". 16:48 20.10.2025 IA Baikal Media Consulting - Ulan-Ude
The premiere performance of "Prometheus" took place at the Puppet Theater
On October 17 the premiere of the play "Prometheus" took place at the Novosibirsk Regional Puppet Theater. 11:35 20.10.2025 Ministry of Culture - Novosibirsk
In the conference hall of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Friday, October 10, it was crowded. 20.10.2025. Dzerzhinsk Gazette. Nizhny Novgorod Region. Dzerzhinsk.
The premiere of the play "Nervous People" took place at the Nizhny Novgorod Puppet Theatre.
The premiere of a play based on the humorous stories of Mikhail Zoshchenko, "Nervous People" (18+), took place at the Nizhny Novgorod State Academic Puppet Theatre. October 20, 2025. Government of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. Nizhny Novgorod Oblast. Nizhny Novgorod.