I have walked the streets which are quiet and hope to see, in a few years, this amazing City filled with tourists taking in the heritage, the arts scene, and the contemporary buzz.
This afternoon I’m a guest at KiFest with a delegation from Lithuania, Poland, New York who have made a trip here to see work which could be for international presentation. I will return and act as a ‘hyphen’ hopefully connecting some of these projects to UK producers and programmers.
Yesterday I had a hyphen meeting with the Ivan Franko Theatre, Kyiv’s National Theatre, looking at three projects for possible UK audiences, and possible UK co-production. From there I had my first meeting with the key staff of the British Council. I’m not a cultural leader, I’m not a political or cultural strategist, I’m not even a producer. I’m just a theatre lover who seeks to give my pennyworth in helping international projects find pathways to land with UK theatres, festivals, and audiences. I definitely learned a lot yesterday.
Whilst there is work which is selling out venues here in Ukraine, it has challenges to break through the noise of the London scene, or the global competition of international festivals, or the sheer overwhelm of Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Big productions here are used to a day get-in when on tour, never the 45min turnaround which the most generous EdFringe hubs might give to big shows. They have multiple casts and actors in a repertoire of shows. A five hander on stage probably has another 10 people in the tec and support team.
Then there is a massive talent drain in three directions. Towards the front where so many are conscripted or volunteer to serve. We have seen the posters, at the Venice Bienalle along with Pussyriot and Femen protest, highlighting the talent which has been lost forever to russian invading forces. Towards Europe, UK and USA where talent has been displaced or chosen to try and make work outside Ukraine – with the hope of returning home soon. And finally towards the reality of living/existing solo or with family in their home with all the challenges and the trauma of being in a warzone. In this setting it is a challenge to have the willpower, and indeed the facility to keep making art.
The new 100yr agreement between UK and Ukraine, and the formation of the UK Ukraine Cultural Commission will offer focussed initiatives, and money, across three key areas first – Heritage, Film, and Platforms for collaboration and intercultural engagement. This brings together the British Council, Ukraine Institute (which is in a sense the identical reverse body to the British Council) and the DCMS and Ukrainian cultural ministries.
Longterm I can see that this high level strategic work will deliver a real cross-cultural exchange. It will make audiences and theatres far more aware of the new and classic theatre of Ukraine which has been masked by all things Russian for too long. Longterm we will see British companies working with Ukrainian companies on new exciting world class work in theatre, film and heritage.
Shortterm there is a problem. How can Ukrainians visiting the UK trust our arts sector or the cultural funders and leaders when our own National Theatre parades a work by gorky celebrating russia. Ukraine is fighting for its very soul, and protecting Europe against russia’s land grabbing. Part of our work as creatives must be, surely, to question our celebration of russia, and russian performers/creatives at a time when their fellow citizens are murdering and invading.
I urge everyone to read and listen to the reports of people like https://www.facebook.com/CaolanRobertson with his 175k followers and the bravery to go where the news is happening.
I hope the UK government will relax, a little, the travel restrictions so that UK creatives can at least consider visiting Kyiv and Lviv to collaborate, without having to do it without endorsement or support from any funding or official body. [Yes there are regular air raid warnings, and there is an uncertainty on what may happen next, but there are shelters and a people who have found a way to keep living life – especially now Spring has sprung. 29 degrees yesterday.]
I hope that shortly we will see more Ukrainian creatives and leaders visiting to explore in the UK how collaboration might happen – but the sheer cost of these folk getting visas and making the strange trip out of Ukraine is highly prohibitive. Maybe some partners in the UK can help with some of that. Hosting a few creatives in Edinburgh might be an offer which could be made.
And even though we are now an isolated country outside Europe, we can hopefully find ways to collaborate with European nations in order that work can be developed and ideas brought to audiences in the UK at EdFringe and all over – with a bit of help from the coffers of Europe. KiFest includes discussions around these very topics.
For now I head off to the Left Bank Theatre for the official Festival Opening and a first piece of theatre at 5pm.