Ecodrama: the art of sustainability

Vision of the project

The full-scale war in Ukraine—the largest military conflict in Europe since World War II—had catastrophic consequences for Ukraine’s ecosystem and the world, qualifying as ecocide. Ukraine’s natural environment suffered immensely from emissions and fires in the war zone, pollution of fertile land, and, most notably, the destruction of the Kakhovka reservoir dam, which devastated the ecosystem of an entire region.

The project team sought to explore the pressing questions: What will our land look like in the future, and will the diversity of natural life survive? Using an artistic and metaphorical approach, the project aimed to draw attention to the environmental disasters Ukraine faced and encourage its audience to take maximum care of our shared home—a land rich in natural resources yet critically threatened. The initiative invited participants to reflect together and design strategies for restoration and sustainable stewardship of the land. By employing the power of artistic expression, the project sought to activate crucial conversations around this complex topic and emphasise the need for both society and the government to form a new narrative on preserving and protecting the environment.

Through its performance, accompanying events, and media campaign, the project united artists, environmental experts, the theatre community, and the wider public around the urgent issue of ecology in Ukraine. It encouraged collective action and awareness, reinforcing the importance of caring for the environment during and after the war.

Meet the Key Partner

Lesya's Theater is a young team with progressive views that breaks down stereotypes about what a "state institution" is. Their main goal is creating honest, lively, relevant, high-quality theatrical product that borders on other spheres and arts, because they believe in the power of cooperation and synergy of ideas.

Among their main priorities  you would find supporting young theater artists, promoting contemporary drama, both Ukrainian and international, promoting the emergence and production of contemporary theatrical forms (immersive theater, site-specific theater, divisive theater, digital theater, etc;), practicing working with social topics and issues, researching them together with relevant specialists and forming effective mechanisms for the development and realization of creativity and artistic ideas.

Start Date: Jan. 1, 2024
End Date: April 30, 2024