Framed reproduction of 1983 Soviet Theatre Poster – “Klown’s Smile” – Leningrad Puppet-Marionette Theatre – Multilingual Edition

A museum-quality framed reproduction of one of the rarest pieces of late-Soviet theatrical graphic design — the 1983 playbill for the Leningrad Puppet-Marionette Theatre’s production of Klown’s Smile (Улыбка клоуна).

The design is atmospheric and quietly virtuosic. A central marionette clown — rendered in cool grey tones with vivid pops of blue shoes and a red nose — is shown with his strings and controls fully visible, embracing the “theatre within a theatre” concept at the heart of the production. His distinctive book-leaf hairstyle nods to the storytelling nature of Chepovetsky’s work. A collector’s detail: the artist’s mark — a stylised “Cč” / “CH” + ’83 — is hidden on the sole of the clown’s left shoe.

What makes this playbill particularly remarkable is its multilingual design: the title and theatre credits appear in Russian, English, Spanish, German, Polish, and French — a reflection of the Leningrad puppet troupe’s prestigious international touring schedule during the 1980s. With an original print run of only 2,500 copies, this is a genuinely scarce document of Soviet theatrical culture.

Publication Details
Original year: 1983
Theatre: Leningrad Puppet-Marionette Theatre, Leningrad (St. Petersburg), USSR
Playwright: Efim Chepovetsky (Ефим Чеповецкий)
Director: Vladimir Lopuhin
Languages: Russian, English, Spanish, German, Polish, French
Original Size: 59 × 87 cm (23.2 × 34.3 in)

Want to own the original vintage poster? View the original here →
Prefer it unframed? View the unframed reproduction here →
Prefer an instant digital download? View the digital edition here →

Make a statement in any room with this framed poster, printed on thick matte paper. The frame made from wood from renewable forests adds an extra touch of class.

• Ayous wood .75″ (1.9 cm) thick frame from renewable forests
• Paper thickness: 10.3 mil (0.26 mm)
• Paper weight: 189 g/m²
• Lightweight
• Acrylite front protector
• Hanging hardware included
• Blank product components in the US sourced from Japan and the US
• Blank product components in the EU sourced from Japan and Latvia

How to hang: place the mounting hook at the centre-top of the frame when hanging vertically.