Theatre Performances
Yara is a resident company at La MaMa
Experimental Theatre
in New York. Since its
founding in 1990,
the Yara Arts Group has created thirty four original
theatre pieces:
1917/2017:
created by Yara Arts Group
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DARK NIGHT BRIGHT STARS
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EV=HOME
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HITTING BEDROCK (2015) Dreams of Donetsk, Poetry of Serhiy Zhadan and the War in Ukraine Virlana's blog "War Makes a Play"
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UNDERGROUND DREAMS (2014)Donbas Dreams Past, Present & Futurecreated by Yara Arts Group performed by: Artem Manyilov, Larysa Rusnak, Mykola Shkaraban, Julian Kytasty, Ostap Kostyuk, Mykola Zelenchuk & Dakh Daughters Freak-Cabaret conceived & directed by Virlana Tkacz monologs & poetry: Serhiy Zhadan projections & photography: Waldemart Klyuzko presented by Izolyatsia Platform for Cultural Initiative Virlana's blog: "War Makes a Play" on the making of Underground Dreams Kyiv: GogolFest - Sept 2014 Izolyatsia seized June 9, 2014 Donetsk:workshop Oct 2013 |
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WINTER LIGHT (2014)world music theatre piece based on winter songs from the Carpathian Mountains an 18th century nativity show and the crisis in Ukraine todaycreated by Yara Arts Group directed by Virlana Tkacz, music directed by Julian Kytasty, set & lights:Watoku Ueno, projections: Volodymyr Klyuzko with the Koliadnyky of Kryvorivnia featuring: Paul Brantley, Marina Celander, Sean Eden, Alina and Teryn Kuzma December 27- 28, 2014 La MaMa E.T.C. Ellen Stewart Theater 66 East 4th St, New York Runs 1:15. Winter Light at La MaMa Concert series: "Koliada & Music from the Carpathians" photos from all 2014 events |
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CAPT. JOHN SMITH
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FIRE WATER NIGHT (2013)When Trees Move and Women Burn.World Music Theatre Performance on the Move by Yara Arts Group created & directed by Virlana Tkacz music by Alla Zagaykevych and Lemon Bucket Orkestra with fragments of "Forest Song" by Lesia Ukrainka, as translated by Virlana Tkacz & Wanda Phipps, Native American, Canadian & American poetry, plus spring & midsummer night songs from Polissia Fire Water Night La MaMa - June 7-16, 2013
nominated for two NY Innovative Theatre Awards |
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MIDWINTER NIGHT (2012)
Sacred and Profane Rituals
created by Virlana Tkacz with Yara Arts Group Press and Photos from La MaMa | press release | more photos related Koliada 2012 events: About the Koliadnyky of Kryvorivnia |
DREAM BRIDGE (2012)inspired by the poetry of Oleh Lysheha Dream Bridge New York, May, 2012 Virlana on Oleh Lysheha and Dream Bridge |
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RAVEN (2011)Exploring unknowable boundaries
inspired by the poetry of Oleh Lysheha La MaMa E.T.C., New York | plus New York Press & Pictures
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WINTER SUN (2010)Theatrical Celebration of Winter Songs from the Carpathian Mountains created by Yara Arts Group | video: Before the World Began photos from Winter Sun La MaMa and Bonfire upstate New York |
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SCYTHIAN STONES (2010)an experimental theatre piece about traditional culture created by Virlana Tkacz with Ukrainian and Kyrgyz artists Scythian Stones - La MaMa ETC
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Scythian Stones in Kyiv |
Kyiv information in Ukrainian |
ER TOSHTUK (2009)based on a Kyrgyz epic
created by Virlana Tkacz and Kenzhegul Satybaldienva plot in English | 2010 B'Art Center | Эр-Тоштук в Бишкеке | сказ Yara's book Kyrgyz Epic Theatre in New York |
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STILL THE RIVER FLOWS (2008)Celebration of Winter Rituals from the Carpathian Mountains
new world music theatre piece by Yara Arts Group
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KO'OLAU (2008)based on a traditional Hawaiian story created by Tom Lee at La MaMa Tour in Hawaii 2010 |
AFTER THE RAIN (2008)
based on Japanese stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, including "Rashomon"
created by Watoku Ueno with Yara Arts Group |
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JANYL (2007)the story of a woman warrior from the Celestial Mountains based on a Kyrgyz epicnew world music theatre piece by Yara Arts Group and the Sakhna Theatre of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Janyl at La MaMa |plus Theatre Press and Pictures from New York |
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SUNDOWN (2006) theatrical reflection on the life and work of the father created by Watoku Ueno with Yara Arts Group |
KOLIADA: TWELVE DISHES (2005)forces of nature, animal spirits and the dead come to dinner new theatre piece by Yara Arts Group based on Koliada: Twelve Dishes | plus Theatre Reviews and Pictures |
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THE WARRIOR'S SISTER (2004)world music theatre piece based on an ancient Buryat epic songsister of a legendary warrior puts on his armour when he is killed created by Yara Arts Group and Buryat Artists |
SWAN (2003)music theatre piece based on poetry by Oleh Lyshehadiscovering the mythical in the everyday created by Yara Arts Group |
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KUPALA (2002) Kupala: at Festival in Kyiv and in villages |
HOWLING (2002)world music theatre piece based on Siberian wolf legends created by Yara Arts Group and artists from Buryatia Howling |and Theatre Reviews |
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OBO: OUR SHAMANISM (2001)world music theatre piece based on shaman intiation ritualsthe artists witnessed in Siberia created by Yara Arts Group |
SONG TREE (2000)A World Music Theatre piece based on ancient winter songs and dances from the Carpathians and Poltava Spirits of Malanka and the Goat Dance descend on a woman who has buried herself in work and science. created by Yara Arts Group, artists from Ukraine and
Gogol Bordello |
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CIRCLE (1999-2000)Siberian legends, shaman chants and post-Soviet reality intermingle in an outrageous look at contemporary wedding in Buryatia when Gogol Bordello, a hot gypsy punk band, arrives to make sure everything goes wrong created by Yara Arts Group, artists from the Buryat National Theatre
of Siberia and Gogol Bordello "Making Our Circle" by Virlana Tkacz(with photos) | Reviews of Circle | Circle in Mongolia |
Flight of the White Bird
created with artists from the Buryat National Theatre of Siberia,
featuring traditional
Buryat Mongolian music and throat singing. --
An American journalist in Siberia today finds herself in the footsteps
of a 16th century Buryat Mongolian princess. Their worlds entwine as a Shaman, at
the height of his trance, leaves his
body and takes flight.
