The Ukrainian Institute starts a long-term programme to support translation, promotion, and production of modern Ukrainian drama in European countries, transmission.ua: drama on the move

The Ukrainian Institute starts a long-term programme to support translation, promotion, and production of modern Ukrainian drama in European countries, transmission.ua: drama on the move.

The programme objective is to replenish the repertoire of European theatres with modern Ukrainian drama pieces. The implementation will take place in three countries, Poland, Germany, and the UK, during 2020-2022.

transmission.ua: drama on the move, developed by the Ukrainian Institute, has several stages of implementation. The Institute will support translations of Ukrainian plays into English, German and Polish, issue collections of plays, and support showcase reading of modern Ukrainian prose and productions in partner institutions, theatres, festivals.

"Theatre is an effective and convincing way of intercultural communication, and, therefore, an integral part of cultural diplomacy. Modern dramaturgy is a mirror of a society that retransmits its values, hopes, and worries. That's why we are working to tell Ukrainian stories on the European theatres' stages. Transmission.ua programme includes a lot of participants in this processplaywrights, directors, translators, producers, and, of course, a wide audience abroad", Volodymyr Sheiko, Director General of the Ukrainian Institute.

The idea of implementing the programme arose because of low representation of the modern Ukrainian theatre pieces on the European theatres' stages, the isolation of Ukrainian theatre, and drama in the European humanitarian environment. The art of theatre through the practice of involvement and participation will contribute to the dialogue of Ukrainians with statesmen, journalists, critics, and audiences abroad. In addition, the programme is designed to overcome negative stereotypes about Ukraine by means of modern theatre language.

Anastasiia Haishenets, Head of Performing Arts, tells how the Ukrainian Institute worked on the programme structure:

"While preparing the programme, we studied and analysed the presence of modern theatre pieces in the repertoire of European theatres during the previous eight years. We found out that the intention to rapprochement with the Ukrainian theatre environment was most clearly seen in Poland, Germany, and the UK. However, all the previous translations and stage incarnations of modern Ukrainian plays abroad became possible only due to the support of the European institutions and network organisations in the format of short-term or one-off projects. Our task is to integrate modern theatre pieces into the repertory policy of permanent theatres in Europe, to establish a sustainable presence of Ukrainian subject in the "cultural menu" of a large audience".

In 2020, the Ukrainian Institute will announce a drama contest with a subsequent translation of pieces into German, enter into partnerships with British, German, and Polish theatres to implement the programme, and support the production of a modern Ukrainian drama "Polar Explorers" by Maria Vakula at Kazimierz Dejmek Nowy Theatre (The Kazimierz Dejmek New Theatre) in Lodz city, Poland.