We in Ukraine

FESTIVAL OF MUTUALITY 14 – 28 APRIL 2024

CZECH–UKRAINIAN FESTIVALS IN 5 CITIES OF UKRAINE – RIVNE, ZHYTOMYR, CHERNIHIV, KYIV, IVANO-FRANKIVSK

The Festival of Mutuality is a Czech–Ukrainian encounter, both theatrical and human. The destinies of the two countries have drawn very close over the past two years – thanks to the interest in Ukraine and the support it receives from many people in the Czech Republic, and thanks to Ukrainian culture which, together with those fleeing the war, enriches life in Czechia. This is even more true in the arts than in other areas of life. Because of the ties that are being formed, the future will be shared for at least many years to come.

The Festival of Mutuality is a small example of how it is possible to be together and what can be created together. It seeks to be a promise of the future, a place for forming new affinities, and the beginning of new joint projects.

The festival presents productions that reflect the contemporary world and human life in it, because one of the purposes of theatre is to contribute to understanding, to reveal reality, and to penetrate beneath the surface. It also presents purely poetic productions, because another purpose of theatre is to offer beauty, light, and spirituality. In each of the selected festival cities, local artists and their work are invited into the programme.

The Czech part of the programme consists of 7 productions by 4 ensembles. Divadlo Líšeň will present “Sávitrí”, an ancient Indian legend in the form of Asian shadow theatre about a love that overcomes a cruel fate, and “Angels from the Forest”, a Roma fairy tale for children.

The ensemble Teď nádech a leť will present two productions and a series of theatrical miniatures. The first production, “And People Live. Abdul”, raises questions about forgiving the unforgivable against the backdrop of stories from the war in Chechnya. The second, entitled “They Are Coming. What Do They Want? What Do We Want?”, is dedicated to the lives of those who leave their homes. The “Miniatures” are short pieces on themes that strongly affect their authors at the present time.

Divadlo Feste will offer the documentary production “Grief”, created on the basis of interviews with Ukrainian teenagers in Czechia and mapping their lives and feelings. “Traces of Human Presence” by scenographer, architect, and performer Debora Štysová balances on the border between performance and a meditation on space – how human life is reflected in it and how the past is influenced by the present.

The theatres Teď nádech a leť and Feste collaborate with Ukrainian actresses who have found refuge from the war in the Czech Republic and an opportunity to develop their work. The Ukrainian theatres participating in the festival will present productions created during the war, which in various ways touch on the theme of war.

Alongside theatre, the festival will also present the film “Paradox” by Ukrainian actress and director Maria Tatarynova about the lives and feelings of Ukrainian female students in Czechia, a shadow theatre workshop for children, a workshop focused on developing sensitivity to space and to one’s own body in space, as well as a concert by Pavla Dombrovská from Divadlo Líšeň. In addition, there will be room for discussions on the themes of the individual productions and for meetings of all participants.

Over time, the Festival of Mutuality will take place in Rivne, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, Kyiv, and Ivano-Frankivsk.