Cassandra, a classical Ukrainian epic about the Trojan war, is being staged at London's Omnibus Theatre until October 16 thanks to an international effort involving partners including the Polish Cultural Institute, according to officials.
The production, directed by Helen Eastman and performed by the Live Canon ensemble, is a result of efforts led by the Ukrainian Institute London.
The project has been carried out in association with the Polish Cultural Institute, the Lithuanian Culture Institute, Germany's Goethe-Institut and France's Institut Français.
Cassandra, written by feminist author Lesia Ukrainka in the early 20th century, is a poetic drama that has been billed as "a Ukrainian masterpiece about truth, violence and power."
"In 1908, Lesia Ukrainka’s poetic drama offered a groundbreaking and unflinching look at the political world of Troy--ruled by men--and the experience of war as seen by a woman," according to a statement promoting the production.
"Today, Cassandra continues to speak with uncanny immediacy in the contemporary era of post-truth politics, under the shadow of Russia’s war in Ukraine," the statement added.
Olesya Khromeychuk, director of the Ukrainian Institute London, said: “Ukrainian Institute London explores challenging issues that affect the world today through the prism of Ukraine. Having Cassandra speak from a London stage in Lesia Ukrainka’s words will bring the exciting literary heritage of Ukraine closer to UK audiences and demonstrate its relevance in today’s world.”
Lesia Ukrainka (1879-1913) was a modernist author, anticolonial thinker, and pioneering feminist at the forefront of European trends at the turn of the 20th century, according to the organizations behind the project.
"Despite censorship of the Ukrainian language during the Russian empire and Soviet Union, her legacy endured and her work is finally receiving long-overdue English translations," they said.
Book here: https://www.omnibus-clapham.org/cassandra/
(gs)
Source: Polish Cultural Institute in London, instytutpolski.pl