The Finborough Theatre Presents A (UKRANIAN) MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM

The Finborough Theatre's new digital initiative #FinboroughFrontier continues with a unique adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, performed in Ukrainian with English intertitles, premiering FREE-TO-VIEW on the Finborough YouTube channel on Monday, 30 January at 6.00pm, and concurrently on Scenesaver.

Four young Athenians, two young lovers, and two unrequited loves.

At the orders of her father, a young Athenian finds herself forced to marry a man she does not love. In a bid for love and freedom, the couple run away in the night, only to find themselves caught up in the middle of a quarrel within the fairy kingdom, a comedic rehearsal of terrible tragedy and all at the hands of a mischievous fairy.

Aileen Gonsalves of Butterfly Theatre Collective says:
"The war in Ukraine feels so beyond comprehension. Everywhere destruction, heartbreak and huge losses. We at Butterfly were working with these talented Ukrainian artists when the invasion of Ukraine began. We watched them scatter across Europe. We also heard them say how they needed to keep practicing their art and bringing some joy to their fellow Ukrainians across the world. So, we helped them create this online production.

The Stage UA actors are in now spread across Kyiv, Odessa, Spain, Germany, France and Bulgaria. They will share with us their acting and creative talents, despite the adversity they are facing, and catapult you into a beautiful and magical world through Zoom. Creativity thrives from constraints, and the creativity in this production of Shakespeare's most beloved comedy, will make you feel joyous at its inventiveness. Join us for this truly unique, magical and live theatrical experience!

This unique online production will allow audiences from all over the world to come together and communicate through theatre, despite our differences, struggles, separation, and find connection as we look with hope towards a brighter future - as Shakespeare always reminds us "this too shall pass"."

Neil McPherson of the Finborough Theatre says:
"We are very happy indeed to be able to collaborate with Butterfly Theatre Collective and Stage UA to help provide a platform for this truly unique merging of theatre and digital creativity as part of our #VoicesFromUkraine series."

Director and Translator Maria Hrunicheva is an Honored Artist of Ukraine. She was born in Kyiv and works at the Kyiv Academic Theater, Koleso. She has eleven years of experience as an acting teacher and has a higher education in drama and film from Kyiv State University of Theater Arts and Kyiv State Institute of Theater Arts. Direction includes Slavomyr Mrozek, Flower Boom, Odesa. Mad Love, Red Family, Blessed Island, Role-Playing Games, Goodnight Tales, The Mousetrap and Children's Fairy Tale. Acting includes Kaspar, Playing the Harpsichord, Portrait of the Planet, The Moon in the Village, Passions of the House of Mr. H.-P., I'm Waiting For You, My Love!, Mozart's Women, Night of Love and Prima Donna. Film includes How Steel Was Tempered, Life as a Circus, Mukhtar, Nesterova's Loop, Native People, The Victim, Other People's Mistakes, Neighbors, Lyusya - Donchyk, Efrosinya, Female Doctor, Taxi, Zashchytnitsa, I'll Come Alone, Five Years And One Day, Real Mysticism, RDS, Reanimation and Brave. She speaks Ukrainian, Russian, and English.

Producer Natalia Sklyarska has over two decades of experience in marketing communications and event marketing. She has worked in the media, diplomatic agencies, and representative offices of leading global advertising agencies in Ukraine including Ogilvy & Mather, Havas WW and Cheil Communications. Natalia is also a trained event marketing and marketing communications trainer, having taught at Kyiv-Mohyla Business School, Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, StudPoint Marketing School, and the School of Culture Management. As a cultural activist, Natalia is the co-founder of Social Capital NGO and the founder of the Ukrainian-Georgian friendship festival, Tbilisoba na Andriivskomu uzvozi, as well as the People of Podil culture festival and Kyiv Klezmer Fest.

Technical Director Alex Grey has a deep love for the intersection of technology and theatre. His knowledge and skills in streaming, particularly in the realm of VR, have allowed him to develop productions designed for Zoom for various organizations, from universities worldwide to Stage UA, despite the challenges of working with actors in varying locations, in a country at war.

The cast is:

Marta Biloshapka | Elf Goroshok
Trained at the Academy of Arts.
Marta has worked in theatre, film, commercials, and TV shows and is an actor at the Kyiv Academic Theater Koleso.

Mike Ocean Bureviy | Piram
Mike Ocean Bureviy is a Ukrainian actor, writer, and filmmaker. He was born in Ukraine and grew up listening to his mother's songs and being read fairy tales. From a young age, he was involved in writing plays and performing for neighborhood kids, and also trained as a swimmer and a cragsman. He began writing and creating films at age 17, and after university worked in various roles at TV companies.

Anastasiya Kasilova | Titania
Trained at I.K. Karpenko-Kary Kyiv State University of Theater, Film and Television, and Terrarium.
Theatre includes Temporary Inconveniences and Jonathan's Seagull.
Film includes Broken and Between Us.
Television includes Game of Fate and Private Affairs.
Anastasiya has also hosted television shows including Get Up, Exclusive and Picnic.

Slava Krasovska | Hermia
Trained at the I.K. Karpenko-Kary Kyiv National University of Theater, Cinema and Television.
She has also participated in various acting workshops, and has worked as a dubbing and voice-over actress in the LeDoyen studio in Kyiv since 2018.
Film includes The Stronghold and Love in chains.
She has appeared in several television series and films, and has been working at The Ukrainian Dramatic Theatre "Maly teatr" in Kyiv since 2017.

Oleksandr Mykytenko | Puck
Trained at the I.K. Karpenko-Kary Kyiv National University of Theater, Cinema and Television.
Oleksandr is an actor at the Kyiv Academic Theater "Koleso", and a teacher of acting and stage language at the Kyiv Children's Academy of Arts.

Alla Nesterova | Hippolyta
Trained at Kyiv Theater Institute.
Film includes Rabies, Do You Love Me? and Such Love.
Alla now works as a portrait artist, and face and body art artist.

Olena Tertychna | Helena
Theatre includes Night Of Love, Hotel Du Comers, Flower Boom, Odesa, Crazy Love, Blessed Island, Or How The Goose Died, Imaginary Sick, Passions of House of Mister G.-P. And Generals Are In Skirts.
Olena Tertychna is an actress in the Kyiv Academic Theater Koleso.

Serhii Zolochevskyi | Demetrius
Trained at the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts.
He has appeared in several plays and films, and has also been involved in music, playing drums in Ukrainian bands and writing his own songs.
Serhii is also a gymnast.

Available FREE TO VIEW on the Finborough Theatre YouTube channel.

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