MOSCOW, 25th November, 2025 (WAM) -- Moscow hosted the closing of the VIII International Festival of Theatre Schools of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) "GITIS – Master Class", TV BRICS reported.
The festival brought together young performers and students of creative universities from Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. TTV BRICS served as the festival’s international media partner.
Throughout the week, the stage of the Training Theatre of the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS) featured graduation performances from nine theatre schools across the CIS.
The programme included productions of national works – the Kazakh epic poem "Kozy Korpesh – Bayan sulu" and the Tajik philosophical parable "The Youth of Mushfiqi", as well as performances based on the plays "Uncle Vanya" by A. P. Chekhov by Kazakh students, "Blood Wedding" by F. G. Lorca performed by a Kyrgyz troupe, and "The Story of Zoya and Shura" presented by Belarusian artists.
Invited teachers held intensive master classes in theatre disciplines for the participants. According to Irina Zhukova, Rector’s Assistant on special international projects, interest in the festival grows every year.
“The top theatre schools have shown interest in our festival. Now they happily come every year and even submit applications a year in advance to take part. […] We see different performances, different cultures, the students communicate with one another, and friendships emerge,” Irina Zhukova, Rector’s Assistant on special international projects, said.
The “GITIS – Master Class” festival has been held since 2018. Its aim is to strengthen cultural cooperation and build links between CIS countries in theatre education. The event is supported by the Russian Ministry of Culture and the CIS Interstate Humanitarian Cooperation Fund.