MOSCOW — Vladimir Urin, the General Director of Russia's iconic Bolshoi Theater, has admitted to censoring the theater’s repertoire for political reasons.

In a rare revelation, Urin disclosed that creators of performances who publicly criticized the invasion of Ukraine had their names removed from the Bolshoi Theater's promotional materials. The admission marks a significant departure from the usual practice of Russian theaters, where such censorship is typically concealed.

In an interview with the Russian state-published newspaper Rossiskaya Gazeta, Urin stated, "When certain creators of performances spoke unequivocally against the special military operation, their names were omitted from the posters."

He further revealed that the Bolshoi Theater faced heightened scrutiny and occasional cancellations of performances in response to public outrage, including a surge in critical letters and statements. The expiration of licenses for certain productions was also cited as a reason for cancellations following the onset of the conflict.

Urin also acknowledged that Western theater stars have become increasingly hesitant to collaborate with the Bolshoi Theater. “Before the socio-political situation changed, we were used to the fact that almost half the world came to the Bolshoi Theater,” he said. “We had many guest soloists and important joint productions, which is largely the essence of musical art. But today, there are only isolated cases when our Western colleagues agree to work with the theater," he said. And even those few ask “not to make their names public until the very last moment,” Urin added.

In a file photo, Vladimir Urin speaks at the Bolshoi Theatre

Sergei Karpukhin/TASS/ZUMA