The village of Stepanchikovo and its inhabitants

Away from the well-known philosophical novels, the author of “Crime and Punishment“ has written a surprisingly funny, tragicomic, at times terrifying, yet at the same time illuminating work. “The Village of Stepanchikovo and Its Inhabitants“ is an early work by Fyodor Dostoevsky, in which the features of future great novels are discernible. Written immediately after his return from penal servitude, the story reveals a profound understanding of human nature, verging on Gogol-esque grotesque in the author's expression.

In a quiet corner of the Russian outback, on the idyllic estate of the kindly Colonel Rostanev, a “local philosopher” named Foma Fomich Opiskin appears. A sponger and failed writer who somehow inexplicably transforms into a spiritual mentor, a ruthless domestic tyrant, and a master of demagoguery, he subjugates the will of all the household's inhabitants. We find the story's heroes at a crucial, fateful moment. The arrival of Rostanev's nephew, Sergei, who naively decides to expose the tyrant, only adds fuel to the raging fire. This story about the nature of human weakness and strength, its greatness and insignificance, faith and unbelief, despair and hope, reaches tragicomedy, grotesquery, and even „high levels of vampuka” in the work.

„Lord! Why is man evil? Why am I so often evil, when it is so good, so wonderful to be kind?”

From a letter from F.M. Dostoevsky to his brother Mikhail:

«This novel, of course, has grave shortcomings […], but what I am certain of, as if it were an axiom, is that it also has great virtues and that it is my best work […] I don't want to say that I have said everything in it; that would be nonsense!» There's still much to say [there's Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, The Possessed, The Brothers Karamazov to come…] – but it contains two enormous, typical characters, […] wholly Russian and poorly depicted in Russian literature to this day."

A special place in the story's theatrical history is occupied by the Moscow Art Theater's production, which premiered on September 26, 1917 – on the very eve of the October Revolution. The role of Colonel Rostanev was K.S. Stanislavsky's final acting role, and after a lengthy rehearsal period, it was never performed. Fortunately for modern theater, transcripts of these rehearsals have survived, conveying Stanislavsky's profound dramatic analysis of the work and his reverent attitude toward the story, his unique approach to the role of Rostanev, whose main theme he defined as “the struggle between light and darkness, where light must triumph.” This production was the last premiere of the pre-revolutionary Moscow Art Theatre, a symbolic farewell of the Silver Age to the former Russia, and a deeply dramatic moment for Stanislavsky himself.

“Stanislavsky wanted to convey from the stage such a powerful Goodness that it would create harmony on earth,” – Inna Natanovna Solovyova.

Opening night will be held on May 31, 2026

Running time: 4 hours 30 minutes with one intermission

Upcoming Performances: