Peer to Peer Dialogue Program

About the theater

"2+ku," the human puppet theater, is a theater in Tomsk where actors and animated puppets perform plays. The theater was created by Vladimir Zakharov in the autumn of 1990. Originally, performances involved two actors and a number of puppets ("kookla" in Russian), hence the name "2+ku," but now Zakharov performs either by himself or with an apprentice. Zakharov begin his professional career working as a robot design engineer at a theater called the "Buffoon" and eventually he built his own theater and created his own plays. Now, Zakharov is an expert in robotics, an actor, a singer, a writer, and a sculptor. Zakharov does it all: he writes the script, he invents the puppets, he sets the stage, he creates the costumes, he fixes the lighting, he sets the music, and he even acts in his own plays. In addition to his regular performances in Tomsk, Zakharov performs  all around the world. His shows appeal to both kids and adults and his performances have become well known in several countries.