Barvinok

by LIANNA MAKUCH

“Barvinok is a special kind of behind-the-scenes achievement in theatrical storytelling… You shouldn’t miss the chance to see it…”

Liz Nicholls, 12th Night

Inspired by personal accounts from war-torn Ukraine in 1944 and true stories from the country’s ongoing war.

After generations of conflict, a new crisis opens old wounds.

[Barvinok] packs a punch. – Amy Strizic, My Entertainment World

Hania’s Baba has a secret. A secret she’s bringing with her to her grave.

Since moving into the long-term care centre Hania’s grandmother has been restless. She’s agitated. Something from her past is haunting her. She desperately asks Hania to return to their Ukrainian homeland and seek out a missing piece of their family history. Hania’s search brings her to the edge of the ongoing war in Eastern Ukraine.

Through internet-enabled networks, Hania is connected to Pavlo and Misha, two late-20s war veterans who agree to help her navigate the wartorn countryside from Slovyansk, to Pisky, along the front line and into dangerous territory. It is when Hania finally finds her long lost family that she makes a startling discovery, and must confront the truth about her Baba’s past.

Makuch, Lundeen and MacKenzie have done a remarkable job of creating a theatrical experience that ties together a heritage journey with thoughtful commentary… – Karen Fricker, Toronto Star

Set in 2017, just 3 years after the Russian invasion in 2014, Barvinok weaves traditional polyphonic Ukrainian folk music and dramatic storytelling to tell a personal story behind the unimaginable experience of war, both past and present.

The play is inspired by the experiences of the playwright’s grandparents who fled Ukraine during WWII, and true accounts of people interviewed in conflict zones in Eastern Ukraine. In October 2017, Pyretic Productions traveled to Ukraine and ventured within just 5km of what was then the frontline, where they interviewed dozens of people affected by the ongoing war. Pyretic returned in October 2018 to further develop and workshop the play with Kyiv-based local theatre company Wild Theatre and presented a sold-out staged reading at the infamous Les Kurbas Theatre.

Barvinok is currently being adapted into a feature length screenplay with the generous support of the REACH Award from the Shevchenko Foundation.

Tightly written, beautifully designed, skillfully performed. It’s well worth your time to pick up the pieces.

– Ilana Lucas, Mooney on Theatre.

Photo by Mat Simpson

MEDIA

12thNight: Liz Nicholls Review

Behind the scenes in war, a story of human resilience: Barvinok, a review

New Pathway: Lidia Wasylyn review

EDIFY EDMONTON: PREVIEW – Barvinok: A story of Ukrainian resilience

12thNight: Liz Nicholls Preview

“A cultural inheritance, a quest, and a haunting: Barvinok launches a tour here”

PRODUCTION HISTORY

ALBERTA TOUR – 2022

EDMONTON

WESTBURY THEATRE, ATB FINANCIAL ARTS BARNS (10330 – 84 AVE)

September 21 – 25, 2022

CANMORE

Artsplace (950 8 Ave)

October 6, 7

Lethbridge

New West Theatre, Sterndale Bennett Theatre

Oct 14 – 23, 2022

Written by Lianna Makuch || Direction by Patrick Lundeen || Dramaturgy by Matthew MacKenzie || Choreography by Amber Borotsik || Stage Management by Lore Green || Assistant Rehearsal Stage Management by Kiidra Duhault || Assistant Stage Management by Liz Page || Production Design by Stephanie Bahniuk || Assistant Production Design by Rebecca Cypher || Sound & Projection Design by Nicholas Mayne || Music Direction by Larissa Pohoreski || Production Management and Technical Direction by Trent Crosby || Technical Direction (Canmore) by Kevin Green || Featuring Lianna Makuch, Gabriel Richardson, Mawell Lebeuf, Kristen Padayas, Tanya Pacholok, Alexandra Dawkins

Toronto Premiere

March 7 – 16, 2019

Title Sponsor:

Tarragon Theatre’s Extraspace

In March 2019, Barvinok, formerly titled Blood of Our Soil, premiered at the Tarragon Theatre, receiving high acclaim from audiences and critics alike. The majority of performances sold out days in advance, and we received standing ovations and emotional responses from our audiences.

