Themes by tag: culture
On November 11, Kyiv will host the debut of Shevchenko 2.0, a show-performance by the Kharkiv Academic Berezil Theater. Blending history with modernity, the production draws inspiration from the personal diaries of Ukrainian national poet Taras Shevchenko. Through a mix of life events, theatrical expression, avant-garde music, and pop tributes to Great Kobzar’s poetry, the show promises a dynamic reimagining of the poet’s legacy. EL Kravchuk, a celebrated Ukrainian singer, not only plays a pivotal role in the production but also co-developed the concept with academic and physicist Borys Hryniov. The performance combines poignant lyrics with black humor and features original compositions alongside pop homages to Shevchenko’s works, all performed by Kravchuk.
Although rooted in documentary material, Shevchenko 2.0 is staged as a phantasmagoria, incorporating bold theatrical techniques. The production features video projections, elaborate set designs, and chic costumes, creating a visually stunning and energetic spectacle.
The creative team includes:
• Borys Hryniov – Concept creator and lyricist. An Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor of Technical Sciences, and Professor.
• Dmytro Ternovyi – Playwright. Winner of numerous playwriting competitions, including international accolades. His works have been published and staged in Austria, Germany, France, Poland, and Ukraine.
• Oleksandr Kovshun – Director. With 27 productions in his repertoire, he has collaborated with seven Ukrainian theaters and three international cultural institutions. His accolades include two theater awards and participation in 35 festivals across 10 countries.
• Kostiantyn Ponomariov – Production designer. Renowned as Kharkiv’s leading fashion designer, as well as a prominent set designer and art critic.
• Mykhailo Tereshchenko and EL Kravchuk – Performers portraying Taras Shevchenko.
For reference: The Kharkiv Academic Ukrainian Drama Theatre, originally named Berezil, is among Ukraine’s oldest cultural institutions. Established in Kyiv in 1922 by visionary director Les Kurbas, the theater was transferred to Kharkiv in 1926 when the city served as Ukraine’s capital.
Kurbas, a trailblazer in Ukrainian theater, was dismissed in 1933 under accusations of “distorting” optimistic Soviet ideals. He, along with playwright Mykola Kulish, was executed in the Sandarmokh forest on November 3, 1937, during Stalin’s purges.
Despite its proximity to the russian border, ongoing war, and reduced state funding, the theater continues to innovate under chief director Stepan Pasichnyk, producing new works, securing grant-funded projects, and performing for Ukrainian defenders.
Oksana Pohomii, a dedicated volunteer and member of the Kherson City Council, remained steadfast in her commitment to her community during the relentless occupation by russian forces. Throughout this challenging period, she awaited the city’s liberation while providing crucial support to those in need, even managing to share videos documenting life under occupation. Oksana was present in Kherson during the catastrophic explosion of the Kakhovka HPP in June 2023.
As the head of the Kherson Solidarna Sprava Hromad NGO (Solidarity Cause of the Communities in Kherson), Oksana recently oversaw the establishment of the Kherson Ukrainian Cultural Center, named after Oleksandr Menshov, a renowned Ukrainian writer from Kherson who lost his life at the front last year. This center serves as a refuge and hosts various cultural events, welcoming participation from all members of the community.
Following the city’s liberation, Oksana’s organization launched a volunteer bakery, providing freshly baked bread for both local residents and military personnel. On the second anniversary of Kherson’s liberation, November 11, the bakery is set to celebrate a significant milestone: the production of its three hundred thousandth loaf of bread.
Journalists interested in learning more about Oksana’s inspiring efforts can engage with her in Kherson or connect online.
For context: Kherson fell under russian occupation on March 1, 2022, at the onset of the full-scale invasion. The Ukrainian Armed Forces successfully liberated the city on November 11, 2022, but the threat remains, with regular shelling continuing to affect the area.
Yuriy Vetkin, 57, is a veteran, screenwriter, and former major in Ukraine’s military. With a background as a psychologist, he served in the State Special Transport Service until 2008. In 2015, he returned to active duty as a deputy battalion commander in the 95th Air Assault Brigade and, after russia’s full-scale invasion, joined the defense of his hometown, Chernihiv, with the 1st Siverskyi Tank Brigade. On March 5, 2022, Yuriy lost a leg in an enemy shelling.
Alongside his military service, Yuriy has developed a career as a screenwriter and blogger. His screenplays have received recognition in national competitions, and in 2016, his short film Interview premiered at Cannes in the Short Film Corner, later winning awards in Portugal and Saudi Arabia.
Yuriy also contributes to The Veterans’ Theater project by TRO Media, where his plays Phantom, Explosion, and Hospital Rhapsody were staged at the Festival of First Plays. He also wrote Turn to Irpin for a paper theater production, in which he performed his own role.
