First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva attended the premiere of the play "The Seagull"

On October 29, the Academic Maly Drama Theatre - Theatre of Europe, based in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg, presented a performance of the same name based on the play "The Seagull" by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov at the Azerbaijan State Academic Musical Theatre as part of the Baku International Festival of Arts (BIAF-2026).

As reported by AZERTAC, First Vice-President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva, her daughter Leyla Aliyeva and Alyona Aliyeva watched the performance.

"The Seagull," directed by Lev Dodin, a laureate of prestigious Russian theatre awards including the "Golden Mask," is considered one of the most renowned renditions of this classical play.

The production designer and costume designer of the performance is Alexander Borovsky.

The stage production featured People's Artist of Russia Sergey Kuryshev, Honored Artists Elizaveta Boyarskaya, Igor Chernevich, and others.

It should be noted that the Baku International Festival of Arts, which will run until November 8, is being held for the second time. The program of BIAF-2026, organized with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Ministry of Culture, includes more than 20 events, including concerts, ballet and theatre performances, film screenings, meetings with artists, and master classes.

Artists and creative ensembles from Azerbaijan, Great Britain, Israel, Canada, Russia, the United States, France, and other countries are participating in the festival.