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

      The conference hall of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry was crowded on Friday, October 10. Dzerzhinsk entrepreneurs and self-employed people gathered there for the "ProROST" business forum, organized by the "My Business" Center, to find new partners, be inspired by success stories, and also receive concrete tools to grow their businesses!

      Offline advertising is gaining momentum

      Before entering the conference hall, forum participants browsed a B2B exhibition showcasing ideas and offers that beginning entrepreneurs might not have considered or simply did not know how to implement—projects that can genuinely help promote a company or business in the city market of goods and services.

      No one doubts the importance of advertising when building a successful business. But how do you organize an advertising campaign effectively, and where do you start? At the interactive "Identity Lab" booth, specialists from the House of Advertising explained how a brand is born and offered practical recommendations for creating a corporate identity.

      Mobile filming expert Ksenia Evdokova led a workshop for novice entrepreneurs on how to create professional content without expensive equipment or costly photo shoots, using a regular smartphone. Viktor Andronov from the innovative studio "Selfie 360" talked about a unique video production technology for business in which the camera rotates around the subject, instantly creating modern, engaging content.

      There are various ways to promote a brand, as the participants of the B2B exhibition clearly demonstrated. These included creating an exclusive atmosphere for a business with the help of professional artists (artist Natalia Kosyreva’s booth) and potential collaborations with a handmade cosmetics maker (Tatiana Fedorova’s booth). Attention was also paid to the health of entrepreneurs themselves and their employees.

      At the Rancho sport & spa club location, visitors could not only consult a fitness expert about maintaining energy and optimizing the body's resources, but also undergo a quick diagnostic check on professional "smart scales" to learn their actual indicators (percentage of fat/muscle mass, biological age).

      "We have long cooperated with the 'My Business' Center on grant programs, but this is the first time we are taking part in this kind of event," explained fitness-club director Alyona Davydenko. "We were particularly interested in the exhibition part because it is an opportunity to present ourselves, tell people about our club who do not yet know us, and also to see the promotion offers and possibilities available in Dzerzhinsk. Honestly, reality even exceeded expectations: it turns out there are so many active entrepreneurs in our city who are interested in participating in offline exhibitions! Many people come up, ask questions, fill out questionnaires, and undergo body check-ups."

      The visitors' interest gives hope for attracting new clients. Representatives of the fitness industry also began to consider possible corporate collaborations with the House of Advertising and photographers. Many entrepreneurs understand that in current conditions—when there are problems with targeted advertising and the internet—offline advertising is becoming increasingly important. So now, as they say, it's necessary to reach out to people by participating in forums, exhibitions, and city events.

      By the way, at the "ProROST" business forum the fitness club did not limit itself to exhibiting—it provided its prizes (vouchers) for a lottery held among forum participants.

      Speakers — by request

      Describing her booth, Alyona Davydenko added that, like many of her colleagues at the B2B exhibition, she planned to stay for the speakers' sessions. The forum offered relevant and interesting topics for entrepreneurs. When preparing the business forum, the staff of the Entrepreneurship Development Center surveyed prospective participants and invited speakers, so to speak, on request.

      As a result, business trainer and practitioner with extensive entrepreneurial experience Vladimir Khmelev shared secrets for increasing sales in any sector (B2C, B2B, B2G, FMCG) without any advertising. Leading marketer of the IT company Riverstart, Sergey Zotov, devoted his talk to "Business Promotion and Developing a Product's USP," gave practical advice on what to pay attention to when working on social media, and answered questions. Colleagues say about him: "He will turn everything inside out and explain it in simple words." Natalia Shchukina, director of the department for work with partner organizations of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, introduced forum participants to current government support measures.

      "As part of the national project, field events are regularly held in the Nizhny Novgorod Region," says Natalia Nikolaevna. "The formats vary—forums, seminars, simple consultations, even meetings with businesses through the 'Single Window.' In this regard Dzerzhinsk is very active, especially the Entrepreneurship Development Center. For example, at the beginning of the year we held a 'Supplier Day' in the industrial sector; it usually takes place in Nizhny Novgorod, but people in Dzerzhinsk insisted: 'We want it here!' In general, we work closely with the 'My Business' Center in Dzerzhinsk, and even if some information is not conveyed at a meeting, we always leave our contacts—entrepreneurs and the self-employed can reach out to us directly..."

      Regarding whether entrepreneurs need such forums, Natalia Shchukina has no doubt about their usefulness. Representing government bodies—the regional government and the "My Business" Center—she knows all the internal workings and various nuances. For example, when compiling a package of documents to apply for a grant or subsidy—information that will never be posted on a website. This also concerns measures to support entrepreneurs: yes, there are certain regulations, but there are also nuances they may not know, and offline meetings allow them to obtain the necessary information.

      From tastings to collaborations

      The "ProROST" business forum featured various forms of interaction. For example, anyone could leave a phone number on a bulletin board so potential business partners could find them. Or they could try their hand at "Bag Networking"—exchanging items with other forum participants to make new acquaintances and contacts. A tasting of edible products presented by local producers also helped stimulate discussion of possible collaborative projects.

      Handmade gingerbread by Elena Daburova, pastila and marshmallows by Maria Gracheva, cheese by Anna Timofeeva, square pizza by Arseny Buran, soups by Denis Chelnokov, tartlets with red fish and pâtés by Oksana Gruzdeva, and many other items were appreciated by forum participants. The Usadba Shukhova restaurant treated guests to pies, chicken cutlets, and two types of pelmeni.

      "Why did we bring these items? Because we are entering the market not only as a restaurant but also as producers of semi-finished products made from natural ingredients that can be taken away," said head chef Alexander Kadach. "This exhibition is an opportunity to show that a good restaurant can make products that are a bit more accessible for Dzerzhinsk residents who, for one reason or another, do not want to dine out. I believe the business forum is a good event that should be held more often to show that our city has many engaged entrepreneurs and that Dzerzhinsk truly deserves attention—people here lead active lives. We are always open to partnerships and welcome any proposals. I am sure that interaction allows everyone to develop."

      Nina SHUMILOVA. Photo by the author.