7 Best Performing Arts in Eastern Outskirts, Moscow

Opened in 1923 as a theater for railroad workers, this revamped, stunningly creative space is the hub of Moscow's contemporary theater scene. The schedule includes plays directed by top Russian directors as well as dance, film, and music.

Housed in the brightly painted brick buildings of a Soviet silk spinning mill, this vast design center has everything from photography and modern art exhibitions to architecture bureaus, design showrooms, and a roof-top ice rink in winter.

A hotel movie house caters to the expatriate community with recent original-language Hollywood releases.

One of Moscow's first galleries, this is also one of its most controversial, due to the attention-loving nature of owner Marat Guelman. There's a definite shock value to many of the modern and avant-garde exhibits. It's a good bet for performance art.

What was once considered to be one of Moscow's best theaters is worth visiting for the troupe's most famed dramatization, of Mikhail Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita.

What was a massive wine factory in Soviet times is now the epicenter of Moscow's burgeoning contemporary arts scene, housing more than a half-dozen galleries, as well as two restaurants, a bookstore, and several fashion showrooms.

Russia's most renowned conceptual artists exhibit drawings, photographs, and installations, and occasionally put on performances in this intimate space.