A ten-year-old resident of Novoselye in the Leningrad Region has gained local attention by organizing, writing, and performing in independent puppet shows and plays for neighborhood audiences. Lev Puzyryov writes his own scripts, distributes handmade posters, and manages all aspects of his backyard theater productions.
Backyard Theater Operations in Novoselye
Lev Puzyryov creates theatrical performances from his apartment in Novoselye, maintaining a dedicated stock of costumes, props, curtains, and a smoke machine. According to his parents, Pavel and Kseniya Puzyryov, the boy’s interest in theater began around eighteen months of age following a visit to a puppet theater. In the days leading up to his second New Year, relatives observed him mimicking puppet shows behind furniture using toys.
The young creator drafts his scripts independently, keeping the narratives in his mind rather than relying on written text. His stories frequently feature original adaptations of traditional characters, including Baba Yaga. For a recent neighborhood performance, Lev prepared a puppet adaptation of Aleksey Tolstoy’s The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino, featuring characters such as Buratino, Karabas-Barabas, and Artemon.
Community Engagement and Local Reception
Prior to staging his open-air performances, Lev distributes handmade posters around his residential district to inform neighbors of upcoming showtimes. Events typically begin with an interactive quiz hosted alongside an assistant named Polina, where audience members answer questions about literary characters in exchange for small prizes.
Local residents have acknowledged the boy’s independent productions on neighborhood playgrounds. Polina Voyshnis, a spectator who attended a performance, noted that the events are entirely self-produced from conception to execution, drawing crowds of neighborhood viewers to the courtyard for live entertainment.
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