PROVOCATIVE AND POETIC: “GABRIELIAD” PREMIERES AT [HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL 2025]

Poetry performans the Gabrieliad

Los Angeles, CA – A forbidden poem is reborn on stage.

Blasphemous, satirical, and heartbreakingly human, Gabrieliad brings to life the banned narrative poem written by Alexander Pushkin, Russia’s greatest literary figure, and reimagines it for a contemporary American audience. This radical solo performance fuses classical text, political commentary, and physical theatre in a bold exploration of censorship, sex, and salvation.

Originally written in 1821 and suppressed for over a century, Gabrieliad retells the annunciation story as an absurd, erotic comedy – inverting the sacred with the profane. Banned by the Russian Empire and erased by the Soviet Union, the poem remained a hidden icon of literary rebellion. Now, it erupts onstage as a theatrical act of resurrection.

Directed by Stanislav Ibalakov, the show features:
• A charismatic team performer shifting through mythic and modern personas
• Original movement sequences and a haunting soundscape
• References to queerness, exile, and artistic resistance

“This show is not just about Pushkin – it’s about every artist who ever dared to speak forbidden truths,” says Stanislav .

SHOW DETAILS:
Title: Gabrieliad
Where: 905 Cole Theatre; 905Cole Ave, Los Angeles,Ca , 90038
When: 22 June, 6pm
Tickets: Available via hollywoodfringe.org
Run time: [60 minutes, no intermission]