The third episode of a stage reading series presenting contemporary Ukrainian drama and the voices of Ukrainian artists who joined the defence of Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion take place in Canada 20 August 2026.
The reading feature plays by three Ukrainian playwrights – Alina Sarnatska, Antonina Krym, and Oleksandr Zhuhan. Before the full-scale invasion, they worked in theatre, writing plays, creating worlds, and telling stories. With the outbreak of the war, they left their professional and personal lives behind to join the defence of Ukraine.
Their work offers an opportunity to encounter contemporary Ukraine beyond the headlines, political discussions, casualty statistics, and images of destruction. Theatre provides a different way of encountering the Ukrainian experience — through humour, contradictions, anger, imagination, personal stories, and an immense desire to live.
The reading features Ben Gorodetsky, Anastasia Pioro, Lidiia Semesiuk, and Katya Oleinikov (Ponomarenko).
The event is the third episode in a stage reading series presented by INSTITUT and SVI, and curated by Pyretic Productions.
The project is also dedicated to Ukrainian veterans in Canada and seeks to create a space for listening, reflection, and encounter with Ukrainian voices through theatre.
according to organizer and director Mariya Khomutova