LONG STORY SHORT
The former military Theatre whitch has controversial history. Today Lesia Ukrainka Theatre is represented by the team of young, ambitious and courageous artists, theatre managers — the brigth individuals regardless of gender who are convinced that there is a place for everyone in theatre.
Lesya’s Theater is made up of a spaces. The Stage, the booth, the foyer, the offices, the corridors, the dressing rooms, the galleries, the workshops, the balconies and the cleaning storages with brooms.
Lesya’s Theater is made up of people who fill the spaces. Men and women. Regardless of age, nationality, religion or sexual orientation.
THE TIMELINE:
1911 — the building had been designed and build as Catholic House in Lviv.
1911-1948 — the building was used by various cinemas.
1918-1954 — during different periods of time the different theatres were functioning ta this building.
1954 — tho troupe of Russian Dramatic Theater of the Soviet Army (founded in 1931) had moved into the building; that Theatre was further renamed to Dramatic Theater of the Carpathian Military District.
1991 — the Theatre lost its status and military funding.
2008 — the Theatre became Municipal Theatre of Lviv whitch local budget funding. Since 2011, it has been renamed the Lesia Ukrainka Theater.
2017-… — a new period in the history of this Theatre has begun.
Academy
The «academic» status, which we gained in 2017, is considered both as an award for past achievements and as an advance for the future ones. We are closer to the definition of the academy in a sense of Plato’s «olive grove» — a favorable and safe environment for creativity; a space where experiments and even mistakes are perceived without hostility and condemnation, where the debutants are welcomed and the classics are reconsidered/criticized.
Drama
Among the variety of modern theater genres, we are still focused on drama. More precisely — the emphasis is on the text. For us, Shakespeare’s words are as important and interesting as your thoughts or, for example, thoughts of miners from Dobropillya.
Lesya Ukrainka
For us Lesia Ukrainka is not a random bronze monument. Without exaggeration, she represents an absolutely relevant role model for modern Ukrainians both men and women. Her artistic and intellectual heritage inspires us to «keep our backs straight» and every time to take a critical position of effective potential. We choose the words of her contemporary and friend Olga Kobylyanska — #bethegoalyourself — as a long-term task for all of us.
NEW WAVE OF DECISION MAKING
With long-term experience of work in the non-state sector behind, we are working on developing a new management model of a state cultural institution.
We fight stereotypes, spread the messages of human rights, reflect on war through our work whitch is always based on the transparency of processes and culture of support.
Lesya’s Theater is made up of questions, the answers to which these people are looking for. Relevant and eternal, universal and narrow, personal and current, closed-ended and open-ended. The most important thing is the desire to ask.
DIVERSITY OF CREATIVITY
OUR PRIORITIES:
- interdisciplinary projects — working on relevant topics in cooperation with competent pertners from various fields;
- modern drama — supporting and presenting both Ukrainian and world modern drama;
- development of a new generation — supporting theater makers who are beginners; practicing new forms of theater.
IMMERSIVE PROJECTS
Engaging the audience into the performance process and their emancipation Performances:
DOCUMENTARY AND POST-DRAMATIC PROJECTS
Artistic research and presentation of important social topics Performances:
PROJECTS ADDRESSING SENSITIVE TOPICS
Work on the topics like human rights, feminism, LGBTI+, etc. Performances:
DRAMATIC PROJECTS
Actualization of classical drama through modern reinterpretation Performances:
MODERN DRAMA
Presentation and promotion of modern Ukrainian and world drama through the competitions, the stage readings and the performances.
- Performance «Haldamash»
- Long-term projects — playwrights competition «Drama.UA» and FiT (found in translation)
EDUCATIONAL THEATRE
Projects that combine acting practices, working on stereotypes and soreading the culture of acceptance and human rights:
- Project «School of Lesia’s Theatre»
AUDIO STAGE
A new format of theater popularization through the form of full-lenght audio recordings of the dramatic texts or the texts specially written for the theater.
* * *
Theater is a collaborative form of art. That means it’s strong and weak at the same time. To become stronger, it is important for us to create such an atmosphere for team members, where everyone has the right to express his or her aspirations and to get the opportunity to implement them — not only as an actOr, but also as an Actor. Because we are convinced that the theater should not serve interests or the ambitions of some authoritarian leader. For us, the theater is an independent art created by independent people.
We want to talk about the modern and relevant things, about the «right here and right now», about the things which can make you feel involved. Because in a broader sense, theater means people: those who speak and those who listen to, and moreover – the way they affect each other.
Contact us:
Email: [email protected]