SPECIAL EVENT: June 4, 2022. 7 p.m. Moravian University.
Lehigh Valley artists and the local Ukrainian community present an evening of' theater, film, and dance in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. World-Wide Ukrainian Play Readings is a global initiative to commission new plays which give artistic voice to playwrights, directors, translators, and performers who continue to make a difference in the lives of Ukrainians besieged by the assault on their homes, language, and culture.
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Fundraising for humanitarian relief for Ukraine is an essential element of the program. Lehigh Valley organizers have chosen to request contributions be sent to the Voices of Children Foundation, a Ukrainian charity dedicated to providing emergency psychological assistance and emergency evacuation services to provide safe shelter and creative activities to rescue children from the trauma of war.
World-Wide Ukrainian Play Readings /Lehigh Valley features a staged reading of "A Dictionary of Emotions in War Time" by Yelena Astasyeva, directed by professional theatre artist, Randall Forte. Christopher Shorr, head of Morvanian's theatre program, will create a shor7 p.m. t film of Andriy Bondarenko's play, "Peace and Tranquility" which was commissioned by Sputnik Theatre Company in London.
In celebration of their heritage and culture, KAZKA Ukrainian Folk Ensemble will perform traditional folk dances, directed by Paula Holoviak of the Ukrainian Homestead in Lehighton. The greater Lehigh Valley is home to one of the largest American Ukrainian communities in the country, families having settled in the coal regions of Carbon, Schuylkill, Lehigh, and Luzerne counties.
"The arts offer a powerful way to engage." Forte says. "This is a wonderful opportunity to connect with our community and help our neighbors tell their story. As a result, we have been able to build a network of local support in a relatively short time."
In addition to directing Astasyeva's play, Forte is a veteran advocate of the arts, now leading efforts in the region to raise awareness about the plight of millions of Ukrainians displaced by the war. Shorr is also co-director of Moravian's "InFocus Center for War, Peacebuilding the Just Society." "Moravian is pleased to host this event," he stated. "It is an opportunity to support a great cause, and to explore critical issues facing our world."The scope of the plays and translations in the World-Wide Ukrainian Readings is the inspiration of American journalist, translator, and theatre critic John Freedman now living in Greece. His partners in organizing and funding the still expanding circuit of events include Philip Arnoult at Baltimore's Center for International Theater Development, Maksym Kurochkin at Kyiv's Theater of Playwrights, and Noah Birksted-Breen at London's Sputnik Theatre. (https://www.citd.us/worldwide-ukrainian-play-readings)
In lieu of royalties and ticket sales, audiences and supporters will be encouraged to contribute to organizations in Ukraine who are providing essential emergency resources to the millions displaced by the ravages of this war. Shared with a network of professional theatre artists and cultural organizations around the world, as of May 4, participants from 18 countries had pledged 128 readings/events of 68 plays.
The mission: "Bring the wisdom, insight and pain of Ukraine's writers to the world. Stand with us against darkness." - John Freedman.