We travelled with Kavkaz explorer to South Ossetia in May 2011 to undertake some specific research for a theatre project. We found the company after much searching on the internet, had a skype conversation with Dmitry and then put ourselves in his hands to visit a region which most western Europeans feel is out of bounds. The visit was truly an adventure in many, many ways — and probably took Dmitry as much out of his comfort zone as it did us! But it was also a huge success. We achieved the research we wanted and which would have been completely impossible without Dmitry’s help; we met some wonderful people (special mentions perhaps to Murat and his parents) and spent time in the most beautiful, unspoiled mountains. We gained a real insight into the lives of ordinary people in South Ossetia who were quite extraordinarily open and generous with their time, their homes and their stories. We even won over the fierce guardians of the hotel in Tshkinval unused to the strange requirements of Western foreigners. We ate plenty of pies. And we caught the flight back to Moscow!

Melanie Nock, Moving Theater