The Ukrainian National Home in Lviv, 1864

Theater in Ukraine ( uk, Театральне мистецтво України, ''Teatralne mystetsvo Ukrayiny'' – Theatric Arts of Ukraine) is a form of

fine arts In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...

and cultural expression using live actor's performance in front of spectators. Ukrainian theater draws on the native traditions, language and

culture of Ukraine The culture of Ukraine is the composite of the material and spiritual values of the Ukrainian people that has formed throughout the history of Ukraine. It is closely intertwined with ethnic studies about ethnic Ukrainians and Ukrainian historiog ...

. The first known records of Ukrainian theater trace back to the early 17th century.

History

Origins

The origins of Ukrainian theater go back to ancient folk games, dances, songs and

Ritual A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized, b ...

s. In the 11th century entertainers known as skomorokhy performed in Ukraine. Also Pre-Christian performance in Ukraine was enriched by a "deep reverence and respect for the Supreme Being." Medieval and Early Modern There were elements of theater during church ceremonies, evident from the frescoes of Saint Sophia's Cathedral in

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

(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. The performances were brought from the West by

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

who were joining the brotherhood schools and other Ukrainian schools. The performances were used on a large scale as Jesuit propaganda. The texts of the plays "Christmas Day proclamation", which was performed in honor of the '' Bishop of Lviv Jeremiah Tisarovsky "(c. 1615 AD) and Jacob Javantovich" (1619 AD) have survived to this day. Records also exist of two Ukrainian plays that were performed, in honor of the death of ''

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

'' on August 29, 1619, near

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...

17th to 19th Centuries

In the 17th and 18th centuries the performance of Nativity scenes and Christmas plays at local events spread. And in the 17th century

vertep In the Ukrainian culture, vertep (Cyrillic: вертеп) is a portable puppet theatre and drama, which presents the nativity scene, other mystery plays, and later secular plots as well. The original meaning of the word is "secret place", "cave" ...

, portable puppet theaters, became popular. The first stationary theater in Ukraine was opened in

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine. In the rest of Ukraine theatrical troupes toured and performed "on the road". In the early 19th century theaters started to appear in Kyiv (1806),

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

(1809),

Poltava Poltava (, ; uk, Полтава ) is a city located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the capital city of the Poltava Oblast (province) and of the surrounding Poltava Raion (district) of the oblast. Poltava is administratively ...

(1808). In the second half of the 19th century amateur theater became popular. The first Ukrainian professional theater (1864–1924) was the Ruska Besida Theater in Lviv. Іван Котляревський

20th Century

Mykola Sadovsky established the first resident theater in Kyiv in 1907. Soon after Ukrainian statehood in 1918 the State Drama Theater was created. The "Young Theater" (later the theater " Berezil") was created in Kyiv by

Les Kurbas Oleksandr-Zenon Stepanovych Kurbas ( ua , Олександр-Зенон Степанович Курбас; 24 February 1887– 30 November 1937), was a Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something rel ...

and

Hnat Yura Hnat Petrovych Yura ( uk, Гнат Петрович Юра, ; also Gnat Yura; – January 18, 1966) was a Soviet and Ukrainian director, actor of theatre and film, pedagogue. He directed two films, and appeared on screen six times during the ...

(who worked as a director, actor, dramaturge and interpreter of world literature) brought the works of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

, Gerhart Hauptmann,

Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friends ...

and

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

to the Ukrainian stage. With the creation of Berezil theater its stage became a sort of experimental ground. Berezil introduced for the first time the plays of renowned Ukrainian writers and dramaturges

Mykola Kulish Mykola Hurovych Kulish ( uk, Микола Гурович Куліш) (19 December 1892 – 3 November 1937) was a Ukrainian prose writer, playwright, pedagogue, veteran of World War I, and Red Army veteran. He is considered to be one of the le ...

