Premiere of the performance “Extra Life”
Running time is 1 hour 30 minutes
Ballhaus Prinzenallee, Berlin
Premiere of the performance “Extra Life” based on the play by playwright Mikhail Durnenkov, directed by Kostya Novitskiy
April 17 & 18, 2026 at 20:00 at Ballhaus Prinzenallee (Prinzenallee 33, Berlin, Germany)
Family viewing, 12+
Performed in Russian with English subtitles
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE
There are places at the edge of the world where the fabric of reality feels thin — where the simplest actions and words acquire a magical meaning, connecting times and generations. Like this island.
Here, the story of a family — children and their parents — separated by grief unfolds. It is a story about how a family reunites through the unbreakable chain of lineage.
Director Kostya Novitskiy:
“Extra Life is my personal statement about acceptance and responsibility as the highest form of human expression.
We live in a world of global tragedy, cataclysms, and constant informational pressure. At such a moment, it feels essential to return to the human being and to what I believe are the most important qualities of human nature.
The performance brings together various theatrical forms, styles, and genres. What is it like? Perhaps magical realism, or a realistic fairy tale.
But above all, it is about acceptance and farewell — about the ability to let go. It is a story told by young people about inevitability and how one can come to terms with it.”
The project is being created in Berlin by an international team of émigré artists. The performance is planned to tour across various European countries as an attempt to speak about a universal human experience that transcends national borders.
CREATIVE TEAM
Mikhail Durnenkov — Playwright
Playwright and screenwriter, one of the key representatives of the “New Drama” movement since the early 2000s. His plays have been translated into fifteen languages and staged in more than twenty countries worldwide. From 2012 to 2019, he served as Artistic Director of the Lyubimovka Festival.
In 2022, facing persecution due to his anti-war stance, he relocated to Helsinki, where he collaborates with the Finnish National Theatre and works with Russian-speaking, Ukrainian, and bilingual teenagers. His plays are staged at leading European theatres, including Schauspielhaus Zürich, Thalia Theater Hamburg, and Eesti Draamateater, as well as in Israel, Kazakhstan, and the United States.
Kostya Novitskiy — Director
Theatre director. Studied at the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts (RGISI) in St. Petersburg under G. M. Kozlov and at École Jacques Lecoq in Paris. He stages performances across Europe, including Théâtre de l’Épée de Bois in Paris and Urban Theater in Berlin.
His production “Who’s There?” was included in the Off program of the Avignon Festival in 2025 and received multiple awards. He also participated in Lev Dodin’s Laboratory at Théâtre National Populaire in Lyon (2024). He left Russia in 2022.
Anastasia Velikorodnaya — Actress
Actress, theatre director, and acting teacher. Since 2022 she has been living and working in London, where she holds the position of Senior Acting Tutor at RADA. Graduate of the Moscow Art Theatre School (Brusnikin course).
For eight years she was a leading actress at the Brusnikin Workshop Theatre, performing in more than 28 productions, including works at the Moscow Art Theatre (Chekhov), Praktika Theatre, and Meyerhold Center. Winner of the “Golden Leaf” Award for Best Actress (2015). Participated in award-winning productions including “Demons,” “Motherland” (Golden Mask Award, 2019), and “The Man from Podolsk Sergey Sergeevich Is Very Stupid” (Teatral Award, 2019).
She has participated in international theatre festivals and collaborated with companies such as Ontroerend Goed (Belgium) and Vaba Lava (Estonia). She left Russia in 2022.
Igor Titov — Actor
Actor, director, and musician (Banvivan project). Graduate of the Moscow Art Theatre School (Brusnikin course). Worked at the independent Brusnikin Workshop Theatre and collaborated with Praktika Theatre, Meyerhold Center, and others.Performed in productions such as “Norma” (directed by Maxim Didenko, based on Vladimir Sorokin’s novel), “Swan” (a dystopian poem by Yuri Kvyatkovsky), and “Demons” (directed by Dmitry Brusnikin after Dostoevsky).
Directed the musical biopic “The Right to Rest” about Alexander Galich’s expulsion from the Writers’ Union.
He left Russia in 2022 and lives and works in Berlin. In 2023, he staged in Berlin the performance “Leaving? Then Leave!”, based on the life and work of Soviet bard Alexander Galich. He also appears in Maxim Didenko’s production “Kremulator,” premiered in Berlin in 2024.
Anna Grebennikova — Set Designer
Scenographer and production designer, based in Vienna.
Graduate of GITIS (Kamenkovich–Krymov workshop), currently studying at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna (since 2023). From 2017 to 2021 she worked in Dmitry Krymov’s Laboratory. Together with Krymov she created the performances “Two” and “Boris.” She has participated in projects presented at the Ural Biennial of Contemporary Art, MMOMA, Ground Solyanka, and Winzavod.
She has worked on productions and performances at the School of Dramatic Art, Museum of Moscow, Center for Drama and Directing, Yermolova Theatre, Altai Youth Theatre, Moscow Art Theatre, the Mongolian Drama Theatre in Ulaanbaatar, and international projects in Vienna and Berlin. Participant of Wiener Festwochen (2024).
Cast
Igor Titov
Anastasia Velikorodnaya
Video appearance — Alexander Feklistov
Production Team
Director — Kostya Novitskiy
Playwright — Mikhail Durnenkov
Set Designer — Anna Grebennikova
Technical Designer — Anton Troshin
Technical Director, Lighting Designer, Sound Engineer — Tina Kovalski
Cinematographer — Frol Podlesny
Designer — Kit Hell
General Producer — Svetlana Dolya
Executive Producer — Sofia Gromova
Partners
V.e KIBBUZ — Center for Culture, Education and Art
Ballhaus Prinzenallee • Prinzenallee 33, 13359 Berlin, Berlin, Germany
