How did it happen that the Polish and Hungarian theater of the last fifteen years broke out on world borders? The book of N.O. Yakubova delves into the origins of "theatrical revolutions" in both countries, so that then, attracting Russia in parallel, analyze general trends: "the cult of the story," rethinking the concept of "documentary," highlighting "post-memory" (as opposed to "history"), etc. An appeal to ancient authors, Shakespeare, Buchner, as well as opera direction by Dmitry Chernyakov are separately considered. Particular attention is paid to the "myth of sacrifice," which, according to the author, is aimed at eliminating the efforts of the leading directors of the thirty-forty generation.