The piece performed at La MaMa in New York, the Buryat National Theatre in Ulan-Ude and on tour
in the villages of the Buryat Aginsk Region, where the folk songs and legends
that inspired the piece were originally
collected.
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Virtual Souls (1996-97)created with artists from the Buryat National Theatre of Siberia. On the Internet someone opens a window into the past... Nature reveals its mythical secrets--swans transform into beautiful women. But can you copyright a dream? The piece performed at La MaMa, in Ulan-Ude and at the Experimental Theatre Festival in Kyiv."Virtual Souls in Siberia" by Virlana Tkacz (with photos) | Reviews of Virtual Souls |
Waterfall/Reflections (1994-95)created with the legendary folk singer from Kyiv, Nina Matvienko. The piece explores notions of identity in our changing world by weaving together family histories, myth, ancient song and contemporary poetry by American and Ukrainian women. The piece performed at La MaMa and at the Festival of Experimental Theatres in Kyiv. |
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Yara's Forest Song (1993-94)the shifting boundaries between wilderness and civilization. Based on a classic of Ukrainian literature, Lesia Ukrainka's Forest
Song, translated into English by Yara members, Virlana Tkacz and Wanda Phipps.
Also included in the text were the works by American, Canadian
and Japanese
poets, pre-Christian Ukrainian incantations and ancient songs
were
incorporated into an original score.
In the spring of 1994 Yara traveled to
Lviv, the largest city in western Ukraine
to further work on the piece with
the
Kurbas Young Theatre. The joint cast performed the piece bilingually in
Lviv
and then in New York at La MaMa in June. |
Blind Sight(1992-93)considered the nature of "seeing" across barriers of culture. Blind Sight was based on the life of blind writer Vasyl Yeroshenko, who traveled the world, settling in Japan 1914-21 and writing in Japanese. The piece was comprised of the autobiographical writings and short stories of Yeroshenko and of poems by 7th to 20th century Japanese and Ukrainian writers. It was performed primarily in English, with fragments in Japanese, Ukrainian and Esperanto. This multilingual version was performed at festivals in Kharkiv and Kyiv and at La MaMa.Blind |plus Theatre Reviews and Pictures |
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Explosions (1991-92)explored society's ambivalence towards technological power. It interwove documentary material from the Chornobyl nuclear accident, alchemical texts, fragments of German expressionist drama, new American poetry, and translations into English of contemporary Ukrainian verse for which Yara members were awarded the AGNI Translation Prize from Boston University. |
A Light from the East (1990-91)the power of art to change the world and the forces that oppose change This piece incorporated writing from the diaries of Les Kurbas, an experimental theatre director who worked in Kyiv in the 1920s and was later destroyed by Stalin; the poetry of Pavlo Tychyna, the foremost Ukrainian writer of the 20th century; and dreams of the Yara artists. A bilingual version of this piece was produced in Ukraine with Yara members and local artists in the summer of 1991. This version opened in Kyiv during the week of the attempted coup in Moscow and played to standing-room-only audiences in Kyiv, Lviv and Kharkiv. Theatre Reviews and Pictures
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Yara also performed Pandora/A Re-Considered Masque by Virlana Tkacz and Wanda Phipps
at the Women's Project spring of 1990,
Breath by Annette Kurek in a workshop at La Mama in
the fall of 1991,
Time In Between by Andrew Colteaux and Virlana Tkacz
shown
as a work-in-progress at the Berezillia Theatre Festival in Kyiv in the
spring of 1994,
Hoplite (2004) and Ko'olau (2008) by Tom Lee at La MaMa
and Singing Tree (2010), Grosch the Cellist (2011), Music in the Wood (2012) and On the Waves (2013) by Watoku Ueno
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