2025 Year Ukrainian Theatre Renaissance: Top Kyiv Performances Drawing Global Attention

The performance of "Cabaret" at the Kyiv Small Theatre sparked a wave of admiration that quickly spread across social media. Viewers from all over the world wrote that they were ready to fly to Ukraine right now, just to see it live. 

Despite the war, anxiety, and darkness, the capital's theatre is not only surviving but creating events that resonate far beyond the country's borders. What is happening today with Kyiv's theatrical community? 

How has the art changed in the context of catastrophe? Which performances are drawing viewers back to the theatre? 

Just recently, tickets for a theatre performance in a large Ukrainian city could be bought an hour before the show — you simply went to the box office and chose any available seat. And there were always free seats. Theatre was not in fashion. It was considered elitist, outdated, and not contemporary. In an era when streaming services were taking over the world, and movie premieres packed cinemas, the theatre seemed like something akin to a museum exhibit — important but lifeless.

Then came COVID-19. Along with it, empty halls, canceled seasons, and the despair of actors. It seemed like the theatre would never recover.

But the full-scale war turned everything upside down. Theatre suddenly became something we all desperately lacked. It turned out to be not a relic but a necessity. A space where pain can be experienced not alone but together. Theatre became alive again. Tickets no longer sit in the box office until the last moment — they are sold out within minutes. People go to performances to feel they are not alone. To cry and laugh together with the actors. Theatre stopped being just a cultural event — it became a form of participation in the collective resistance, a manifestation of life amid horror and war.

In the darkness of the theatre hall, it was no longer just a character's line that was heard — it was the voice of time, the voice of a people that refuses to be erased. And we, the audience, are no longer mere observers — we are part of this great dialogue, this attempt to prevent the darkness from completely winning.

A turning point in the development of contemporary Ukrainian theatre was the final rejection of Russian dramaturgy — a legacy imposed by decades of imperial influence. This step was both symbolic and practical: the freed space allowed for new voices, new texts, and new meanings. Theatres are increasingly turning to Ukrainian classics — not as a frozen artifact but as a living part of culture capable of sounding modern, deep, and new.

Simultaneously, a wide horizon opened up for European dramaturgy — honest, bold, and sometimes provocative. Today's theatre is not afraid to experiment — both with form and content. It combines documentary, physical theatre, and multimedia solutions. This is art that risks, explores, and asks uncomfortable questions.

Each performance has become an act of defiance against oblivion, indifference, and despair. Theatre no longer just reproduces plays — it resists, it lives, it speaks for those who are no longer here, and for those still holding on.

Why have we returned to it? Because in a reality where almost everything is war, theatre unexpectedly turned out to be an island of humanity.

If you are ready to make the difficult journey to Ukraine's capital, you will find works by Ivan Uryvskyi, Tamara Trunova, Stas Zhyrkov, David Petrosyan, and other directors who are shaping the face of contemporary Ukrainian theatre. From post-dramatic experiments at the "Wild Theatre" to deep interpretations of the classics at the Franko Theatre, Kyiv has much to offer those who seek meaning, emotions, and art that resonates with the era.

"The Bread Truce" – Theatre on the Left Bank

Famous Ukrainian writer Serhiy Zhadan made his debut as a playwright with the play "The Bread Truce," a moving exploration of war, memory, and brotherhood.

What happens in moments of "truce"? What do those live who can see the front line from their window? How do you speak with loved ones who are on the other side of that line — and is it even possible to speak when the world has split in two?

The performance events unfold in a frontline village where time seems to have stopped. Two brothers, separated by war and differing views, return to their parental home after their mother's death. There, amidst yellowing photographs and childhood memories, they cry, laugh, argue, remember, and remain silent. Meanwhile, fields are burning outside, and a destroyed bridge cuts off any way "back."

"The Bread Truce" is not about the front as a line of confrontation, but about how war grows into the home, memory, and language. It is a play about small, fragile moments of peace that seem almost miraculous. About painful reunions and losses that become the point where the past and present intersect.

Thanks to Zhadan's poetic language and restrained yet piercing direction, the performance exposes the nerve, showing not just war, but life alongside it without pathos and unnecessary effects. It is a quiet, deep play in which every word matters more than a gunshot.

Macbeth - Franko Theatre

In 1924, the outstanding Ukrainian avant-garde theatre director Les Kurbas staged the first large-scale production of William Shakespeare's tragedy "Macbeth" at the "Berezil" theatre. Today, the Franko Theatre continues this movement towards understanding the political human in theatre.

Kyiv theatres regularly reinterpret Shakespeare, and this year's premiere of "Macbeth" by director Ivan Urivskyi has caused a strong resonance. In this interpretation of the darkest text of the English classic, the timeless story of tyranny and moral corruption becomes a chilling reflection of contemporary war and information manipulation.

The performance encourages viewers to reflect on the fragility of democratic values in the face of ruthless ambitions, making it a must-see for those looking for theatre that reflects the chaos of the modern world.