Now, Yuriy is working to establish a Veterans’ Theater in Chernihiv, based at the Chernihiv Veterans’ Space ‘Sercevir’. His goal is to create a space where veterans and their families can perform with professional actors, focusing on psychological recovery, re-socialization, and creative fulfillment.
Journalists interested in Yuriy’s story can connect with him in Chernihiv or through virtual interviews.
The conference “Cultural Heritage: Protecting Cultural Boundaries,” will take place in Kyiv on October 29. The central theme is “Preserving cultural boundaries through the integration of tangible and intangible heritage into new cultural forms”.
The conference aims to highlight the importance of preserving cultural heritage and to demonstrate effective methods of integrating tangible and intangible heritage. This integration provides an additional boost to a country’s economic resilience.
The destruction of tangible and intangible cultural heritage in the midst of war creates additional requirements for the state, business and expert community to find quick, effective and systematic tools not only to preserve but also to develop cultural heritage sites for future generations.
The conference will be attended by representatives of government institutions, business, public organizations, international heritage preservation organizations, researchers and educators.
Speakers:
- Nataliia Voitsechuk, Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage Preservation, Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications;
- Yuliia Lytvynets, Director General of the National Art Museum;
- Yuliia Vahanova, Director of the Khanenko Museum;
- Oleksandr Nykoriak, Head of the All-Ukrainian Association for the Protection of Cultural Heritage;
- Vadym Kyrylenko, First Deputy Director of the National Reserve “Saint Sophia of Kyiv”;
- Michał Krasucki (Poland), Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage Protection, Warsaw;
- Larysa Dovha, founder and director of the educational project “UKultura”, professor at NaUKMA;
- Oksana Huliaieva, managing partner of the investment company Dovgiy Family Office;
- Kyrylo Kobtsev, official representative of the Blue Shield International Committee in Ukraine;
- Mariia Motorzhyna, historian, museum expert;
- Larysa Petasiuk, head of the NGO “Culture Advocacy”;
- Mark Wilkins (Switzerland-Kyiv), co-owner of Reytarska Circle, nominee for the EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture;
- Iryna Tatarenko, editor-in-chief of Marie Claire;
- Ihor Dobrutskyi, Ukrainian entrepreneur, public figure, founder and director of Folk Ukraine.
Journalists can view the full conference program. Accreditation is required to attend.
Gala Kozyutynska, a filmmaker and artist from Kyiv, had long dreamed of creating an artistic residence in a rural setting. Though she split her time between Kyiv and Lviv, her heart was set on buying a house in the countryside. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Gala felt it was time to turn that dream into reality. Her partner, Viktor Petrov, wholeheartedly supported the idea, and together, they began searching for the perfect spot. They found it in the small village of Latirka in Zakarpattia.
After purchasing the house, they began restoring it and even named their future creative space “The Attic.” But their plans took a devastating turn when Viktor was called to serve in Ukraine’s Defense Forces. In May 2023, Viktor was killed in combat near Bakhmut, leaving Gala to carry on their dream alone. Despite the heartbreak, she pressed forward with their vision.
In the year since Viktor’s passing, Gala has hosted over 20 gatherings with young creatives at the residence. Together, they’ve learned traditional crafts like weaving, whitewashing clay brick warming stove, foraging for mushrooms, and gardening. Gala is also focused on finding ways to offer relaxation and rejuvenation for those visiting the artistic space.
Today, Gala divides her time between Zakarpattia and Lviv, and she remains open to sharing her story with journalists, both in person and virtually.
On October 24, Kyiv will open the exhibition Protest/Architecture. Barricades and Camps: The World and Ukraine at the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity. The event, organized in collaboration with the German Architectural Museum in Frankfurt, and supported by the Goethe-Institut, is also in partnership with the Museum of the History of Kyiv. This exhibition coincides with two significant anniversaries in Ukraine’s history: the 20th anniversary of the Orange Revolution and the 11th anniversary of the Revolution of Dignity.
The exhibit explores the architectural elements of protest movements worldwide, comparing them to those seen in Ukraine’s historic uprisings. Highlights include the barricades of the 1848 revolution in Western Europe, the 2013-2014 Maidan protests in Kyiv, tent cities from the Arab Spring, and the 2019 light laser demonstrations in Hong Kong.
The Maidan Museum team will also delve into how Kyiv’s urban space became integral to the protests. They’ll examine how the Orange Revolution of 2004 shaped the swift organization and spatial structure of the Euromaidan protests in 2013, which in turn drew on the lessons from the 1990 Revolution on Granite.
