In Charlotte, North Carolina, the Ukrainian community celebrated the 35th anniversary of the restoration of Ukraine’s Independence in an unusual format at Matthews Playhouse. Instead of a traditional concert, Ukraine House Charlotte and Toloka USA presented a 45-minute theatrical performance “Ukraine: A Story That Continues,” which told the history of Ukraine from the princely era to the present through music, dance, dramatic scenes, and archival footage.
Vilni Media reported on this at Ukraine House Charlotte.
The production involved over 50 children and adults who volunteered to create a single stage story about key stages in Ukrainian history. The performance began with a child’s question: “Mom, when did Ukraine begin?”, which became the main idea of the entire production.
Various historical eras came to life on stage – from Princess Olga and the Cossack era to the Ukrainian People’s Republic, the Shot Revival, the Declaration of Independence, the Maidans and Ukraine’s modern full-scale war for freedom. Dance and musical numbers were combined with dramatic scenes and video newsreels that transported the audience through the centuries.
“Ukraine is not 35 years old. On August 24, we celebrate the restoration of its independence,” – this was the idea the organizers sought to convey to both the Ukrainian community and the American guests of the event.
The director of the production, Olena Sturza, paid special attention to the scenes from the Cossack era.
“In addition to the director’s work on the performance in general, I was particularly fascinated and at the same time worried about how to show the Cossacks without the caricatured “trousered” image that everyone has long been accustomed to. I wanted to show the Cossacks not through the caricatured “slacker” image that everyone has long been accustomed to. I wanted to show them as worthy warriors, free, witty, but not funny for the sake of laughter. The costumes, which I worked on while researching historical sources, were especially important,” the director said.
One of the most emotional moments of the performance was the scene of the proclamation of Ukraine’s Independence. To the archival footage from the 1991 session of the Verkhovna Rada, when the blue-and-yellow flag was brought into the parliament, a large-scale copy of it was carried through the hall. This symbolically connected historical events with Ukrainians who now live in the United States.
Anna Bondar, the founder of the Ukrainian school in Charlotte, told Vilni Media that the production was primarily created for the younger generation of Ukrainians who are growing up far from their homeland.
“We raise children far from Ukraine, but we want them to know and respect their history, language, and culture. The most valuable for us were the words of the parents that the children watched the performance with enthusiasm from beginning to end. This confirms that you can talk about history with children seriously - you just need to find the right language,” she noted.
The final part of the performance was dedicated to the modern war, the forced resettlement of Ukrainians and the new generation of children who are growing up far from their native country today, but retain their Ukrainian identity.
The event had a charitable purpose. The organizers directed all the funds raised to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The performance ended with a reminder that the history of Ukraine did not end in 1991 and continues to be created today - both in Ukraine and in Ukrainian communities around the world.
But the celebrations did not end there, they also included the second part of “Charlotte’s Got Talent”, in which children and adults presented their singing, dancing, musical and creative numbers.
It is worth noting that the event was worked on by: the director of the performance - Olena Sturza, the producer - Anna Bondar, and the audiovisual support - "Mriya Production".
Photo: Mariana Brus
Prepared by: Inna Mikhno