Ukraine Unbroken: Five Plays [9781839045639]

Overview

"Ukraine Unbroken packs a punch…a reminder of the vital interventions of theatre in making sense of the world." —Guardian

Charting twelve turbulent years of modern Ukrainian history, from the Maidan protests of 2014 to Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 and beyond, Ukraine Unbroken is a powerful cycle of short plays about courage, truth and survival in the face of an existential threat.

Across five gripping plays by some of today's most acclaimed British and Ukrainian writers, this volume explores the resistance and resilience of a nation determined to remain free.

Always by Jonathan Myerson depicts a married couple held hostage in a hotel in 2014 as their son protests in Maidan Square below.

Five Day War by David Edgar takes a darkly comic and sinister look at the ambition and delusion of Russia's 2022 "Special Military Operation," the invasion that was "mot an invasion."

Three Mates by Natalka Vorozhbyt, translated by Sasha Dugdale, explores the shame of survival in a darkly humorous confession from a Ukrainian man hiding from conscription.

Wretched Things by David Greig tells the story of Ukrainian front-line troops who have captured a wounded soldier and must decide whether to risk their own lives to save his.

Taken by Cat Goscovitch confronts the harrowing reality of the twenty thousand Ukrainian children stolen by Russia, following one mother's search for her daughter.

This collection includes a foreword from Nicolas Kent, who conceived and directed the project at Arcola Theatre, London, in 2026.