Oksana Grytsenko (Оксана Гриценко) is a Ukrainian playwright and screenwriter. She wrote her first play, Saniok, in 2019 following completion of courses in dramatic writing conducted by Maksym Kurochkin and Anastasiia Kosodii. This play was shortlisted at the Ukrainian Contemporary Play Week in 2019, and had a staged reading at Lesia Ukrainka Drama Theater in Lviv. Her second play, Don Juan from Zhashkiv, was shortlisted at Contemporary Play Week in 2020. Based on this play, Grytsenko created a screenplay for a feature film with the same name. The film was produced by Kristi Films and was funded by Ukraine’s State Film Agency. The release of the film was scheduled for December 2022. Grytsenko is a co-founder of Kyiv’s Theater of Playwrights. Before starting her artistic career, Grytsenko worked as a journalist for about 20 years, covering the Russian invasion of Georgia, Ukraine’s EuroMaidan Revolution, Russia’s annexation of Crimea, and Russia’s war against Ukraine. She has worked for Ukrainian and foreign publications, including the Kyiv Post, AFP, the Guardian, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Marie Claire, Ukraine Verstehen, Huck Magazine, Nikkei and the Wall Street Journal.
Recorded Live Performance (June 20, 2023)
(Above) Performance in English by Dixon Graham on June 20, 2023, at the Long Room Hub at Trinity College Dublin
(Above) Performance in Ukrainian by Elina Herasymchuk on June 24, 2023, at the Ukrainian Action Center in Rathmines
Cast
Dixon Graham (20.6.2023 in English) is a theatremaker and researcher from Charleston, South Carolina (USA) currently completing her MPhil in Theatre and Performance at Trinity College Dublin. Dixon completed her undergraduate degrees at Clemson University in South Carolina in 2018, receiving a BA in Production Studies in Performing Arts with a Minor in Music and BS in Marketing. She is passionate about creating quality theatre that engages the audience on multiple levels and interdisciplinary collaboration. Her current area of research concerns staging emotionally provocative subjects and how we might anticipate, navigate, and address the potential effects of performing these subjects for both practitioners and audiences. She is a producer, director, sound and projection designer, and actor for this event, which is also a part of the practice-based portion of her current research. Following the completion of her MPhil at the end of the summer of 2023, she hopes to further research the different methods and mediums for immersive storytelling and how an audience's engagement and perception of the story may change with the different methods.
"I am constantly amazed and inspired by the incredible talent, beautiful culture, and unwavering strength that every Ukrainian carries with them and I am honored to have been a part of this project to help share these incredible stories with the world."
Еліна Герасимчук - акторка та режисерка з Чернігова, наразі навчається фільмейкінгу у Трініті. Еліна має на меті відкрити сучасний театр, який даруватиме людям незабутні емоції та спонукатиме до роздумів. Вона також була в жюрі вокальних конкурсів та є багаторазовою чемпіонкою України з поулденсу. Її учні також відомі як чемпіони України з повітряної гімнастики. Сьогодні, Еліна є одною з організаторок та режисерок цього заходу.
«Я дуже вдячна Ірландії за її зацікавленість у не тільки допомозі Україні, а ще й у нашій культурі. Сподіваюсь, цей проєкт допоможе іноземцям усвідомити нашу ментальність, переживання та важливість підтримки наших збройних сил»
Elina Herasymchuk (24.6.2023 in Ukrainian) is an actress and director from Chernihiv who is currently studying filmmaking at Trinity. Elina aims to open a contemporary theater that will provide people with unforgettable emotions and provoke reflections. She has also served as a judge in vocal competitions and is a multiple-time champion of Ukraine in pole dance. Her students are also known as champions of Ukraine in aerial sports. Today, Elina is one of the organizers and directors of this event.
"I am very grateful to Ireland for its interest not only in helping Ukraine but also in our culture. I hope this project will help foreigners understand our mentality, feelings, and the importance of supporting our armed forces."