Dash Arts Presents THE RECKONING At The Arcola Theatre In June

Josephine Burton will direct the world premiere of The Reckoning, a vivid and powerful new play about war, survival and the fragile trust between those who uncover the truth and those who must live with it.  

A journalist meets a man in a ruined village outside Kyiv. She's there to record his testimony for the history books, for the courts—but as he speaks, the past refuses to stay buried. Their memories come alive around them — ghosts of the past breaking through. As they share their stories, what begins as an interview becomes something deeper.

Based on real events and inspired by stories within The Reckoning Project's verified archive, Burton and Kosodii have carved a rich dramatic narrative mined from witness testimonies of the Russian war in Ukraine.   In an evening which blends intoxicating storytelling with movement and evocative sound and music - all while a traditional Ukrainian dish is being prepared live on stage – The Reckoning gives a very human voice to this universal cry for justice. The cast includes Tom Godwin, Olga Safronova and Simeon Kyslyi with further casting to be announced.  

After the show, audiences will be invited to share food from renowned Ukrainian chef Olia Hercules and hear reflections from expert speakers—journalists, lawyers, and those with lived experience of the conflict.  Food For Thought will take place immediately after each performance and is included in the ticket price. Further details to be announced.     

Josephine Burton is a theatre director, playwright, dramaturg, and Artistic Director of Dash Arts, which she co-founded to create award-winning, cross-artform work connecting audiences with global stories. Over nearly two decades, she has directed and developed over 80 productions and events that blend artistic excellence with social and political resonance, work that has been praised for its “immersive ingenuity... that stretches the vocabulary of the stage” (Observer).

Recent highlights include directing Dido's Bar (2022), an immersive retelling of Virgil's Aeneid, The Great Middlemarch Mystery (2022), exploring Thatcherite Britain, and Songs for Babyn Yar (2021–2022), a commemoration of Holocaust memory performed internationally. She has co-written The Reckoning and served as dramaturg on Lyrical Alliance and Renegade Orchestra.

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