At the Spring Readings 2026 festival, audiences will experience a powerful evening dedicated to contemporary Ukrainian theater and the lived realities of war – “Antonina (Ukraine).” Presented as a staged reading, the program combines documentary theater, autobiographical writing, and an intimate exploration of identity, survival, and human connection.
The festival runs from April 23 through June 1, 2026, and features contemporary plays by award-winning European playwrights. All readings are presented free of charge, with a suggested donation. The program examines how writers from Central and Eastern Europe respond to today’s turbulent political and social realities while reflecting on how artists of previous generations confronted historical crises of their own.
The evening May 21 begins with “A Text for Theater” by Antonina Crimea, translated by John Freedman. Directed by Wayne Maugans and performed by Niccolò Walsh, the piece is a raw autobiographical monologue written in a single breathless sitting from a combat position in the trenches. The work creates a rare theatrical space where the immediacy of the front line collides with the presence of the audience in the theater.
The second part of the program, “Antonina,” is a documentary drama by Tetiana Kytsenko, translated by John Freedman together with Nataliia Bratus. Directed by Lisa Rothe and featuring performances by Ellen Nikbakht and Kathleen Salazar, the play follows Antonina Crimea, a nonbinary soldier confronting their prewar civilian self in a deeply personal dialogue. Stripping away romanticized myths of combat, the piece portrays the trenches as a brutal equalizer where identity is reduced to its essence and profound human bonds are forged.
The event is produced in association with Voyage Theater Company as part of the international initiatives LINKAGES: Ukraine and Worldwide Ukrainian Play Readings, both supervised by the Center for International Theatre Development.