Three actresses today played the roles of the Pussy Riot members in a “mock trial” at the Royal Court Theatre in a day of protest and solidarity for the arrested musicians.
Dozens of people attended the free event in which Lydia Wilson, Pippa Bennett-Warner and Lyndsey Marshal read the court testimonies of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alekhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich before the verdict was screened from Moscow.
Dominic Cooke, the theatre’s artistic director, said: “The Pussy Riot trial is of concern to those who believe that the right of artists to question the actions of the state is central to an egalitarian society.”
The event was the brainchild of playwright E V Crowe who was impressed by the women’s bravery. “I felt inspired in a way no other cultural movement in my lifetime has captured my imagination,” she said.
She introduced this morning’s protest with Labour MP Kerry McCarthy, who has attended some of the court hearings.
Sasha Dugdale, who translated the women’s testimonies from the Russian, said: “It has demonstrated to a huge number of Russians and people around the world that it is possible to fight back, to stand up for justice and to be fearless in the face of cruelty and corruption.”
