First creative collaboration of Ivan Uryvskyi with servicemen of the “Azov” regiment.
The Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theatre and the 1st Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine “Azov” are starting work on the play “Odyssey. Maeotis” – a production that will combine the classic European myth with the lived experience of war for the first time in Ukrainian theatre.
The play will be directed by Ivan Uryvskyi, whose productions have become some of the most resonant events in Ukrainian theatre in recent years. This is the first time the director is approaching a work by a contemporary military playwright for a large-scale stage production. For “Azov,” this collaboration is an attempt to talk about war through artistic imagery, not just through documenting events.
The production is based on Homer’s “Odyssey,” reimagined as a story of return. Not a triumphant one, but a difficult one – returning home, to one’s own name, to memories of oneself and one’s country. The classical text will coexist with real testimonies of the defenders of Mariupol – not as an illustration, but as a full-fledged voice. The text was written by serviceman and playwright Oleksiy Durychevskyi.
“The story of the defense of Mariupol is told by the media through the eyes of civilians. What happened to the warriors who took on the heaviest burden of the fight? The prism of theatre allows us to speak less about numbers and events and turn to the human soul. What happens to feelings there? By telling about feelings, we tell the stories of real people,” shares Oleksiy Durychevskyi.
The name “Maeotis” refers to the ancient Greek name for the Sea of Azov. In the play, it appears not as a geographical location, but as a symbol of a long journey home – a journey towards a dream.
“Thousands have given their lives, hundreds are in captivity. And now is the time, through the means of art, primarily theatre, which is capable of conveying important messages through imagery, historical parallels, and recognizable world myths, to form a narrative of resilience and the hard-won right to a free, independent, democratic European state for future generations!” believes Yevhen Nyshchuk, General Director and Artistic Director of the Franko Theatre.
The cast of “Odyssey. Maeotis” includes Daniil Miroshkin, Akmal Gurezov, Olena Khokhlatkina, Larisa Rusnak, Daria Leheida, Maria Rudinska, Vitaliy Azhnov, Dmytro Chernov, Andriy Saminin, Serhiy Kalantai, Mykhailo Kukuyuk, Ivan Sharan, Ivan Bilash, Roman Yasynovskyi, Ivan Dovzhenko, and Yan Kornev. The video part is created by Oksana Bondarenko.
The costumes for the play are created by RIOTDIVISION – a Ukrainian brand of functional clothing that unites people from different backgrounds around the culture of free thinking and action.
Previously, we also wrote about the reinterpretation of an ancient myth through the lens of modern warfare on the stage of the Franko Theatre – the play “Trojan War” directed by David Petrosyan.
Джерело новини: elle.ua