The Toronto premiere was generously supported by:

Canada Council for the Arts, Shevchenko Foundation of Canada War Veterans Fund, Temerty Foundation, BCU Foundation, Huculak Foundation, SUS Foundation, Ukrainian Credit Union, Franko Family Foundation, Prometheus Stefan Onyszczuk and Stefania Szwed Foundation, Olzhych Foundation, Ukrainian Pioneers Association of Alberta, Alberta Ukrainian Commemorative Society, and St. Vladimir’s Institute.

Written by Lianna Makuch || Direction by Patrick Lundeen || Dramaturgy by Matthew MacKenzie || Stage Management by Lore Green || Production Design by Stephanie Bahniuk || Sound & Projection Design by Nicholas Mayne || Music Direction by Larissa Pohoreski || Production Management by Trent Crosby || Featuring Oscar Derkx, Mawell Lebeuf, Lisa Norton, Lianna Makuch, Tanya Pacholok, Larissa Pohoreski

*Barvinok by Lianna Makuch. Edmonton, March 2018. © Marc J Chalifoux Photography 2017*

Edmonton Premiere

March 1 – 10, 2018

Westbury Theatre at the Fringe Theatre Adventures

In March 2018, Pyretic Productions and St. John’s institute presented the first iteration of Barvinok in Edmonton. The performance was received with high acclaim from Edmonton’s Ukrainian community, arts community, and media. The production sold out and garnered four Sterling nominations including best new play and independent production.

Written by Lianna Makuch || Direction by Patrick Lundeen || Dramaturgy by Matthew MacKenzie || Stage Management by Lore Green || Production Design by Stephanie Bahniuk || Sound & Projection Design by Nicholas Mayne || Music Direction by Larissa Pohoreski || Production Management by Trent Crosby || Featuring Oscar Derkx, Mawell Lebeuf, Julia Guy, Lianna Makuch, Tanya Pacholok, Larissa Pohoreski

The Edmonton premiere was generously supported by:

Canada Council for the Arts, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Community Initiatives Program, The Edmonton Community Foundation, The Shevchenko Foundation, Ukrainian Pioneers Association of Alberta, Alberta Ukrainian Commemorative Society.

Accolades for Barvinok

ACUA-URDC Award 2018 (Alberta Council for Ukrainian Arts – Ukrainian Research and Development Centre)

Rena Hanchuk & Yaroslav Kitynskyy Artist Award 2018

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards: Nominated in four categories

• Outstanding Independent Production

• Outstanding New Play

• Outstanding Multi-Media Design

• Outstanding Score of a Play or Musical

“[Barvinok] is the most powerful presentation that I have seen of the long history of travesties that the people of Ukraine have suffered from the time of Stalin through Hitler and now under Putin.”

– Linda Duncan, MP Edmonton-Strathcona, House of Commons March 20,2017

Development In Ukraine

Pyretic Productions first travelled to Ukraine on a self-funded, 3-week research trip in October 2017. Here we interviewed over 40 individuals impacted by Ukraine’s ongoing war. We travelled all over the country, including areas in Eastern Ukraine impacted by the ongoing war and within 5km of the front line. We interviewed over 40 individuals impacted by Ukraine’s ongoing conflict. Many people thanked us for “not forgetting them” and for sharing their experiences with Canadians. The people we met and the interviews we recorded, inspired content and characters for the play.

This trip is documented on an online blog here: https://bloodofoursoil.wordpress.com/

Pyretic Productions then travelled to back to Kyiv in October 2018 on an exciting creative cultural exchange with the Ukrainian theatre company, Wild Theatre. Here, we continued the development of our new script, Barvinok by Lianna Makuch, and presented a staged reading to a sold out audience of Ukrainian artists, veterans, social activists, and the general public.