Shostakovich Composes Defiant Story In Holy Fool

Prepare for an extraordinary historical story of silent bravery. Rosalind Adler and Lee Sellers' thrilling new drama comes to London, debuting at the Park Theatre in August 2026. Focusing on legendary composer Shostakovich's struggle to create free music under Stalin's brutal regime, Holy Fool is a dark, tense, and sharp-witted tale of creativity versus tyranny.

What Is The Story?

Dmitri Shostakovich was celebrated for his musical genius. But in the cruel, tyrannical world of Stalin's Russia, Shostakovich found that his genius was dangerous. Forced into creating music for the state under threat of a brutal death, he must find ways to publicly toe the line - whilst quietly working on pieces that defied the regime. Taking his life in his hands for the sake of creativity, Shostakovich found himself a silent rebel, working against the government in a tremendous act of bravery.