Valery Fokin

In 1970–1985, V. Fokin was directing at the Moscow Sovremennik Theatre. In 1985–1991, he headed the Moscow Yermolova Theatre. Already the first performances put on by this young theatre director made this theatre one of the most popular. It was unanimously acknowledged by the press that the flagship for Fokin first performance in the Yermolova Theatre "Speak…" meant turning to new theatrical thinking for theatres in Russia. In 1987, Valery Fokin was awarded the State Prize of the RSFSR in the field of literature and arts.

In 1975–1979, he taught students in the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts (GITIS), in 1993–1994 — in the Krakow High Theatre School (Poland) and the Toen Theatre in Tokyo (Japan). He held master classes at European Theatre Directing courses in Spain, Sweden, Bulgaria.

From 1988 — the Chairman of the Commission for Vs. Meyerhold's Creative Legacy. In 1991, the Meyerhold Center was set up on the initiative of the Commission for Vs. Meyerhold's Creative Legacy, with the support of the Union of Theatre Workers of Russia and the Union of Architects of Russia. In 1999, the Meyerhold Center was awarded the status of a state unitary enterprise by the decision of the Moscow Government. In 2000, Valery Fokin was awarded the State Prize of Russian in the field of educational activities – for preservation, studies and development of Meyerhold's creative legacy, setting up the Meyerhold Theatre and Cultural Center. The new building of the Meyerhold Center was opened on February 12, 2001. Valery Fokin was its Director and Artistic Director from the day of its foundation till September 2011, and has been the President of the Meyerhold Center since September 2011.

In 2002, he staged N. V. Gogol's "The Government Inspector" at the Alexandrinsky Theatre (with the Meyerhold Center), the performance was awarded the State Prize of the Russian Federation, the Golden Mask, which is the highest national theatre award, the Golden Sofit, which is the highest St. Petersburg theatre award. He has been the Artistic Director of the Alexandrinsky Theatre since 2003.

He put on about one hundred theatrical performances in Russia and abroad. Over the years of V. V. Fokin's being the Artistic Director, the Alexandrinsky Theatre has become the leading drama theatre of Russia and initiated a number of large-scale national and international projects. The International Alexandrinsky Theatre Festival is held here annually (it was not held for two years in a row because of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions). In 2013, the New Stage of the Alexandrinsky Theatre was opened.

In 2019, the Alexandrinsky Theatre was the main venue of the large-scale Theatre Olympics that took place between May and December 2019. The city received over 50 theatrical performances from 20 countries, the program for national theatres of Russia was brought into life, Olympic venues were organized in the Far East and in the Artek camp as parts of special programs.

In 2020, the theatre was given the status and name of the National Drama Theatre of Russia. In January 2021, Pskov Pushkin Academic Drama Theatre was included in it as an affiliation. Currently, the National Association of Theatres is being created.