Shakespeare in Ukraine: Theatre & War
- the Ukrainian shakespeare Festival in Ivano-Frankivsk began not with a play, but with a demonstration.
- The rally preceded a performance of Romeo and Juliet in an abandoned factory and basement, where the audience witnessed young lives destroyed by fate.
- Iryna Chuzhynova, the festival's program director, addressed the audience at the opening reception, acknowledging the challenging decision to hold the event during wartime.
The Ukrainian Shakespeare Festival in Ivano-Frankivsk powerfully confronts the impact of war through theater,opening with a rally supporting Ukrainian prisoners of war. Through performances of plays like “Romeo and Juliet” and Richard Nelson‘s “When the Hurlyburly’s Done,” the festival, using primary_keyword “Shakespeare” and the secondary_keyword “war,” explores themes of conflict and resilience. Actors and audiences alike find solace and reflection in these artistic expressions during these trying times, reflecting parallels to wartime experiences. News directory 3 reports on how the festival highlights the relevance of Shakespeare in understanding and processing the ongoing conflict. Discover what’s next for this poignant cultural event.
Ukrainian Shakespeare Festival Explores War’s Impact Through Theater
updated July 1, 2025
the Ukrainian shakespeare Festival in Ivano-Frankivsk began not with a play, but with a demonstration. hundreds gathered to support Ukrainian prisoners of war, thousands of whom are believed to be held by Russia.
The rally preceded a performance of Romeo and Juliet in an abandoned factory and basement, where the audience witnessed young lives destroyed by fate.
The festival opened with a demonstration to support Ukrainian prisoners of war held in Russian captivity.
Iryna Chuzhynova, the festival’s program director, addressed the audience at the opening reception, acknowledging the challenging decision to hold the event during wartime. the festival explores themes of conflict and resilience through Shakespeare in Ukraine.
Richard nelson’s play, When the Hurlyburly’s Done, performed in Ukrainian translation, is set after such a performance. The all-female cast from Kyiv’s Theater on Podil portrays women from Les Kurbas’s company sharing a meal and conversation.
Nelson described the play as young actresses performing a play amid war. The characters grapple with uncertainty, violence, and fear, finding comfort in each other’s presence.
Yulia Brusentseva,a cast member,noted the play’s parallels to current events. Maria Demenko, another actor, added that war is inseparable from their lives, making the future uncertain.
Each performance concluded with a moment of silence for Yuriy Felipenko, a company member killed at the front.
‘Almost everything’ in When the Hurlyburly’s Done is ‘very similar to events happening now’, said one cast member.
Prof. Michael Dobson, head of the Shakespeare Institute at Birmingham University, observed the heightened emotional impact of tragedy during wartime. He contrasted the experience with theater back home, noting the profound meaning it holds for Ukrainian actors and audiences.
dobson recalled Shakespeare’s significance in Britain during World War II, citing John Gielgud’s Hamlet and Laurence Olivier’s Henry V as morale boosters. He also mentioned denholm Elliott’s role in Twelfth Night in a prisoner-of-war camp.
He recounted his father’s experience seeing Donald Wolfit as Lear during the London bombings, a performance he felt could not be replicated in peacetime.
Dobson noted that the Nazis also engaged with Shakespeare, referencing Werner Krauss’s controversial portrayal of Shylock in a 1943 production of The Merchant of Venice.
what’s next
The festival aims to continue exploring the relevance of Shakespeare in understanding and processing the ongoing conflict, providing solace and reflection for both performers and audiences.