This production reimagines the witches, not as laughing folklore figures, but as an all-seeing digital entity that controls Macbeth's fate through the network of information wars. In a world where truth is blurred and power seeks to attain its goals at any cost, the descent into tyranny appears extraordinarily relevant.

Shakespeare's bearded witches, who prophecy Macbeth's rise to the throne in this interpretation, are depersonalized and take on the characteristics of all-seeing robotic entities. These entities, much like "Sauron's Eye," are continuously present in the heroes' reality, endowed with unlimited power, influencing their actions and shaping their worldview.

The Host – Theater on Podol

This is a bold, ironic, and strikingly relevant version of Ivan Karpenko-Karyi's classic play about the millionaire Puzyr, who suffocates in his greed.

But this directorial work goes far beyond the theme of money. The order on the main character's jacket, the smell of cabbage that fills the hall, the references to schools and monuments — all of this weaves into the complex fabric of modern socio-political realities. The performance hints at today's paradoxes, scandals, state awards that have lost their meaning, and even protests.

The characters' palms light up in the dark after handshakes — a sign of backstage agreements, corruption schemes, and collective responsibility. Hugs, kisses, friendly pats — these are no longer signs of tenderness but rituals of conspiracy.

The audience sees everything, as do the characters themselves. Cameras transmit images directly to the screen at the center of the stage, where sheep appear in between. They symbolize the blind crowd, easily controlled. This is a world where the truth lies on the surface, but everyone pretends it doesn't exist.

This is not just a performance. It is a mirror and a warning, not to become the "host" who is ready to sell everything for profit. And not to become the flock that meekly follows wherever it's driven.

The Wardrobe – Young Theatre

For those who appreciate contemporary dance as a language that speaks more than words, "The Wardrobe" by Freedom Ballet of Olena Kolyadenko will be a true revelation. On stage are 14 dancers, each of whom lives not one but dozens of roles. Together, they create a space where every ritual is no longer something ordinary, but a break, a reversal of meaning, farce taken to the grotesque.

"The Wardrobe" is a performance about identity. About the attempt to understand who you are when you are without social roles, without daily "costumes." Dancers try on one image after another, mask after mask, turning into a mosaic of human states: self-absorbed, wounded, happy, confused.

From the first moment, the performance captivates, doesn't let go, makes you laugh, empathize, feel awkward, and at times, even recognize yourself. Because this dance is also about the viewer, who, watching the performance, becomes its co-participant. The one who initially seemed to have just come to watch the show finds themselves drawn into a deep experiment of self-exploration.

"The Wardrobe" is an act of fearless openness, where physicality transitions into metaphysics, and theatre into the space of self-observation. And in this lies its magic.

Tartuffe – Franko Theatre

Despite the fact that Molière's goal was to criticize the court of Louis XIV, his Tartuffe remains remarkably relevant in any era. It is a mirror in which every society sees its painful spots. In the context of modern Ukraine, this satire sounds particularly sharp. The Franko Theatre's production takes Tartuffe beyond the realm of a historical anecdote, making it a character of our time. The image of the deceiver hiding behind a mask of piety and high moral principles transforms into a universal archetype— a politician, a preacher, a media personality— who cleverly exploits trust.

Tartuffe once again reminds us that critical thinking is one of the main virtues, without which one cannot survive in the post-truth world.

The Witch of Konotop – Franko Theatre

This vibrant theatrical production, featured in The New York Times, is an adaptation of the classic Ukrainian novella by Hryhorii Kvitka-Osnovianenko, reimagined by director Ivan Urivskyi. Beneath the colorful humor lies a tale of corrupt power, a society losing its moral compass, and the ominous approach of war.

The story tells of an unfortunate commander who faces a supernatural drought, political absurdity, and the temptations of dark forces—all while his city descends into chaos. A blend of grotesque satire and eerie mysticism reflects not only 18th-century Ukraine but also our global present, where nature rebels and people doubt what (or whom) they truly believe in.

Equally witty, touching, and visually stunning, The Witch of Konotop invites the audience to laugh, think, and confront the consequences of a world that turns away from faith, truth, and responsibility.

The simplicity of the presentation, sharp jokes, piercing music, and powerful acting have made this performance the most popular in Ukraine—tickets sell out in less than five minutes.

And if you also feel like seeing Ukrainian theatre live after reading this text, but can’t yet take the first train to Kyiv, don’t be upset. Today, Ukrainian performances can be seen on world stages.

In particular, The Witch of Konotop, which has already sold out in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Germany, is once again on a world tour. In 2025, the play will be performed in London, Chicago, New York, Toronto, and Montreal. And if it is near you, don’t hesitate. Visit the theatre to see the real Ukraine—alive, open, and incredibly talented. The Ukraine that doesn’t ask for attention, but simply creates—honestly, freely, and at full volume.

Anastasiia Stepanenko, grant writer, project manager, cultural critic, expert at the United Ukraine Think Tank