Theatre Novi Most To Present THE UKRANIAN WORDS PROJECT

As part of the Worldwide Readings Project, Theatre Novi Most is bringing The Ukrainian Words Project to various locations in the Twin Cities area and greater Minnesota.

Under the direction of founders Lisa Channer and Vladimir Rovinsky, staged readings of new plays by Ukrainian playwrights will be performed alongside optional community Story Circles.

The Ukrainian Words Project openings Monday, April 29, 2024 at 7:30 PM and runs through Sunday, May 12, 2024 at 7:30 PM.

Performing at various locations across Minnesota including the Ukrainian American Community Center (Minneapolis), Minnesota State University (Mankato), The Museum of Russian Art (Minneapolis), History Theatre (St. Paul), Barbara Barker Center for Dance (Minneapolis), and Zeitgeist Center for Arts & Community (Duluth).

Each event will begin with an hour-long staged reading, followed by optional Story Circles where light refreshments will be provided. Admission is FREE, with limited seating available. Donations to support Ukrainian efforts are highly encouraged. Reservations will be available online in late March 2024 at theatrenovimost.org.

Readings will be performed in English with printed play texts provided in Ukrainian. Ukrainian and Russian translators are available during Story Circles to all who wish to participate. ASL interpreters are available upon request.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The Ukrainian Words Project features new play readings and optional Story Circles with members of the Ukrainian diaspora here in Minnesota. In an effort to uplift Ukrainian voices, each event presents an hour-long staged reading of excerpts from newly commissioned plays by Ukrainian playwrights written since the war began in February 2022. We present excerpts from the following works: A Dictionary of Emotions in War Time by Olena Astasyeva, Call Them by Their Names by Tetyana Kitsenko, Harry Potter by Yurii Hudymenko, I Want to Go Home by Oksana Savchenko, Just Tell No One by Oksana Savchenko, Peace and Tranquility by Andriy Bondarenko, Planting an Apple Tree by Iryna Harets, Three Attempts to Improve Daily Life by Maksym Kurochkin, and Three Rendezvous by Natalka Vorozhbyt.

The readings are followed by optional community Story Circles, a structured practice developed by UNESCO for developing intercultural competencies. Leaders of the Story Circles will facilitate and welcome a collective processing of the work and sharing of stories from our Ukrainian and post-Soviet community members. Story Circles give Ukrainians, others from the post Soviet diaspora, and general audiences in Minnesota a chance to process what's happening in Ukraine and the war's effect on them. In collaboration with the storytellers, the narratives told will be turned into a new piece of verbatim theatre by Theatre Novi Most in 2025-2026. This production is part of the Worldwide Readings Project. Event promotional graphic is available for media use here (Design by Sofia Rovinskaya).

MORE ON THE WORLDWIDE READINGS PROJECT:

The Worldwide Readings Project (WRP) was founded by John Freedman, long-time theatre critic for The Moscow Times and author of countless books on Russian dramatic literature, in an effort to share new works by Ukrainian playwrights and raise money for Ukrainian war relief. WRP is actively encouraging theatre companies and performance groups around the world to stage readings of plays by Ukrainian playwrights which protest against the unjust war in their country. Read more about The Worldwide Readings Project here. Read John Freedman's letters to the international theater community, and view participating organizations here.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM

The Ukrainian Words Project is directed and produced by Theatre Novi Most founders Lisa Channer and Vladimir Rovinsky, with stage management by Jaya Robillard, and community outreach coordination by Olivia Brantstetter. The readings are performed by Barbra Berlovitz, Pearce Bunting, Paul de Cordova, and Adelin Phelps, with music by Lev and Olga Frayman, and Yev Rosso.

ABOUT THEATRE NOVI MOST

Theatre Novi Most (Russian for "Theatre of a New Bridge") was founded in 1998 by Russian director Vladimir Rovinsky and American director Lisa Channer. We combine the artistic traditions of the former states of the Soviet Union and America to create performances in which disparate ideas, languages, cultures and ideologies can clash, commingle and cross-pollinate. We believe theatre is at its most engaging when it is charting unknown territory. Therefore, we build works for the stage that conjure new theatrical languages and build innovative bridges across artistic barriers. Theatre Novi Most is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where we have worked to adapt or create new works for the stage through a rigorous and expansive process of exploration and improvisation. 

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