Bury Me Behind the Skirting Board
(Wed 4 Mar: 6pm & 8pm)
Bury Me Behind the Skirting Board is a solo performance based on the autobiographical novella by Pavel Sanaev, one of the most influential Russian books of the 2000s. Widely read and quickly gaining cult status, the book caused a genuine sensation upon publication and was nominated for the Booker Prize. It reshaped the conversation about growing up, family, and the myth of a “happy childhood”.
At the centre of the story is Sasha Saveliev, a young boy living with his grandparents. His childhood unfolds in an atmosphere of suffocating overprotection and emotional pressure, where love turns into control and fear. The home becomes a closed space of adult conflict, forcing the child to live under constant threat and expectation of punishment. Pain, dark humour and a surreal tone coexist, making the audience laugh and ache at the same time.
In the stage adaptation a single actor, Roman Boklanov, embodies the entire story alone, shifting with precision between voices and emotional states, from a child’s whisper to harsh adult speech. The performance becomes an intense and honest reflection on childhood loneliness, fear, and the struggle for inner freedom.
The production premiered in St Petersburg in 2021. Since 2022, Boklanov has been living and working in Europe, having left Russia and now residing in forced exile.
These performances are ticketed externally, please click the button to book your tickets:
This performance is entirely in Russian and is not suitable for non-Russian speakers.
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Theatre
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£45.00 -
4 March 2026 -
60 minutes -
Scottish Storytelling Centre -
Netherbow Theatre -
Adults
