The idea of holding the Festival dedicated to the work of this playwright belongs to the artistic director of the Perm theater "At the Bridge" Sergey Fedotov and it did not arise by chance. The Perm Theater "At the Bridge" is the pioneer of Martin McDonagh in Russia and the only theater in the world that staged eight of his plays.
The festival is educational in nature. Its tasks include introducing the audience to the best examples of Russian and foreign theatrical art based on the work of Martin McDonagh; strengthening of international contacts, cultural exchange, discovery of new names in the theatrical world; introducing the audience to new modern forms of theatrical art. The program of the Festival is formed by the performances of Russian and foreign theaters, which most accurately represent the picture of the present on the basis of its dramaturgy.
The festival is also a platform for practical training with the participation of invited theater critics, McDonagh specialists, directors; master classes and creative laboratories for actors and directors; round tables, discussions, etc.
The first McDonagh International Festival was held from October 7 to 14, 2014 and brought together the best European performances based on his plays: 16 productions in 7 days performed by theaters from Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Azerbaijan, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Izhevsk, Chelyabinsk, Perm.
The second Festival was held from October 1 to October 7, 2016. Its geography has expanded significantly. 14 theaters from 9 countries presented their performances based on McDonagh's plays: Northern Ireland, Scotland, Iran, Poland, Serbia, Czech Republic, Montenegro, Azerbaijan, Russia. 18 performances in 7 days! According to the FORBES magazine rating, the Second McDonagh Festival entered the TOP-5 theatrical events in October 2016.
The third Festival was dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Perm Theater "At the Bridge" and was held from October 1 to October 7, 2018. The Festival participants were 16 teams from 10 countries: the Czech Republic, Georgia, Macedonia, Hungary, Iran, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Kazakhstan and Russia. In total, 23 performances were shown in a week!
From October 1 to October 7, 2020, the Fourth Festival was held! The program of which included offline and online performances of participating theaters from 8 countries: Ireland, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Estonia, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia. 7 days, 20 theaters, 24 performances!
The fifth M. McDonagh Festival will be held from October 1-7, 2022.