A collection of modern Ukrainian plays, edited by Molly Flynn, has recently been released by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. Ukrainian New Drama After the Euromaidan Revolution brings together significant literary works from the country's post-Revolution period, introducing numerous of these works to an English audience for the first time. Beyond featuring well-established figures from the European theatrical scene like Natalka Vorozhbyt (Take the Rubbish Out, Sasha) and Maksym Kurochkin (Tolyk the Diaryman), this anthology also includes noteworthy plays from the subsequent generation of Ukrainian playwrights, including Natalka Blok (Bomb), Andrii Bondarenko (House of Ghosts. Why. We. Fled. Donbas), Anastsiia Kosodii (A Time Traveller's Guide to Donbas), Lena Lagushonkova (The Mother by Gorky), Olha Matsiupa (Pilates Time), and Kateryna Penkova (I Don't Remember the Name). As a collective body, these plays offer a multifaceted depiction of Ukraine, a nation grappling with the intricacies of the Revolution, the ensuing war, and the aftermath, both on personal and political levels.
An integral aspect of the extraordinary culture of defiance and resilience that Ukrainians forged during this period involves the innovative methods of arts activism, particularly within the realm of performing arts. Over the span of eight years between Euromaidan and the full-scale invasion, Ukraine experienced a remarkable surge in socially engaged performance practices. Notably, playwriting has emerged as an indispensable genre for artists seeking to bear witness to the war's consequences and to establish platforms for the reclamation of historical and cultural narratives. The collection encapsulates this fervour and introduces this essential and vital body of work to the English-speaking world for the very first time.