Dash Arts' thought-provoking drama will leave you fulfilled – in more ways than one
Some years ago, my late husband and I hosted a Ukrainian rabbinical student in our home. This led to my first experience of the vast and beautiful country, in 2005, when we were invited to his wedding. We returned several times to different parts of Ukraine, coming to love and admire the nation's feisty, good-natured people, before the rabbi himself was forced to flee and eventually settle in Slovakia with his young family.
With the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine, and relocation of so many of its people in the UK, many other Brits have come to share my affection and admiration. One of the most effective and influential voices to speak up for the Eastern European country is Josephine Burton, artistic director and chief executive of Dash Arts, who has teamed up with Ukrainian playwright Anastasiia Kosodii to co-write and direct The Reckoning.
A feisty and intelligent female journalist (Marianne Oldham) makes the risky journey to Stoyanka, a ruined village near the Russian border, almost reduced to rubble by the conflict. She is anxious to interview Ukrainian locals and strikes lucky when she meets a nightwatchman who refuses to flee alongside his fellow villagers, partly for the sake of his beloved guard dogs. Tom Godwin is at once ordinary, yet extraordinarily plucky and down to earth in this role.
The stage is set for a close-up of the shattering effects of war on a small village. We do not learn The Journalist’s name, nor that of The Man from Stoyanka who tells her his story. The other two cast members, however, are both Ukrainian actors now living in the UK and play a number of roles: Olga Safranova, playing Olga, Echo, The Volunteer at the Train Station and The Dentist, and Simeon Kyslyi, who plays Sam. They also break the fourth wall and speak directly to the audience as necessary.
That The Journalist and her interviewee can be seated together at a table adds a touch of normality, even though the wall behind them is shattered and there is clearly further destruction visible through its scattered bricks (with a cleverly and defiantly symbolic pattern in the yellow and blue colours of the Ukrainian flag projected on to it). In Zoë Hurwitz’s design and Joshua Pharo’s lighting, the destruction contrasts with the slivers of what remains of the everyday, delivering a message of defiance. There is a richly-patterned carpet and a kitchen with utensils, mixing bowls, crockery and even sweet and freshly smelling herbs and vegetables.
As the Man tells his story, he actually begins work on creating a salad. Meanwhile, Olga and Sam share some of their own story with The Journalist (and thus the audience), often illustrated with vivid movement directed by Josie Daxter. There is music from Anton Baibakov, but there is room for silence too.
Burton and Dash Arts, via her partners The Reckoning Project, have collected material from transcripts of testimonies given to journalists by survivors and witnesses. The hope is that this will eventually provide evidence towards prosecuting Russian aggressors. Hearing them first in Ukrainian from Olga and Sam, with almost simultaneous interpretation by The Journalist is dramatic and moving.
To cap it all, the audience gets to take home tiny pots of that aromatic salad, along with a brightly-coloured recipe card by food consultant Olia Hercules. Of course, we take home much more to remind us of the ongoing struggle that faces Ukraine.
By Judi Herman
Photos by Ikin Yum
The Reckoning runs until until Saturday 28 June. 7pm, 3.30pm (Sat only). £29, £20 concs. Arcola Theatre, E8 3DL. arcolatheatre.com