The Ukrainian Institute of America staged the production of “5000 Steps to Peace and Justice” – a staged reading of a play by Ukrainian authors Anna Khvyl and Piotr Armianovsky, created as an audio walk through The Hague. The event was part of the international theater program LINKAGES: Ukraine, implemented by Voyage Theater Company in conjunction with the Center for International Theatre Development (CITD) with the support of the Ukrainian Institute.
This was reported by Ukrainian Institute.
The play “5000 Steps to Peace and Justice” combines personal memories, historical reflections and understanding of the concepts of peace and justice, which have acquired new meaning after the start of a full-scale war. The text transports the listener to the city of peace – The Hague, but at the same time speaks to a New York audience.
The main role was played by Marianna Staroselska, who also acted as the playwright of the production. Wayne Maughans directed, Luke Hofmeyer created the sound, Susan Shaw designed the video, and Carey Landeiro directed the stage. The Voyage Theater Company team recognized the actress for her “exquisite performance and deep emotional reading of the text.”
The event took place against the backdrop of the “Confronting Catastrophes” exhibition of paintings by artist Yohanan Petrovsky-Stern, which was exhibited at the Ukrainian Institute of America.
The production in New York was part of the international exchange LINKAGES: Ukraine, initiated by the Center for International Theatre Development (CITD), an organization that has been creating lasting connections between American theater and artists from Eastern Europe and Africa for more than three decades. In 2024-2025, the program focused on establishing partnerships between theaters in the United States and Ukraine, in particular between Voyage Theater Company and the Kharkiv theater “Na Zhuky”, which continues to operate under shelling.
The reading also became part of the global series Worldwide Ukrainian Play Readings, which, after the Russian invasion of 2022, brought together hundreds of theaters around the world to translate and stage new Ukrainian plays.
As the organizers noted, such projects create a platform for international dialogue, introduce the world audience to modern Ukrainian drama, and become a manifestation of Ukraine’s cultural resilience during the war.
Background
The project “5000 Steps to Peace and Justice” originated in The Hague, where it was created as an audio walk through a city associated with global justice. The play was selected among many works by Ukrainian playwrights due to its unusual perspective on the distance between personal memories, historical memory, and the search for justice in the modern world.
The event was partnered by the Ukrainian Institute, a state institution in the field of cultural diplomacy, operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and developing cultural ties between Ukraine and other countries. The production was realized by the Voyage Theater Company, which is known for its activities in presenting new and underrated authors from all over the world. The initiative also received support from the NYSCA-A.R.T./New York Creative Opportunity Fund, which promotes the development of theater projects in the state of New York.
Photo: Ukrainian Institute.
Author: Danylo Pievchev