1 week Ago
Two plays by Ukrainian writers and featuring Ukrainian performers, which were written in York, will have their world premiere in the city. The performances will take place during the York International Shakespeare Festival, the seventh edition of which will run from April 22 to May 4 this year. The first play, 'Codename Othello,' by Ukrainian writer Olga Annenko, will be performed in translation at York St John University on April 25.
The festival's international adviser, Professor Nicoleta Cinpoes, came across the play, which was originally intended for musical theatre in Kyiv, and was inspired to contact its writer. At that point, only the first scene existed, but Ms Annenko completed the entire script in just two weeks, allowing time for it to be translated and premiered at the festival. Ms Annenko said: "The Othello project is an opportunity to talk about war and some of its hidden manifestations, such as psychological disorders.
"All this, and the complexity of the ordinary world with its tricks, makes the life of a person who has returned from war impossible and unhappy." On Saturday, April 26, the festival will present new work by York’s own Ukrainian theatre group, D:Space. 'There’s No Clock in the Forest' brings together the Ukrainian play 'Mavka' ('The Forest Song') and Shakespeare’s writing about the natural world, and builds on collaborative work between British and Ukrainian actors at last year’s festival.
More information about the York International Shakespeare Festival is available at http://yorkshakes.co.uk/.