Accreditation is required to attend the event.
Kyiv will host the “Festival of First Plays” from October 18-20, showcasing works written by participants in the Veterans’ Theater project. This event focuses on the development of emerging playwrights, with every aspect—from the directors’ efforts to the actors’ performances and audience engagement—centered on helping military veterans learn the craft of drama, write their first plays, and quickly gain stage experience.
Audiences will have the chance to see 11 new plays written by veterans and active military personnel, along with four works from civilian participants in the project.
The Veterans’ Theater project was created by the Communications Department of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (TRO Media), in collaboration with the Theater of Playwrights.
Journalists can access the full event program for the Festival, which runs from October 18 to 20.
On October 25, media representatives are invited to visit the birthplace of Taras Shevchenko and report on the completion of the restoration of houses and sites associated with the poet’s childhood in the Cherkasy region. These include the Budyshchanskyi windmill (a more than 150-year-old mill the restoration of which began in 2023), the renovated house of Taras Shevchenko’s grandfather, and the restored house where the poet was born. Departure from Kyiv.
Program of the press tour:
– National Reserve “Taras Shevchenko’s Homeland”: laying flowers at the grave of Taras Shevchenko’s mother; guided tour for guests, journalists and children of servicemen;
– Transfer to Budyshchanskyi windmill;
– Guided tour of the windmill, which is called a witness of Taras Shevchenko’s childhood, with a brief review of the site;
– Transfer to the Moryntsi museum complex of the National Reserve;
– Guided tour of the museum with restored houses and exhibitions related to Taras Shevchenko’s childhood; interaction with interactive displays; signing of a memorandum between representatives of the museum and the MHP-Hromadi charitable foundation.
Invited guests:
– Yurii Melnyk, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of MHP-Hromadi;
– Viktor Yushchenko, Ukrainian politician, 3rd President of Ukraine;
– Nataliia Kryvda, Chairman of the Board of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation (UCF);
– Vadym Loshenko, Chairman of the Ecological Movement of Cherkasy Region NGO;
– Liudmyla Shevchenko, General Director of the National Reserve “Taras Shevchenko’s Homeland”;
– Yurii Pikovskyi, Head of the State Administration of Zvenyhorodka District;
– Oleksandr Saienko, Head of the Zvenyhorodka City Council.
Accreditation is required to attend the event.
The Ukrainian YouTube channel “Zahіn Kinomaniv” and the Serhiy Prytula Charitable Foundation will host a closed charity premiere of the film “The Kurbas Phenomenon” in Kyiv on October 16.
“The Kurbas Phenomenon” is a documentary film about the Ukrainian director, actor, playwright, founder of the Young Theatre and the Berezil Theatre, Les Kurbas. It tells the story of a man who created beautiful things in the darkest of times, and how one person can change an entire industry and inspire an entire generation.
The film was made by the team of “Zahіn Kinomaniv”, the authors are Vitaliy Gordienko and Stanislav Veselskyi. The composer is Ehor Hrushyn and the animation was made by Anastasiia Falileieva.
The event will be attended by members of the film team, as well as Ukrainian public figures and bloggers. The presentation will include a charity auction of exclusive film merchandise designed by the team.
Prior accreditation is required.
On October 15, the Media Center Ukraine will host a press conference to introduce the project “Kobzarstvo. Epic Tradition” along with unveiling the DUMA portal, designed to bolster the recognition of UNESCO’s “Safeguarding Programme for the Kobza and Wheel Lyre Tradition” and to preserve and promote the culture of Ukrainian kobzars.
The event will also showcase various creative elements of the project, including live performances by kobza musicians, educational films, and kobza “business cards.” Attendees will learn about the important role kobzars have played throughout history, especially during times of war.
Participants:
– Oles Sanin, Ukrainian filmmaker, actor, producer, and lyre player;
– Taras Kompanichenko, cultural activist, kobzar, bandura and lyre player, senior soldier of the 241st Separate Territorial Defence Brigade;
– Mykola Tovkailo, kobzar, archaeologist, priest, and leader of the Kyiv-based Kobzarskyi Tsekh (Kobzar Guild);
– Taras Dorotskyi, kobzar, lyre player, and member of the Lviv-based Kobzarskyi Tsekh (Kobzar Guild).
For reference:
In late 2022, the “Kobzar-Lirnyk Tradition” (kobzarstvo) was added to Ukraine’s National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. This year, Ukraine submitted a nomination for the “Safeguarding Programme of Kobza and Wheel Lyre Tradition” to be included in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List, with the Ukrainian request prioritized for 2024 review.
Additionally, October 17 marks the International Day of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
