Actors as messengers.
Ukrainian refugees just want to be seen
We were supposed to be done with this, weren’t we? Children fleeing conflict and persecution in war-torn Europe should belong to the annals of history, it being some 85 years since the Kindertransport saved over 10,000 children. But here we are again - this time it is Ukrainian citizens fleeing their homes for a future that is far from certain, or indeed, not always welcoming.
Once Upon a Time in Ukraine takes personal testimonies of Ukrainian refugees who were relocated from the east of Ukraine to the west, Germany, and other parts of Europe. In some cases, those who fled may have been the fortunate ones, with 95% of residential properties destroyed in Mariupol alone. A humanitarian disaster and war crimes ensued. Using these testimonies, the troupe (Slava Krasowska, Maryna Boyko, Kira Meshcherska, and Vero Strelstova) in some cases creates imagined narratives, giving glimpses of possible outcomes, situations, and futures. The production is a patchwork of ideas and theatrical styles - drama, comedy, dance, and song - but collectively it is simply storytelling. The group breaks the fourth wall with significant audience interaction, including, at one point, what appears to be an improvised promenade.
We learn of refugees’ journeys and new lives. They experience an array of emotions: desperation, vulnerability, exhaustion, isolation, fear, thirst, banality, hunger, boredom. They may be viewed with suspicion even in their own country, such is the fear of Russian infiltration. They will experience culture shock, especially in small German towns where it will be harder to blend in. All in all, traumatic.
The play, imaginatively directed by Alex Borovenskiy and Natalia Ponomaryova, could use an edit, with some scenes landing better than others. Performing in a foreign language is never straightforward, and on occasion some dialogue was a little hard to catch, but this is a very minor point and their efforts are highly commendable.
This production is overwhelmingly charming, joyous and uplifting; it would take a heart of stone not to be moved. The takeaway is that the indefatigability of the human spirit will prevail. ProEnglish Theatre of Ukraine, on behalf of their people, are not looking for our sympathy - they just want the world to see them. Actors as messengers has rarely been more true.
