Looking back on last year
We look back at the past year. Never before have we experienced such an intense intertwining of our creative life with reality. Since the end of February, when Russia initiated the war, we focused on supporting Ukraine. During that time, we were presenting our provocative plays as part of the Provocative Theatre project, which also included discussions with journalists and political experts. None of our speakers anticipated that Russia would launch such a large-scale war. We unequivocally directed the project towards Russian aggression, which overshadowed all other topics. The demand for our performance “Putin Skis” immediately increased, and we added a new subtitle – “The Play of the Birth of a Killer” – and modified the ending of the show, referring to Putin’s war speech.
We started sending the proceeds from ticket sales to aid Ukraine, allowing us to resist the feeling of helplessness at least to some extent. We performed “Putin Skis / The Play of the Birth of a Killer” all over the country, even venturing to Slovakia and attending a festival in Kwidzyn, Poland. At the end of the year, our engaged work culminated in the Empire’s Decay Festival, symbolically launched during the celebrations of freedom on November 17th, which showcased not only our creations but also two performances by Russian artists.
From the photos we retrieved from our archives and those of our affiliated photographers, it is evident that besides engaged work, we also played for joy. We delighted in the newly rehearsed play “Paramisa – The Clever Foolish Roma” with a partially new cast, renewing our collaboration with our Roma friends. Throughout the last year, we carried out over a hundred events – theatrical performances, workshops, and discussions.
Join us in looking back at the past year and welcoming the new one. We will perform everything we have. We will continue to resist Russian aggression as we know how – on the anniversary of Ukraine’s invasion, we invite you to Leitnerka for the performance “Putin Skis / The Play of the Birth of a Killer,” with the proceeds again dedicated to supporting Ukraine.
Thank you for the inspiring and empowering encounters and cooperation in the past year. We wish our entire audience a happy new year and a path to a joyful world without wars, poverty, and suffering.
