Sasha Bolkova

East European-born Sasha Bolkova has always been a creative person — describing themselves as “an artful and emotional person” at the age of five. Sasha is always willing to think about something new and find unconventional solutions.

They began acting in fourth grade, creating scenes for their History class alongside their classmates. They were also passionate about music, composing their own songs and poetry. As a teen, they were an enthusiastic and hardworking actor in the child dance theater in Moscow. 

The long process of forced migration from Russia and immigration to the United States, resulted in deep depression that led them back to theater. It was exciting and scary to start doing theater in a language that they had never spoken before, and in a society that they were unfamiliar with. They found their place in SpaceBridge, a play about Russian refugee children who had fled the war. Theater became a symbol of salvation and solace, providing a means of gradual integration into society. It no longer mattered which country they were in – theater had become a part of them, and it was an extension of themselves.

They began attending all sorts of theater events, participating in theater communities, taking master classes, courses, and attending conservatories. They went to an arts high school, majoring in theater. And now they can't imagine their lives without it. They seek to make multifaceted art, drawing on their experience from two countries and two perspectives.