comedians of the Odessa theater resist in their own way

Odessa Opera (Ukraine) has been silent since the beginning of the war. In the basements, artists rehearse their next piece on the war, remaining in the dark, for safety reasons. Of the 50 members of the troupe, only three remained. The women fled abroad and the men went to the front. “Preparing our plays for the reopening of the theater is showing that Ukrainian culture is still alive“says Maxym Golenkodirector.

Faced with the horror of war, acting is also therapy. “My brother died last week in battle, it’s too much to bear, so I hide behind my role.”noted Inna Bulbotkoactress. Their theater is transformed into an entrenched camp. “I have decided to live here permanently. I feel safer than in my apartment. The last bombings shook the walls of the whole city“, explains Dennis Pasiechnyactor.