Coming out on "Without": Mikhail Yefremov is seen in the theater for the first time after his release from prison

Mikhail Yefremov, who served more than four years in a penal colony after a fatal accident, returned to work in the theater. The actor was caught on camera by Izvestia at the entrance to Nikita Mikhalkov's Studio 12. As it turned out, the premiere of the play "Without Witnesses" with Yefremov's participation is planned there soon. This production will be the first stage work of the Honored Artist of Russia after his release from prison on parole. All the details are in the exclusive Izvestia article.

What connects Efremov and the Workshop "12"

Mikhail Efremov was spotted near the Nikita Mikhalkov Theater and Cinema Center in mid-January. The actor appeared from the side of the service exit of the Workshop "12" and took an economy class taxi.

As it turned out, in February 2026, the premiere of the play with his participation, "Without Witnesses," is planned on the Main Stage of the theater. An announcement about this appeared on the official website of the institution in September 2025. In this message Nikita Sergeyevich explained the decision to accept Yefremov into his troupe.

"It's no secret that Mikhail Olegovich Efremov, who survived several difficult years of his life, was released and asked me for the opportunity to continue his creative activities in our theater. Personally, I think fate has taught him a lot. I am convinced that he has managed to rethink many things. At the same time, as before, so now, I have no doubt about his great acting talent. I believe that his work in our theater will benefit both us and him," the message says.

At the same time, there is no production yet in the poster on the Workshop "12" website. Moreover, according to the artist of the play, Yuri Cooper, there have still been no rehearsals on the stage itself. The group, however, met outside of it before the New Year, he claims.

— The [rehearsals] haven't started in the theater yet. Just a few days, I hope. They spent, I do not know, a week or two weeks in Shchepachikha, rehearsing in a country house," the artist told Izvestia.

According to him, the team will be able to start rehearsals on stage when the sets are ready.

— They will be quite difficult. It won't be just a Soviet—era apartment," the source said.

What is known about the play "Without witnesses"

"Without Witnesses" is a play based on the 1983 film of the same name directed by Nikita Mikhalkov, which, in turn, was based on the play "Conversation without a Witness" by playwright Sofia Prokopyeva. The plot of the intense chamber drama unfolds in an ordinary Soviet apartment and is based on a dialogue between two former spouses. They are referred to in the credits as "He" and "She". The film starred Mikhail Ulyanov and Irina Kupchenko. The main roles in the theatrical production are played by Mikhail Yefremov and Anna Mikhalkova.

— It's interesting that, firstly, these are two great actors that people know and love. Secondly, director Nikita Mikhalkov is making a modern version that will be different from the film," Yuri Cooper shared with Izvestia. — Anya plays a slightly different woman, not as docile and weak as in the movie. She plays a woman who knows who she is — more confident in herself. And Misha is a virtuoso. He can play any role. In my opinion, he is even more interesting than Ulyanov in this role. Because Ulyanov is such an established positive hero that it is difficult for him to transform into a scoundrel. And Misha is absolutely convincing and believable, I would say so.

He also expressed the hope that the production would have the same success as Nikita Mikhalkov's other works. Izvestia sent a request to Workshop 12 to confirm the start of rehearsals and find out the details of the upcoming performance, but no response had been received at the time of publication.

Why did Mikhail Yefremov end up in a penal colony?

The performance at Workshop 12 will be Mikhail Yefremov's first work (at least, his other projects are still unknown) after his release from the penal colony where he was serving his sentence for a fatal accident on Smolenskaya Square in Moscow. During the court proceedings, it was established that on June 8, 2020, while intoxicated (traces of narcotic substances were also found in his body), he flew his SUV into the oncoming lane and crashed into a van driven by 57-year-old courier Sergey Zakharov. The injured driver died in hospital.

The case caused a huge public outcry and became one of the most scandalous in the history of Russian legal proceedings. Initially, the Presnensky Court of Moscow sentenced Mikhail Yefremov to eight years in prison. Later, the Moscow City Court reduced this term to seven and a half years.

In March 2025, the Alekseevsky District Court of the Belgorod region granted Yefremov's request for parole. As a result, the artist left the colony earlier — on April 9, 2025.