A Queen of Kindness Who United Ballet, a Cat Theatre, and the “Mrs. Moscow” Crown
In a time when the lines between private life and public achievement blur, it’s rare to meet someone who doesn’t just balance different worlds, but fuses them into one clear identity. Marina Kuklacheva is a director and leading actress at the famous Cat Theatre, an Honoured Cultural Figure of Moscow—and, since May 2025, the titleholder of Mrs. Moscow. Her story proves that real success often happens where talent, family, and unwavering devotion meet. Asked about her win, she offered a simple rule she lives by: “When you have a worthy husband beside you, you will always be a queen.”
Marina’s professional life began in dance. She performed with the Moscow State Academic Dance Theatre “Gzhel,” a celebrated ensemble known for the precision, discipline, and deep respect for Russian folk traditions. The “Gzhel” school—founded by Vladimir Zakharov—is famously demanding, and it shaped the qualities Marina still credits as her inner engine: persistence, focus, and the ability to set ambitious goals early and meet them through work rather than wishful thinking.
A defining moment came when she met Dmitry Kuklachev—Honoured Artist of Russia and heir to one of the country’s best-known theatrical dynasties. Marina recalls that he chose her “from fifty girls” and immediately understood she would be his destiny. For more than a quarter of a century they have walked side by side, and over the years Marina has become far more than a member of the family—she is one of the forces moving it forward. Together they have toured across Russia and around the world, performing on major stages and in small regional venues alike, determined to bring audiences the warmth and kindness that live inside their home.
At the Kuklachev Cat Theatre, Marina is not simply a leading performer. She is also a stage director—an artistic role that, within a one-of-a-kind brand like “Kuklachev,” comes with real managerial weight. Running a theatre-circus built around live animals demands creativity, yes, but also strategy: team leadership, risk awareness, long-term planning, and an instinct for what modern audiences want.
Her work spans several key areas:
Artistic leadership: shaping new shows where human performers and their furry co-stars create one seamless, enchanting action on stage.
Heritage with momentum: protecting the theatre’s signature style and philosophy—humane treatment of animals and a public message of kindness—while translating it into contemporary productions.
Touring and large-scale events: helping bring major projects to life, including the variety-and-circus benefit performance “The Kindest Clown,” staged at the Moscow Variety Theatre with support from the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives.
Brand development: strengthening the recognition of one of Moscow’s most distinctive cultural names, keeping it relevant without losing its soul.
The Kuklachev family is a rare case where personal bonds form a working structure—one that actually improves the art. Their philosophy is simple: we create together, and we guide each other.
Dmitry Kuklachev (husband): Honoured Artist of Russia and Deputy Artistic Director of the theatre. Their 26-year partnership is the foundation under both the creative and organisational sides of their life.
Nikita Kuklachev (son): trained in choreography at the “Gzhel” school and graduated from GITIS as a ballet master. Today he performs with the Bolshoi Theatre—and also works as a choreographer at the Cat Theatre. It’s the perfect image of continuity: top classical training used to reinvent the family stage language. Nikita creates dance sequences and movement design that bring the vocabulary of contemporary and classical choreography into the theatre’s circus world.
Yuri Dmitrievich Kuklachev (father-in-law): People’s Artist of Russia, founder of the theatre, and a living legend. His support for Marina has been both symbolic and deeply personal. At the Mrs. Moscow finale, he walked on stage to congratulate his daughter-in-law and read poetry in her honour—a warm, public gesture of recognition. Even after serious health challenges in 2024, he remains the theatre’s Artistic Director and the inspirational centre of this large creative family.
Seen from the outside, the Kuklachevs look like a beautiful story. From the inside, it’s also a durable working model:
The senior generation (Yuri Dmitrievich): guardian of tradition and the theatre’s unique method.
The middle generation (Marina and Dmitry): the strategists and the driving engine of current productions—directors who carry responsibility day to day.
The younger generation (Nikita): a bridge to new forms, new theatre language, and modern sensibilities.
That three-part structure keeps the brand fresh while protecting the values at its core.
Marina’s win at one of the most respected pageants for married women in the capital felt like a natural next chapter, not a surprise. The title became public confirmation that a woman can be a devoted wife, mother, artist, and leader—and still be an emblem of style, poise, and inner balance. It also reflected the values that repeatedly surface in her story: loyalty to family, loyalty to craft, and the choice to lead with kindness.
Ballet artist: performer with the Moscow State Academic Dance Theatre “Gzhel.”
Actress and director: leading performer and stage director at the Kuklachev Cat Theatre.
Public honour: awarded the title Honoured Cultural Figure of Moscow.
Mrs. Moscow 2025: the crown that symbolised the unity of her private and professional life.
Marina Kuklacheva represents a modern kind of cultural leader—someone who can direct with authority while keeping her femininity intact, build a strong family while growing a serious enterprise, respect tradition while looking forward. Her story is not simply about one woman’s success. It’s a living formula where personal happiness, family strength, and professional achievement come together—creating a true “stage of life” where kindness holds the centre, and where a queen is anyone who lives with love and gives it back to the world.
