A charitable theater tour by Ukrainian veteran and playwright Alina Sarnatska is underway in the US. Stage readings of her play “Balance” have already taken place in New Haven, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. The tour covers leading cultural and educational venues and has a charitable goal – to raise funds for medical care for Ukrainian field medics, which is provided by the charitable organization Leleka Foundation. Leleka Foundation.
This was reported by the Leleka Foundation and veteran Alina Sarnatska.
“Audiences will see “Balance” – a play shaped by war, service, motherhood, memory and survival. It tells the story of a female veteran who is trying to make sense of the war and maintain a sense of self in a world where everything seems broken. This is a searching, intimate work about trauma, memory and the struggle not to lose humanity”, – noted the organizers in the announcement.
As reported, on April 28, one of the key events of the tour was held at Yale University in collaboration with the Yale Ukrainian Program and Slavic Department. There was a staged reading of the play “Balance”, which became the starting point for a deep discussion about the experience of war, the role of women in it and the search for inner balance.
It is worth noting that the play was created as part of the “Theatre of Veterans”, a joint initiative of TRO Media and Playwrights’ Theatre. The play “Balance” is based on Sarnatska’s personal experience as a combat medic in Bakhmut and explores themes of trauma, memory, and survival. It tells the story of a female veteran trying to preserve herself in a world destroyed by war. “This is a searching, intimate work about the struggle to preserve humanity,” the organizers describe the work themselves.
The reading was followed by a panel discussion “Holding On: Women at War and the Search for Balance” with the participation of international experts, researchers, and veterans. In particular, Alina Sarnatska herself spoke about writing the text “from within the war” – about the invisible burdens that women bring from the front to civilian life. The participants in the discussion also raised issues of trauma, memory, responsibility, and identity in wartime.
It is also noted that the speakers included representatives of different countries and experiences – from Ukraine to Afghanistan and the United States, which allowed us to compare different dimensions of war and at the same time identify common challenges that women face during and after service.
Namely – Sahraa Karimi – the first woman appointed as CEO of Afghan Film, now a researcher at Yale University – spoke about art as resistance and a way of survival, as well as what it means to carry the stories of your country in exile. Two women. Two wars. Two continents. One common truth. Elise Morrison, a professor at Yale University and a researcher of theater and trauma, offered a framework for understanding what “Balance” achieves – how theater creates a space for experiences that words alone cannot reach. And Genevieve Chase, a decorated U.S. Army veteran, Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient, spoke about her experience of being wounded and invisible, and her life’s work: ensuring that women who served are recognized and heard.
The discussion was moderated by journalist, filmmaker, and Leleka Foundation Strategic Communications Manager Iryna Solomko-Bonenberger, one of the first journalists to document the war in eastern Ukraine in 2014.
“Balance… opened a space where the war could be felt, imagined, and resisted… the conversation moved across Ukraine, Afghanistan, and the United States, revealing a common set of questions about survival, responsibility, and self,” the post notes.
On April 30, the second stop of Ukrainian playwright and veteran Alina Sarnatska’s American tour took place in San Francisco. The evening of contemporary Ukrainian theater was organized by the Leleka Foundation with the support of partners.
The staged reading of the play “Balance” was performed by writer and blogger Katya Blyostka, who, according to the organizers, “brought the text to life with visible emotional depth – every word came from the heart.”
After the performance, an open discussion was held with the participation of Alina Sarnatska and Katya Blyostka, moderated by Bohdan Andrukh. The conversation covered the topics of war, identity, the role of women in the military, and the experience of veteranship. The event ended with a charity auction, during which about $1,400 was collected. Among the lots were a flag signed by the head of the Ukrainian Military District, Kyrylo Budanov, a book by the author, and other symbolic items. All funds, including ticket sales, will be directed to the purchase of medical supplies for Ukrainian field medics.
Alina Sarnatska’s US tour continues: the following events took place in Los Angeles, and are also planned in Washington on May 11 and 12. All funds raised are transferred to support Ukrainian medics through the Leleka Foundation.
“Americans are very different from the residents of other countries where I have been so far. I start every speech here with the words “I received my first combat medic backpack from Americans, people like you, so I want to say – thank you!” Because they are not interested in the name of a specific fund. The main thing is that I recognize their incredible contribution. Then I tell optimistic stories about Ukrainian success. This is how America works – “sell it to me as a successful product”. Then I give the reason…Fairness. Justice. I say that the Russian invasion destroyed the lives of millions of ordinary families. They loved, rented apartments and worked in startups and supermarkets, and now they are gone, because our neighbors wanted to take our lives and our lands from us by force. And this is unfair”, – the veteran herself shared her impressions of the tour.
Photo: Yale Ukrainian Program, Yelena Bilyak, Leleka Foundation
Author: Inna Mikhno