By resolution of the Secretariat of Russian Theatre Union, Eldar Aliev, Ballet Artistic Director of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, has been appointed Chairman of the Jury for the Golden Mask National Theatre Award in the opera, operetta/musical, and ballet competitions.
In 2026, the Golden Mask Award and Festival will be held for the 32nd time. The most significant performances from Russian theatres across all genres: drama, opera, ballet, operetta, musical, and puppet theatre will be presented. Performances from the season 2024-2025 are eligible for the competition. 67 nominees from 17 Russian cities are represented.
The Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre is nominated in the main category, “The Best Opera Performance”. The Golden Mask Festival in Vladivostok was opened on February 28, 2026, with Giuseppe Verdi’s Il trovatore, staged by Vyacheslav Starodubtsev and designed by Pyotr Okunev.
The main program of the Festival will be taking place in Moscow from March 10 to June 10, 2026. 12 performances will be presented in the regions due to technical requirements. The awards ceremony will take place on June 20, 2026 in Omsk.
