Matthew Clayfield

When Declan Donnellan's Measure for Measure premiered in Moscow a little over three years ago, it was hailed by Russia’s leading independent newspaper, Novaya gazeta, as “a shattering portrait of contemporary Russia”. But Donnellan, a British theatre-maker (and co-founder of the award-winning company Cheek by Jowl) says the production has plenty to say about the contemporary Western world as well, especially given recent events. As The Guardian’s Lyn Gardner wrote in 2015, the show is “set in a shadowy place that could very well be Putin’s Russia, but might be any other country where authority is misused.” Is this the perfect production for a post-Trump, post-Brexit world? Donnellan is in Sydney this week for the production’s Australian premiere at Sydney Festival. The Russian-language co-production between Cheek by Jowl and Moscow’s Pushkin Theatre is certain to make an impression. Mir24 described it as “a real thriller, piercing the heart of the entire audience". In the words of Nezavisimaya gazeta: "From every point of view this production is a total success".   Cheek by Jowl's Measure for MeasurePhotograph: Johan Persson     But what compelled the renowned theatre-maker to take the Bard to Russia in the first place? “Shakespeare is fantastically popular [in Russia] and many of the theatres in Moscow will always have one [of his plays] in repertoire,” says Donnellan. “Shakespeare is more popular in Moscow than he is in Ireland, for example. They have a rich tradition of