Mariupol Drama at HOME
Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor
HOME Manchester launches its 2025 theatre season with the UK premiere of Mariupol Drama, a production based on the true testimonies of the actors who sought refuge in the Donetsk Regional Drama Theatre in Mariupol during the tragic events of March 2022, when Russian forces invaded the city and bombed the theatre.
Directed by Ukraine Artist Yevhen Tyshchuk, with text by Oleksandr Gavrosh – based on real-life accounts from the actors – this hour-long documentary performance captures the most intense moments in this story of survival, allowing the audience to directly experience that reality.
When the Russian army laid siege to Mariupol in mid-March 2022, the Mariupol Drama Theatre, a shining symbol of Ukrainian culture, was completely destroyed; a pile of ruins on a site where storytelling used to thrive. At the time of the strike, the theatre had been sheltering over 1000 people, including approximately 20 theatre employees. Mariupol Drama sees these real-life perspectives presented on HOME‘s stage.
Expect to hear these poignant stories of survival recounted and performed by an ensemble of four former Mariupol-based actors. Holding artefacts that remind them of their time sheltering in the theatre,
Vira Lebedynska, Olena Bila, and Ihor Kytrysh, alongside Olena and Ihor’s son Matvii, all speak about their own experiences from the stage. Video footage captured on their phones is also integrated into the production.
Of the performance, actor Olena Bila, told us, “Mariupol Drama is an account of our creative life in the city of Mariupol, and the cultural development of the city before the full-scale Russian invasion distorted our peaceful life. In bringing it to the UK we hope to convey our personal testimonies about these events, to share a fair and true story of the life of the people of Mariupol, and to say that the city existed, and there was a theatre. Our theatre is alive, our theatre is fighting. It is restored not to cry, but to fight.”
There will be just four performances of Mariupol Drama happening at HOME this January. Don’t miss out.