and Volodymyr Vynnychenko. Les Kurbas was repressed during the

Stalinist Stalinism is the means of governing and Marxist-Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union from 1927 to 1953 by Joseph Stalin. It included the creation of a one-party totalitarian police state, rapid industrialization, the theory o ...

period but is now viewed as a very important source of inspiration for contemporary Ukrainian artists. Curbas

While the Young Theater was promoting

Avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

Theater, The State Drama Theater continued traditions of

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

Ivan Kotlyarevsky Ivan Petrovych Kotliarevsky ( uk, Іван Петрович Котляревський) ( in Poltava – in Poltava, Russian Empire, now Ukraine) was a Ukrainian writer, poet and playwright, social activist, regarded as the pioneer of modern Ukra ...

, who headed the Poltava Theater, was viewed as a founder of classical Ukrainian drama while

Hryhoriy Kvitka-Osnovyanenko Hryhorii Kvitka-Osnovianenko ( ua, Григорій Квітка-Основ'яненко, 29 November 1778 – 20 August 1843) was a Ukrainian writer, journalist, and playwright. Founder of Ukrainian classicist prose. He was born in the vicinity o ...

plays also found widespread acclaim.

Modern

In 1988, Volodymyr Kuchynskyi and his colleagues formed the Lviv Young Ukrainian Theatre, which they later renamed the Les Kurbas Theatre. The Les Kurbas Theatre has become the premier avant-garde theatre in Ukraine, receiving recognition and state support from the Ukrainian government. Ukrainian Theater has been increasingly integrated into European culture and there are a number of international theater festivals, which are held in Ukraine every year.

Notable Individuals

Important Ukrainian playwrights from before 1917 include: Mark Kropyvnytsky (1840–1910), Ivan Tobilevich (1845–1907), Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky (1864–1913), Ivan Franko (1856–1916) and Lesia Ukrayinka (1871–1913). A new era began after the Communist revolution, important writers since include:

(1892–1962), Ivan Kocherha (1881– 1952), Alexander Korniychuk (1905–1972), and Oles` Honchar (1918). Many notable 19th century Ukrainian theater luminaries started out in amateur theater such as:

Mykhailo Starytsky Mykhailo Petrovych Starytsky ( uk, Михайло Петрович Старицький; 14 December 1840 – 27 April 1904), in English Michael Starycky, was a Ukrainian writer, poet, and playwright.Marko Kropyvnytsky and

Ivan Karpenko-Karyi Ivan Karpovych Tobilevych, ( uk, Іва́н Ка́рпович Тобіле́вич, ; rus, Ива́н Ка́рпович Тобиле́вич, r=Ivan Karpovich Tobilevich, p=ɪˈvan ˈkarpəvʲɪtɕ təbʲɪˈlʲevʲɪtɕ; ) known by his pseud ...

. The leading 19th century female star of the Ukrainian was Maria Zankovetska. The renowned theatrical family of Tobilevychi also rose to prominence in the 19th century:

Mykola Sadovsky Mykola ( uk, Мико́ла, Mykóla, ) is a Slavic variant, more specifically a Ukrainian variant, of the masculine name "Nicholas", meaning "victory of the people". It may refer to: People *Mykola Arkas (1853–1909), Ukrainian composer, writ ...

and Panas Saksahansky (stage names) all not only acted and directed but also created their own acting troupes. Their private estate,

Khutir Nadia The Karpenko-Karyi State Museum-Reserve "Khutir Nadia" is a national historic site of Ukraine that was established on a territory of estate that belonged to Ivan Karpenko-Karyi, the playwright and theatrical figure of the late 19th - early 20th c ...

, near Kropyvnytskyi, is a national historic site. Talented Ukrainian actors who've appeared on the Berezil stage include: Amvrosiy Buchma, Maryan Krushelnytsky, Olimpia Dobrovolska,

Oleksandr Serdyuk Oleksandr Oleksiyovych Serdyuk ( uk, Олександр Олексійович Сердюк; born 3 July 1978) is an athlete from Ukraine. He competes in archery. 2004 Summer Olympics Serdyuk competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in men' ...

