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Yara Celebrates 20 Years of Theatre


Festival of Music, Poetry and Art
Celebrating Two Decades of Dreams and Destinations


January 22-24, 2010
presented by Yara Arts Group and Ukrainian Insitute of America
2 East 79th Street at Fifth Avenue in New York
Friday and Saturday at 8PM
$15 Friday, $25 Saturday and for both events $30
tickets available at door
for information call (212) 288-8660


On January 22-24, 2010, Yara Arts Group and the Ukrainian Institute of America will present Yara 20 Years of Theatre: A Festival of Music, Poetry and Art. The festival, which will include an art exhibit, readings by poets, performances by Yara actors, as well as music, will take place at the Ukrainian Institute of America, 2 East 79th Street at Fifth Avenue in New York City.

For twenty years, Yara Arts Group—under the direction of Virlana Tkacz—has staged original theatre productions at La MaMa Experimental Theatre, Harvard Summer School and throughout Ukraine, as well as regularly holding festivals and events at the Ukrainian Institute and the Ukrainian Museum in New York. Celebrating its continued success in providing a forum for cross-cultural and cross-generational genre-bending arts, Yara announces its newest festival.

By Yara’s invitation, a dozen artists — Anya Farion, Annette Friedman, Maya Hayuk, Roman Hrab, Petro Hrycyk, Peter Ihnat, Shu Kubo, Margaret Morton, Andrea Odezynska, Marko Shuhan, Marybeth Ward and Andrea Wenglowskyj—have created new, exciting installations inspired by such past Yara shows as Waterfall/Reflection with Nina Matvienko; Blind Sight about Vasyl Yeroshenko, who traveled to Japan in 1914; and Still the River Flows, which featured the Hutsul Koliada.

The art exhibit will open on Friday, January 22, at 8 PM with performances on the move. The audience will be guided through the three floors of the mansion into rooms filled with poetry and dance. Jeanie Bogart, Olena Jennings, Krystina Lucenko, Vasyl Makhno, Askold Melnyczuk, Wanda Phipps, Candece Tarpley and Christina Turczyn will read their own works. Dancer Inka Juslin will perform to music by harpist Odarka Polanskyj-Stockert with Redentor Jimenez on guitar, while Katja Kolcio and Nicole Stanton will dance to bandura played by Julian Kytasty. Afterwards, guests may enjoy a wine and cheese reception with the artists. The art exhibit will be open to the general public Saturday and Sunday 1:00 – 4:00 PM.

The special gala concert will take place on Saturday January 23rd at 8PM. President Yushchenko has recognized the importance of Ms. Tkacz’s work with Yara, distinguishing her with the Order of Princess Olha. The Consul General of Ukraine will present this significant award to Ms. Tkacz and Yara Arts during the celebration. The evening will feature Yara actors performing poetry from the shows in their signature style, interweaving the original text with its translation, the two languages entering into dialogue with each other. Wanda Phipps will read her own works. Musicians Julian Kytasty and John Guth, will perform works from Yara’s shows. The evening’s entertainment will conclude with music by Marusia Sonevytsky and the Debutant Hour. Finally, culinary artist Olesia Lew will welcome the audience to marvel at, and taste, a series of dishes inspired by Yara’s dreams and destinations.

On Sunday afternoon, Shu Kubo will conduct a workshop in the art of traditional Japanese paper-cutting. Mr. Kubo is an official Special Advisor for Cultural Exchange with Japan. He is highly regarded among Japanese modern artists and his work has appeared on postage stamps. This will be a hands-on workshop appropriate for school-age children and adults. The workshop is free, but pre-registration is required, since space is limited. To register for the workshop please contact Yara at (212) 475-6474 or yara@prodigy.net.

Yara Arts Group is a resident company at the internationally acclaimed La MaMa Experimental Theatre in New York. The group creates original theatre pieces that celebrate the cultures of the East, especially that of Ukraine. Yara 20 Years of Theatre is the sixteenth major cultural event that Yara has presented at the Ukrainian Institute.

The Ukrainian Institute of America is located at 2 East 79th Street, on the corner of Fifth Avenue in New York. Tickets for Yara 20 Years of Theatre are available for each event at the door– Friday $15 Saturday $25 or both evenings for $30. Participants for Shu Kubo’s paper-cutting workshop must pre-register with Yara. Yara’s 20 Years of Theatre was made possible in part by Self-Reliance (NY) FCU, Global Commitment Foundation and the Agency for the Cultural Affairs of Japan. For further information call Yara at (212) 475-6474 or e-mail yara@prodigy.net.


For current list of performers see 20 Years
For more on Yara's theatre events


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Yara Arts Group
306 East 11th St., #3B
New York, NY 10003 USA

Phone/Fax: 212-475-6474
Email: yara@prodigy.net

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