Ukrainian War Relief: Worldwide Reading Project
DIRECTED BY Lisa Channer and Vladimir Rovinsky
STAGE MANAGER Jared Zeigler*
LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR
Theatre Novi Most was approached by John Freedman about participating in part two of the Worldwide Readings Project and we immediately said yes. Playwrights are the bards of our collective culture and by directly sharing Ukrainian playwrights’ perspective on the war, we help them to bear witness to this crucible of a moment. Like so many, Volodya and I have family and friends in Ukraine and Russia and it is surreal and infuriating to watch the war from abroad. Through this project we are able to gather in solidarity with other theater artists, audiences, and Minnesotans as we stand in solidarity, raise badly needed funds for Ukrainian relief, and uplift the words of our fellow artists in Ukraine and in exile. We are very grateful to The Playwrights' Center, The Jungle Theater and The Museum of Russian Art for partnering with us on this.
FEATURING
Call Them by Their Names by Tetyana Kitsenko
A Dictionary of Emotions During War time by Yelena Astasyeva
Peace and Tranquility by Andrii Bondarenko
Our Children by Natalia Blok
I Want to go Home by Oksana Savchenko
The Peed Upon Personnel Carrier by Oksana Grytsenko
Planting an Apple Tree by Iryna Harets
CAST
Barbra Berlovitz
Sun Mee Chomet*
Paul de Cordova*
Adelin Phelps
With Special musical performances by Lev & Olga Frayman
All plays translated from the Ukrainian by John Freedman and Natalia Bratus except Peace and Tranquility which was translated by John Farndon
These plays were written in March 2022 as a commission from Philip Arnault's Center for
International Theater Development (U.S.) with support from the Trust for Mutual Understanding
Special Thanks: Angela Timberman, John Freedman
* These actors and stage managers are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Barbra Berlovitz
She/Her
Barbra Berlovitz co-founded the 2005 Tony award winning Theatre de la Jeune Lune. For thirty years she acted, directed, taught and was instrumental in the artistic leadership of this internationally acclaimed company. Barbra teaches, acts and directs in the Twin Cities where she is also Affiliate Faculty at the University of Minnesota, Augsburg University and Macalester College.
Sun Mee Chomet
She/Her
Sun Mee Chomet is a St. Paul-based actor, playwright, and educator. She has worked at Lincoln Center’s LCT3, Jungle Theater, Penumbra Theatre, Hartford Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse, Kansas City Repertory, Syracuse Stage, Guthrie Theater, Ten Thousand Things Theater, and many more. Sun Mee is honored to lend her voice to Ukrainians, and shed light on the human impact of war throughout the world.
Paul de Cordova
He/Him
Paul de Cordova is a theatre artist and educator living in the Twin Cities. He has worked with Novi Most, the Guthrie, Red Bird, TigerLion Arts, Pillsbury House, the Illusion, and Penumbra, among others. He is the Education Manager at History Theatre and an Associate Company Member at Pillsbury House.
Adelin Phelps
She/Her
Adelin Phelps is a Minneapolis based stage, film and voice over artist. She has worked and created with the Guthrie Theater, New Dawn Theatre Company (company member), Transatlantic Love Affair (core and founding member), The Playwrights' Center, History Theatre, Park Square Theatre, Girl Friday Productions, Carlyle Brown & Company, Theater Latté Da, and more. Adelin received her B.A. in Theatre Arts from Coe College and studied with The Actors Workout, Guthrie Theater from 2010–2018. Visit adelinphelps.com to learn more about her.
Lev & Olga Frayman
This power duo from Minneapolis, Minnesota who has been performing (and living) together for more than 17 years. Their unique style combines acoustic Russian bard music with rock and roll hits through guitar improvisations and powerful vocals.
Theatre navi most
Directors
Founded by directors Lisa Channer and Vladimir Rovinsky, Theatre Novi Most (“Theatre of a New Bridge”) came to the Twin Cities in 2007 with the mission to bridge the theatre traditions of Russia and the United States. We were part of the Worldwide Reading Project/Belarus in 2020 and we are heartened to continue this collective global action with theatre artists fighting autocracy and fascism in over 30 countries with WRP/Ukraine. www.theatrenovimost.org.
Jared zeigler
He/Him
Jared Zeigler is a theater maker that wears many hats. He has managed stories and relationships across Minnesota, most often as a stage manager or devising collaborator. Jared is the Performing Arts Manager at Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts and is honored to help uplift the work you'll hear this evening.
DONATE TODAY
Launched in 2014, Come Back Alive is the biggest organization providing support to the Armed Forces of Ukraine https://www.comebackalive.in.ua/
The Ukrainian Emergency Performing Artists fund provides direct aid to independent artists who are staying in Ukraine during the war https://www.uepaf.org.ua/
Help The Children has provided non-stop assistance to affected children and families from all over the country since 2015, providing emergency psychological assistance, and assisting in the evacuation process https://voices.org.ua/donat/