Spotlighting Russia's recent anti-propaganda law in relation to sport, performance and LGBT and Olympic history, the festival of staged readings and panels will be held Jan. 18-19 at Cooper Union.

Participants also include New York Times journalist Masha Gessen, Tobias Segal and Nadia Bowers, "Kings" star Michael Crane and Olympic medalist Derrick Adkins, as well as Russian playwrights.

Propaganda's events include the first presentation of Daria Wilke's LGBT young adult novel "The Jester's Cap" in a new theatrical adaptation in Cooper Union's Rose Auditorium Jan. 18 at 3 PM. The panel "Translating Experience" will follow.

The first English translation of Oleg Mikhailov's drama Pelmeny, as well as a reading of Vladimir Nabokov's, "Breitenstrater-Paolino," will be presented Jan. 18 at 7 PM. The event will be followed by the panel "Civil Liberties: Examining Russia's Past, Present and Future," moderated by Nancy Goldstein, journalist for the Guardian and U.S. News & World Report.

Tess Berry-Hart's acclaimed docu-drama a"SOCHI 2014" will be presented for the first time in the US Jan. 19 at 5 PM in Cooper Union's Great Hall. The reading will feature Rosen (West Side Story), Schall (Big Fish, Lucky Guy), Aduba and Curtin. Following the reading, Masha Gessen, journalist and NY Times International Opinion contributor, will make her first public appearance since expatriating from Russia, speaking in a panel discussion entitled "Sport and Art in a Censored Society" at 6:30 PM. The panel will also feature Olympic medalist Derrick Adkins and Spectrum president Larry Poltavtsev. Ari Ezra Waldman, legal editor at Towleroad. will moderate. 

All proceeds from Propaganda: A Festival Celebrating Russian Voices will benefit the Spectrum Human Rights Alliance.

Tickets for Propaganda's events are available at PropagandaFestival2014.tumblr.com/tickets.