Alexey Merkushev started his career in 1986 like artist and dancer, after finishing Academy of Art’s in Saint Petersburg, before joining the famous avant-garde group Derevo with whom he has worked frequent over the last 14 years and he still involved into a few pieces.
The artificial experiences that Alexey Merkushev could collect and improve in these 14 years common work with “Derevo” helped him to find his own style of pantomime and sharp body language that creates antic pictures and strong atmosphere.
Since 1991 he also forced his solo projects and he founded the theatre “Off” in Saint Petersburg where he worked like an actor and director.
In 1992 he met Adriano Miliani and from this time he closely connected with the Italian theatre company “Guascone” from Florence. In this period they created the performances: Arbuz and Omnibus successfully performed all over Europe.
In 1998 he played on various movies productions and concentrated his work on his solo-spectacle Exorcism which had the première in December 2000 in Grotowski centre, Wroclw, Poland.
In April 2000 he founded “Jack and Joe Theatre Project” with a free Italian artist Adriano Miliani. In June 2001 he presented together with the Russian group “Akhe” a new street show “Wet Wedding” in Moskow at the Theatre –Olimpiade. In August 2002 successful performing with “Uncle Wolodja” and an other new performances for the lift “5065 Fancy a Lift?” at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Where he gained a nomination for the “Total Theatre Award”.
In April 2004, he and his Italian friend Adriano Miliani produced a new performance, The Office. In 2004 he also partecipated in Hopeless Games with Do Theatre with whom they won the Total Theatre Award and Fringe First. From 2005 he started his collaboration with an Israelian theatre. From 2005 to 2007 he was on tour with: Hopeless Games, Wet Wedding, Derevo and The Office. From june 2006 until the end of 2008 it was also manager of Derevo Theatre. In 2008 with Jack and Joe Thetre they created a new show called: Life Back.
