The global initiative Worldwide Ukrainian Play Readings, launched by US director and translator John Friedman, continues. The texts of Ukrainian playwrights, especially those written after the beginning of the large-scale invasion of Russia to Ukraine on February 24, 2022, are promptly translated into English, German, Slovak, Romanian, French, and readings are conducted with the participation of foreign actors and directors in various theaters. Raised funds are donated to help Ukraine.
Since March 2022, more than 140 readings have been held around the world - in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, France, Romania, Moldova, Finland, Sweden, Slovakia and other countries. In May-June, not only Ukrainian playwrights but also Ukrainian theaters - directors and actors joined this initiative. Thus, a number of readings were also held in Ukraine.
44 performative readings took place in Canada (Periscope Theater with featuring performance of Robert LePage), UK (The Guardian names Finborough's stream reading of Neda Nejdana's "Otvetka" one of the best pieces of theater online for the month of June), France (Théâtre dans la Forêt), Germany (Theaters in Potsdam, Bielefeld, Coburg, Mülheim, Augsburg, Regensburg and Nuernberg), Ireland, Moldova, Sweden, Slovakia, Finland and the USA in June, 2022. This includes reading in theaters, on the radio, in various online formats. One of the most important documentary film festivals Sheffield.docs hosted a presentation of a film comissioned by Noah Birksted-Breen and the Sputnik Theater based on Peace and Tranquility by Andriy Bondarenko.