The Holocaust in Lithuania: How It Happened and How It Is Remembered, a public talk by Ruta Vanagaite (Lithuania), November 29, 2018

Shaping Unreality: Specifics of Russian Political Warfare in Eastern and Central Europe, a public talk by Dr. Kiril Avramov (UT Austin), November 9, 2018

Second-Hand Nostalgia: On Soviet Things and Post-Soviet People, a lecture by Serguei Oushakine (Princeton), April 4, 2018

Unpredictable Past: Anniversary of the Russian Revolution in 2017, a lecture by Dr. Boris Kolonitsky (European University at St.Petersburg, Russia), October 10, 2017

Fight of the Red Knights: Russian Propaganda Art, 1917-1930 (exhibit and symposium) March 30-July 31, 2017

Seven of the best student researchers from Dr. David Rainbow’s seminar on the history of the Russian Revolution presented their findings in a roundtable discussion format at the University of Houston Fight of the Red Knights Symposium. Research projects were based on a variety of primary and secondary sources, including Russian propaganda posters. Art historian Dr. Katya Kudryavtseva of Stetson University served as commentator and discussant. Additionally, M.D. Anderson Library housed (and still houses) a public exhibit of Soviet and anti-Soviet propaganda posters from the revolution and early years of the Soviet Union. The exhibit consists of thirty posters (reproductions) selected from the Poster Collection at the Hoover Institution Archive at Stanford University. The exhibit reflects the staggering–and frequently violent–transformations that took place in Soviet society, politics, and art during this period.

Animal Farm, Talk Back (musical play)

Event Description: George Orwell’s classic satirical novel from 1945, Animal Farm, is a critique of Russia’s 1917 Revolution and its evolution into Stalin’s USSR. The UH School of Theatre and Dance masterfully brought this story to life in the musical adaptation of Animal Farm by Sir Peter Hall, founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company. After select performances, audience members had a “talk back” with Dr. David Rainbow, Assistant Professor at the UH Honors College, in which the play’s historical connections with the 1917 Revolution were discussed in greater detail.

For a look at more of the wonderful work put on by the Moore’s School of Theatre and Dance, click here.

Enemies, Talk Back (play and discussion)

Main Street Theater in Houston launched its 2017-2018 season with “Enemies,” a play by the famous Russian/Soviet author, Maxim Gorky. Gorky’s extraordinary play, which was written in exile and banned in his home country, presents a panoramic view of a restless society. It’s 1905, and Russia is at a critical moment in its history. The bourgeoisie is no longer confident in its own values. The working class is slowly realizing the terrifying sacrifices they will have to make. Gorky approaches this unique, imaginative play, with great humanity and a broad dramatic scope, offering a glimpse into what the world might have been like between aristocratic rule and the revolution in Russia. After one of the performances, Dr. Rainbow delved into the historical background of Gorky’s Russia and early twentieth-century Russia.

For a look at the fantastic productions put on by Main Street Theater, click here.