Natalya Uzhviy Natalia Mykhailivna Uzhviy ( uk, Наталія Михайлівна Ужвій; 22 or 29 July 1986) was a Ukrainian actress. Biography Natalia Uzhviy was born on 8 September 1898 in Liuboml and was the oldest of 7 children. Works T ...

, and Yuriy Shumsky.

Theater Companies

Theater in Ukraine includes music-drama theaters, theaters of

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

and

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

, theaters of

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

, puppet theaters and others. Ten theaters were officially recognized as national. There are more than 120 theatres (state-funded and independent) in Ukraine, and the audience numbers around 5.6 million per year. Notable theaters include The Dakh Contemporary Arts Center opened in 1994

Books about ''Ukrainian drama and theater''

''History of Ukrainian drama'' The book is written by the Ukrainian critic and translator Ivan Stichenko. It consists of five chapters. It is the first illustrated history of Ukrainian theater. It discusses historical issues, about ''The Development of Theater Art'', and about ''Latin-Slavic folk rituals, Latin-German folk rituals''. Drama and "The Evangelization of Christianity in ''Ukraine''.'' The book also gives an analysis of the works of the satirical poet and writer ''Theophanes Prokopovych ''Theater and Drama: A Collection of Critical Essays on Dramatic Theater and Literature'' It is a collection of the most important articles of Mykola Kindratovych Voronyi (1871–1938), on the art of theater and theater literature, and what is the work of actors and directors, the nature of the audience, and, what are the ways that may contribute to the development of theater in the future.

References

Bibliography

Larissa M. L. Onyshkevych. „Ukrainian Theater.” In ''Ethnic Theater in America,'' 525-48. Ed. Maxine Schwartz Seller. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1982. Reprinted as “Ukrainian American Theatre”, in ''The Ukrainian Heritage in America''. Ed. W. Dushnyk. New York, Ukr. Coord.Com. in the U.S., 1991, 221-229. Larissa M. L. Onyshkevych. “Toronto’s Avant-Guard Ukrainian Theatre”. ''The Ukrainian Weekly''. April 17, 1986. 9, 15. Larissa M. L. Zaleska Onyshkevych. "Volodymyr Kuchynsky’s ‘Les Kurbas Theatre’ from Lviv.” ''Slavic & East European Performance.'' 15(422), 2, 1996, 68—73. Larissa M. L. Onyshkevych. “''Inspector General'' from Kyiv on Stage in Philadelphia”, ''Slavic and East European Performance''. 25, 2, spring 2005, 80-84. Larissa M. L. Onyshkevych. “’White Butterflies, Plaited Chains: A Live Metamorphosis by Theatre-in-a-Basket from Lviv, Ukraine.” ''Slavic & East European Performance''. 26, 1, 2006, 84—90. Larissa M. L. Zaleska Onyshkevych. “Echoes of Chornobyl at the LaMama Theater”. ''The Ukrainian Weekly''. Feb. 16, 1992, 10, 18. Larissa M. L. Onyshkevych. “The Kurbas Theatre’s Productions of ''Marusia Churai'' and ''Kaminnyi Hospodar'' n Lviv ''The Ukrainian Weekly'', March 22, 1988, 10,13. Larissa M. L. Onyshkevych. “On the Stages of Ukraine in 1990: From Sholom Aleichem to Mykola Kulish.” ''Slavic and East European Performance'', 11, no.1 (1991): 49-57. Irena R. Makaryk. ''About the Harrowing of Hell. A 17th Century Ukrainian Play in its European Context. (Dovehouse, 1989)''

External links

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

الأدب الأوكرانى

Theaters' website from Ukraine

Ukrainian theatrical world

teatre.com.ua

Magazine «Cinema-Theater»
{{World topic, Theater in, noredlinks=yes Ukrainian culture