By  Theodore  Antoniou

Tonight  at  The  Art  School,  the   Russian  collective  will  perform  RIOT  DAYS (“Revolution”),  a  touring  play   that  includes  punk  and  electronic  music, theater  and  documentary footage.

The  protest  music  group  has  one  of  the  most  important  voices  in  regards  to  protecting  LGBT rights,  promoting  feminism  worldwide  and  opposing  the  Russian  President,  Vladimir  Putin.

The  group  became  famous worldwide in  2012,  after  three  of  its  members,  Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich  were  all  sent  to  prison with charges of “hooliganism motivated  by  religious  hatred” after  their  viral  performance  inside  Moscow’s  Cathedral  of Christ  the  Saviour.  The  performance  was  used  to  oppose  themselves  towards  the  Orthodox  Church’s  Leaders,  who  were  supporting  Vladimir  Putin  during  the  election  campaign.

RIOT  DAYS (“Revolution”)  is  based  on  “Riot  Days”,  a  memoire  written  by  Maria  Alyokhina,  member  of  the  Russian  group.  The  memoire  is  about  the  obstacles  the  members  of  the  group  have  faced  while  protecting   rights  such  as  freedom  and  democracy.  As  the  writer  herself  says:

“People  who  believe  in  freedom  and  democracy think  it  will  exist  forever.  That  is  a  mistake.  What  happened  in  Russia –  what  happened to  me –  could  happen  anywhere.  When  I  was  jailed  for  political  protest,  I  learned  that prison  doesn’t  just  teach  you  to  follow  the  rules.  It  teaches  you  to  think  that  you  can never  break  them”.