“Liudyna.com.ua”: The National Philharmonic will present a performative psychodrama about war, pain, and inner light

On June 24, the National Philharmonic of Ukraine will premiere “Liudyna.com.ua…” (Human.com.ua…), an artistic reflection on the experiences Ukrainians endure during war.

The project was introduced during a presentation at the Media Center Ukraine.

“For us at the Philharmonic, it’s crucial to offer the audience a moment of reflection today. We all follow the news; we all live through this reality, for better or worse — some waking up without loved ones, some without homes, and tragically, some not waking up at all. Yet, we must endure, support each other and defend our country. We want the audience to leave this performance with a profound understanding of reality and a sense of inner light. That’s why we experiment, search, and hope this becomes part of our daily practice,” said Mykhailo Shved, general director of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine.

The psychodrama protagonists are a Human and their archetypes. The performance blends reality and fantasy, using poetry, music, song, and sand animation as tools for meditation and healing.

“The character I play is someone trying to understand what’s happening around them. They’re seeking answers to eternal questions. Who am I? Why? What am I? Through music and poetry, they eventually find their way,” said Oleksii Palamarenko, the lead actor and a People’s Artist of Ukraine, who performs at the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater.

Anatolii Matviichuk, a People’s Artist of Ukraine, wrote the poetry, and Valentyn Sylvestrov, Yevhen Stankovych, Mykhailo Shved, and Mykhailo Shukh composed the music.

“In these terrible moments that Ukraine is experiencing today, the human soul is filled with fear, uncertainty about tomorrow, despair, and painful, terrifying emotions. Yet, the soul’s space should belong to love and harmony, which are embodied in music and poetry, the first being a nonverbal medium, and the other sharpening the meaning. When magnificent music resounds and the poetry figuratively opens pathways to other dimensions of our perception, multiplied by professionals’ acting, conveying words and emotions so profoundly that they touch the strings of the voice until they vibrate like never before, this gives us hope that something profoundly significant is coming,” stated Anatolii Matviichuk, the poetry author for the project.

The first performance will welcome soldiers, veterans, and doctors from military hospitals that save Ukrainian defenders daily.

Following the Kyiv premiere, the team will consider staging the performance in other Ukrainian cities.

Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news