Ilya Kukharenko

Biography

In 1996 graduated from the Theater History and Criticism faculty of RATI (GITIS) in Moscow, then accomplished his postgraduate studies at the State Institute of Art. Collaborates with magazines and newspapers, including Vogue Russia, Colta, Theater, Kommersant, Snob, Madame Figaro Russia, Gazeta, Izvestia, as editor of the Culture section.
For more than 10 years collaborated as a TV-presenter at the Russian TV-channel “Russia-Culture”.

In 2011-12 worked in Perm with Theodor Currentzis as Head of PR-department of the Perm Opera. He created new brand-books and PR-strategies for the renewed company, as well as for the Diaghilev Festival and ballet competition Arabesque. Also participated in the production of the Russian premiere of Pascal Dusapin’s Medea Material, and opera/drama project La Voix Humaine, both staged and designed by Philipp Grigoryan.

In 2012-13 has been working at the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theater as Perspective Planning adviser, then as art-director of Art-Cinema Pobeda.
In 2014 collaborated with Philipp Grigoryan in a production of Shakespeare’s Labyrinth at the State Theater of Nations in Moscow and started to work with Timofei Kulyabin as dramaturge of his famous Tannhaeuser production at the Novosibirsk Opera.

In 2016 he took part as dramaturge in Don Pasquale at the Bolshoi Theatre (director Timofei Kulyabin) and in A Clockwork Orange production based on Anthony Burgess’ novel at the State Theater of Nations (director Philip Grigoryan).

In 2017 collaborated with Timofei Kulyabin in Verdi’s Rigoletto (Opernhaus Wuppertal, Germany) as well as Philip Grigoryan in Mayakovsky. Tragedy (Gogol Centre, Moscow).

In 2018 as curator and dramaturge participated in Bolshoi Theatre project Cantatas Lab, along with soloists of Bolshoi Theatre Young Artists Opera Program and students of Oleg Kudryashov and Dmitry Brusnikin director’s workshops. He also worked as playwrite in Close Both of My Eyes performance, directed by Anna Abalikhina at the International festival-school of contemporary arts “Territory” in Perm.

In season 2018/19 he took part in Dvořák’s Rusalka new production at the Bolshoi Theatre New Stage (director Timofei Kulyabin).