Sergey Potapov

Sergei Potapov was born in a Yakut village in 1975. He studied acting in Yakutia, and direction – in Moscow. In 2003, he graduated from the directing department of the Russian Theatre Academy. He is called “Yakut Tarantino” in Russian theatre circles and in the world. His grandfather was a shaman, father – economist-accountant, mother – teacher of Yakut language and literature. Sergei Potapov has a daughter and a son. Both speak Sakha language. The director draws attention to climate warming – permafrost thaws in Siberia. Winters are not so frosty there anymore. Sergei while being a child wintered with a temperature even below 60 degrees. At present, Sergei Potapov works as a director in different theaters in Russia and Europe. He says that he loves his productions like children. He keeps up with their growing up, how they mature and advance in age. He likes to see them from the auditorium in order to make corrections depending on the audiences’ reaction. He has staged more than thirty performances by now.

He is a recipient of the Golden Mask National Theatrical Award. In 2013, his film Snowdrops won the prizes for Best Directing and Best Actor at the Cheboksary International Film Festival.