How Ukrainian Actors Tell Tales of War Onstage
The war in Ukraine has been raging for more than a year, displacing millions of people and destroying countless cultural sites. But some Ukrainian actors have not given up on their art and their homeland. They have taken their stories of war to the stage, performing in a play that depicts the human cost of the conflict.
The play is called Special Operation, named after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine. It was written by Anatoli Zinovenko, a well-known actor back in his homeland. He and his wife Tetyana – who also stars in the play – were forced to flee Ukraine ten days into Russia’s invasion, after seeing “rockets and helicopters swirling” above their Kyiv home.
“It was impossible to understand, no one believed that there would be a war, but it happened,” said 62-year-old Zinovenko, who has starred in several Ukrainian films, series and performances. The actor had not written a play before, but when he and his family found safety in Denmark, he said that "everything that was in my heart, it all came out on paper".
“Everything I heard, saw and understood. I wanted to put it all on paper,” he said.
The play tells the story of two Ukrainian women who become the sole survivors of a Russian attack on their village. A Russian soldier, injured and abandoned by his platoon, breaks into their home, forcing the women to decide whether to offer him help or exact revenge. Zinovenko, who plays the Russian soldier, calls it a tale of "heroism, humanity and spirituality".
“The women, who have switched places with this occupier, have the opportunity to kill him, but they do not kill him. Why? Because they are not capable of it,” he said.
The play opened in Denmark’s second-largest city Aarhus on Saturday evening. It is the sixteenth performance of Special Operation in Denmark. Organisers described the play as building a “cultural bridge” between Ukraine and Denmark, which has welcomed some 30,000 Ukrainian refugees since the war began in February 2022. Profits will be donated to humanitarian organisations working in Ukraine.
“We in Denmark only know about this war from the media, from high electricity prices or high food prices,” said the head of the Katapult Theatre, Torben Dahl. "What we can do is make people in Denmark aware of this situation on a more human level".
According to the UN cultural agency UNESCO, over 250 cultural sites have been damaged in the war including the Mariupol Theatre, destroyed by an airstrike while sheltering civilians. “A lot of people of art are now at the front. Many of my acquaintances are fighting,” said Zinovenko, whose younger brother is also on the front lines. "I hope that we will perform the play not only in Denmark, of course in Ukraine as well".
The play is a powerful reminder of the resilience and courage of the Ukrainian people, who are fighting for their freedom and dignity against a brutal aggressor. It is also a testament to the power of art and culture to heal wounds and inspire hope.
