Russian and Eastern European Story has occupied a central place in European culture for the last two centuries. Who can imagine modern literature without Alexander Pushkin, Fedor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov, Boris Pasternak, Anna Akhmatova, or Mikhail Bulgakov? Or 20th century art without Marc Chagall, Kazimir Malevich, or Wassily Kandinsky?

And what would modern classical music be without Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Prokofiev, or Dmitri Shostakovich? These and other Eastern European artists have helped to shape our very concept of the humanities. Drawing upon the best examples of Russian and Eastern European Culture, Moscow Nights’ programs seek to inform and inspire their audiences.

With Moscow Nights as cultural curator, there is always more to explore and learn, to inspire and edify.

Natasha Ramer was trained as a director and actor at the State Institute of the Performing Arts in Moscow.  Since founding Moscow Nights in 1999, she has directed every production in the company’s repertoire and written scripts for the Russian Festivals.  Most recently she directed and performed with an international cast in Longing For Peace and Home: Russian and Jewish Songs of The Second World War featuring an international cast.  She is currently working on A Tribute to Mikhail Bulgakov, a theatrical production slated for later this year.

While her directing is focused on Russian and Eastern European greats and masterpieces, including Alexander Pushkin, Anton Chekhov, Nikolai Gogol, and Evgeny Shvarts, she has also directed Edward Albee, Lope de Vega, and Jean Anouilh in Lithuania.

Ms. Ramer has twice been the recipient of Louisiana Division of the Arts Mini Grants (2003, 2005); in 2011 received the City Cultural Life Award from the mayor of Siauliai, Lithuania.