Theater in Ukraine
Theater in Ukraine (Ukrainian: Театральне мистецтво України, Teatralne mystetsvo Ukrayiny – Theatric Arts of Ukraine) is a form of fine arts and cultural expression using live actor's performance in front of spectators.
The origins of Ukrainian theater go back to ancient folk games, dances, songs and Rituals.
"[1] Medieval and Early Modern There were elements of theater during church ceremonies, evident from the frescoes of Saint Sophia's Cathedral in Kyiv (eleventh century).
The Lviv Brotherhood School and Ostroh Academy were considered important centers for the development of religious drama at that time.
The first written references to theatrical performances in Ukraine date back to the second decade of the seventeenth century.
Records also exist of two Ukrainian plays that were performed, in honor of the death of ''John the Baptist'' on August 29, 1619, near Lviv.
[2] In the 17th and 18th centuries the performance of Nativity scenes and Christmas plays at local events spread.
Les Kurbas (who worked as a director, actor, dramaturge and interpreter of world literature) brought the works of William Shakespeare, Henrik Ibsen, Gerhart Hauptmann, Friedrich Schiller and Molière to the Ukrainian stage.
Berezil introduced for the first time the plays of renowned Ukrainian writers and dramaturges Mykola Kulish and Volodymyr Vynnychenko.
Les Kurbas was repressed during the Stalinist period but is now viewed as a very important source of inspiration for contemporary Ukrainian artists.
Ivan Kotlyarevsky, who headed the Poltava Theater,[8] was viewed as a founder of classical Ukrainian drama while Hryhoriy Kvitka-Osnovyanenko plays also found widespread acclaim.
A new era began after the Communist revolution, important writers since include: Mykola Kulish (1892–1962), Ivan Kocherha (1881– 1952), Alexander Korniychuk (1905–1972), and Oles` Honchar (1918).
Talented Ukrainian actors who've appeared on the Berezil stage include: Amvrosiy Buchma, Maryan Krushelnytsky, Olimpia Dobrovolska, Oleksandr Serdyuk, Natalya Uzhviy, and Yuriy Shumsky.
"Volodymyr Kuchynsky’s ‘Les Kurbas Theatre’ from Lviv.” Slavic & East European Performance.
“Inspector General from Kyiv on Stage in Philadelphia”, Slavic and East European Performance.
“’White Butterflies, Plaited Chains: A Live Metamorphosis by Theatre-in-a-Basket from Lviv, Ukraine.” Slavic & East European Performance.
“On the Stages of Ukraine in 1990: From Sholom Aleichem to Mykola Kulish.” Slavic and East European Performance, 11, no.1 (1991): 49-57.
