Revolution at the Capitol Theater

by Jonah Barrett for OLY ARTS

A riot is coming to town! Russian activist band Pussy Riot’s own Marina Alyokhina and Pussy Riot Theater will present the world premiere of their new, live, musical-theatrical performance, Revolution, at the Capitol Theater. Alyokhina, recounting her experiences with Pussy Riot, based Revolution on her book of the same name. The event includes stories of the Pussy Riot movement, from protest-punk actions in the group’s iconic balaclavas to the famous trial of 2012, in which Alyokhina and two other bandmates, Yekaterina Samutsevich and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, were imprisoned for performing at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow in protest of the Russian Orthodox Church’s support of Vladimir Putin. The story attracted international support, as from Amnesty International. The band members were finally released in December 2013 after 21 months in prison.

Revolution is a multimedia show that includes guest performances from such Russian artists as Asian Women on the Telephone, VJ Vasily Bogatov, Kiryl Kanstantsinau and Alyokhina herself. Revolution is directed by Yury Muravitsky, with Alexander Cheparukhin producing. Taisia Krugovykh and Katya Scheglova provide video footage and art respectively. The presentation is set to run an hour, centering on protest art and political activism under a hostile government. Pussy Riot was partly inspired by bands of Olympia’s own Riot Grrl movement, including Bikini Kill. The Riot Grrl movement was a feminist wave of punk-women artists addressing sexism in the 1990s, igniting a “girl riot” against our patriarchal society. This movement included an assortment of do-it-yourself media, in classic Olympian fashion, with music and zines at the forefront. (The Washington State History Museum has an exhibit in Tacoma for those who want to learn more.) The legacy of the Riot Grrls lives on in Pussy Riot. With more artists creating work of resistance to the country’s political climate, Pussy Riot could not have rolled into the birthplace of the girl riot at a better date.

What: Revolution

Where: Capitol Theater,
206 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia

When: 9 p.m. Thursday, March 9

How much: $20-$25

Learn more: 360-754-6670 | OFS

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