"It doesnt show Ukraine as some sort of heroic country; it's human and it's honest, because that's what war is"
This week marks four years since Russian troops were ordered by President Vladimir Putin to march into Ukraine and carry out his "special operation": the invasion of the country's close neighbour. It is poignant timing then, for the premiere of not one, but five plays under the powerful title Ukraine Unbroken: A Nation’s Fight for Freedom. Conceived by Nicolas Kent (co-director of The Great Game: Afghanistan), it charts 12 turbulent years of modern Ukrainian history, from the 2014 Maidan protests to Russia’s full-scale 2022 invasion. The plays, which are performed with live music by Mariia Petrovska on the bandura (a Ukrainian string instrument), feature:
Always by Jonathan Myerson, documenting a married couple’s experience of the violent Maidan protests;
Five Day War by David Edgar, portraying Russia’s 2022 invasion;
Three Mates by Natalka Vorozhbit and translated by Sasha Dugdale, looking at the different choices a group of friends makes during the war;
Wretched Things by David Greig, which is set on the front line and follows the moral dilemma Ukrainian soldiers face after capturing a wounded North Korean fighter;
Taken by Cat Goscovitch, about a mother’s search for her stolen daughter, inspired by the real abduction of thousands of Ukrainian children.
To learn more, we spoke to Goscovitch, who is the daughter of acclaimed Jewish playwright CP Taylor. She talks about discovering Ukraine, Russian disinformation and her ramshackle upbringing.
Ukraine Unbroken runs Friday 27 February – Saturday 28 March. 7.30pm, 2.30pm (Thu & Sat only). From £15. Arcola Theatre, London, E8 3DL. arcolatheatre.com