The Gogol Center, formerly Gogol Theatre, is a multi-use arts complex in Moscow that was home to Russia's leading avant-garde theater.[1] In June 2022 it was closed down by the Russian Government, along with an announcement that it would be renamed Nikolai Gogol Drama Theatre.[2]
Starting life as a theatre company called Drama and Comedy Theatre in 1925, the theatre has undergone a succession of renamings, including Moscow Theatre of Transport and Central Theatre of Transport, as the company originally served railway workers. It was first named after writer Nikolai Gogol on the 150th anniversary of his birth, in 1935.
The building is located at 8A Kazakova Street, Moscow.
Early history
The Drama and Comedy Theatre, a theatre company, was founded in 1925 with the intention of serving railway workers, and managed by K. Golovanov.[3]
In 1930, it was passed to government control, under an administrative unit for Literature and Art Affairs (Glaviskusstvo) at the RSFSR Ministry of Education (Narkompros). In 1931, it came under Central Committee of the Rail Union, and renamed the Moscow Theatre of Transport at the Central Committee of Railroad. In 1934, the art direction of the theatre came under the auspices of the Moscow Art Theatre No. 2.[3]
In April 1935, the theatre was named after Nikolai Gogol, on the 150th anniversary of the writer's birth.[3]
In 1939, the it was once again renamed, to Central Theatre of Transport, under the directorship of I. Petrov, a People's Artist of the RSFSR.[3]
From 1941 to 1943, the theatre company toured to the Transbaikal region and Mongolia, and in 1943, moved into the building at 8A Kazakova Street.[3]
The center featured movies, music concerts, a discussion club, and performances by Russian and foreign directors on several stages. It was noted for its stagings of contemporary Russian dramas[6] and a lobby featuring neon-lit mirrors shaped like famous directors.[7][8] Openly gay playwright Valeriy Pecheykin was a dramaturge at the theatre.[9][10] It has featured in news related to Russian state censorship of the arts.[11]
The center has hosted dance companies, including SounDrama and Studio Seven, as part of an experimental artist in residence program specifically committed to art that "does not limit itself with any genre boundaries and constantly strives to reflect Modern Art in the most relevant way."[12]
In May 2017, the Investigative Committee of Russia ordered police to raid the center. The center's Director, Kirill Serebrennikov, was detained for questioning. On 23 May, police attributed the cause of the raid and detention of its director to an investigation of embezzlement of budget funds.[13] In 2021, Serebrennikov was fired as director of the centre,[14] part of a government crackdown following the 2021 Russian protests in support of Alexei Navalny.[15]Michael Idov characterizes the embezzlement accusation as a false charge used to justify closure of a hub for free expression.[16]
2022 closure
In June 2022, the Moscow Department of Culture announced that it would be ending the contracts of the centre's director Alexei Kabeshev and artistic director Alexey Agranovich, further announcing that the centre would be renamed as the Nikolai Gogol Drama Theatre.[2]
On 30 June 2022, the centre held its last performance as the Gogol Center, titled I Don't Take Part In War after a verse from a poem by Yuri Levitansky. At the end of the performance, Agranovich told the audience that "The Gogol Centre is closed. Forever."[17][18] Serebrennikov accused the Russian government of targeting the centre for its "attempt at freedom" and its opposition to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[19]
↑ Chotiner, Isaac (18 September 2025). "The Grave Threat Posed by Donald Trump's Attack on Jimmy Kimmel". The New Yorker. ISSN0028-792X. Retrieved 23 September 2025. [Idov:] This is the era around 2012 or so—an era that saw the creation, for example, of the Gogol Center, Kirill Serebrennikov's famous experimental theatre that became a hub for free expression, including very au-courant European plays and L.G.B.T. content, and so on. But all of that was financially tied to the Moscow Department of Culture, and to the regional government's budget. And that was the thread they ultimately pulled to undo this entire enterprise—by accusing Serebrennikov of embezzling the state budget, which he absolutely did not do. [The Gogol Center was permanently closed in June of 2022.] So, the first step was basically just to gain control that can be exercised when needed, but not necessarily immediately.
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