Hello, this is Navalny.

Hello, this is NawalnyLetters of a Free ManReading with Michael Maertens and Katja KolmIdea, Concept, and Text Selection: Katja KolmTranslation and German Adaptation: Katja Kolm and Isolde SchmittAlexei Navalny's letters from prison and his speeches during court hearings have become a special literary genre, in which one of the most famous political prisoners appears as a sober analyst, a passionate prophet, a strict and ironic accuser, and a loving husband. He dissects the Russian government, describes the conditions in Russian prisons, takes excursions into Russian history, and shares personal experiences. His written legacy tells the story of Russian resistance and how to maintain humanity under inhumane conditions. The Austrian actress Katja Kolm began collecting Alexei Navalny's prison writings and speeches during court hearings in 2021. After a long preparation, driven by the desire to bring these remarkable texts to a German-speaking audience, her reading "Hello, this is Nawalny" premiered at the Salzburg Festival 2024 with the kind permission of Julia Navalnaya and support from Marina Davydova. The selected writings span the period from September 2020 to February 2024.Michael Maertens reads the texts of Alexei Navalny, while Katja Kolm reads those of Julia Navalnaya.Katja KolmThe Austrian actress Katja Kolm works successfully in theater, film, and opera. At the age of 18, she went to Moscow for a year, where she received acting lessons from Rosetta Nemtschinskaja at the GITIS Theater Academy in Moscow and singing and Russian lessons at the Gnessin Institute. During her subsequent studies at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Art in Berlin, she performed at the Maxim Gorki Theater and the Hebbel Theater Berlin. In 2000, she joined the Schauspielhaus Zurich as a permanent ensemble member under the artistic direction of Christoph Marthaler, where she also created her first own production "bumsti!" based on "The Last Days of Mankind" by Karl Kraus. In 2005, she began working as a freelancer to independently shape her professional and family life. This was followed by engagements at the Volksbühne Berlin, the Munich Kammerspiele, the Schauspielhaus Vienna, the Volkstheater Vienna, as well as at the Ruhrtriennale, the Salzburg Festival, the Vienna Festival Weeks, and the Lucerne Festival. Several productions in which she participated were invited to the Berlin Theatertreffen and international festivals. She worked under the direction of Christoph Marthaler, Stefan Pucher, Falk Richter, Miloš Lolić, Karin Henkel, Robert Borgmann, Volker Lösch, Andreas Kriegenburg, and choreographer Meg Stuart, among others. In Enno Poppe's opera "I.Q.," she sang one of the lead roles accompanied by the Klangforum Wien orchestra. For her historical role as Madame Paradis in Barbara Albert's film "Licht," she was nominated for the Austrian Film Award in the category "Best Supporting Actress." She appeared in the Swiss film "Der Sohn meines Vaters" by Jeshua Dreyfus, in "Mörderinnen" by Pepe Danquart, in the Swiss action-comedy "Mad Heidi" by Johannes Hartmann and Sandro Klopfstein, as well as in Dani Levy's series "Der Scheich." In 2025, she was seen in the opera "Lash" by renowned composer Rebecca Saunders at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, in a production by the directing duo Dead Centre and under the musical direction of Enno Poppe.Michael Maertens comes from a famous theater family and was born in Hamburg in 1963. After attending the Otto-Falckenberg School in Munich, he joined the Thalia Theater in Hamburg in 1989. In his first season, he received the Boy-Gobert Prize for his role in "Clavagio" and was named Newcomer of the Year. Further stations included the Schiller Theater and the Deutsches Theater in Berlin, the Munich Kammerspiele, the Berliner Ensemble, the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg, the Berliner Maxim Gorki Theater, the Schauspielhaus Bochum, and the Burgtheater in Vienna. During Barbara Frey's tenure, he played numerous title and leading roles at the Schauspielhaus Zurich. He collaborated with directors such as Peter Stein, Luc Bondy, Jürgen Flimm, Dieter Dorn, Claus Peymann, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Martin Kušej, Matthias Hartmann, Thomas Langhoff, Benno Besson, Jürgen Gosch, Jürgen Flimm, Katharina Thalbach, Alexander Lang, Ruth Berghaus, Barbara Frey, and Alvis Hermanis. In 2001, he was named Actor of the Year by the magazine THEATER HEUTE. In 2002, he received the Gertrud-Eysoldt Ring and in 2005, 2022, and 2023, the Nestroy Award for "Best Actor." In 2017, he was appointed Kammerschauspieler. Michael Maertens is also regularly seen in film and television productions, including "Sonnenallee," "Die Vermessung der Welt," "Vorsicht vor Leuten," "Finsterworld," "Bibi & Tina," "Fack Ju Göthe 2 & 3," "Tausend Zeilen," and "Das Pubertier." In December 2023, the Til Schweiger film "Das Beste kommt noch," featuring him and Til Schweiger in the lead roles, was released. In 2014, he was awarded the German Actor's Prize at the Berlinale in the category "Best Actor in a Supporting Role." Recently, he received his third Nestroy Award. In the summer of 2023, he took on the title role in the play "Jedermann" at the Salzburg Festival.