Ship. Bridge. Body

Ship. Bridge. Body

A cooperation of Theatre of Playwrights, Schaubühne Lindenfels and HELLERAU – European Center for the Arts.

In “Ship. Bridge. Body.” dramatic text fragments and personal stories are combined with 90s hits, percussion, piano pieces and songs. The performance is carried by the dynamic and affectionate relationship that the performers and musicians enter into with each other. Entertaining, shrill, touching.

The musical performance was developed by 16 artists from Ukraine, Germany, Italy and Georgia in residencies in the Ukrainian Carpathians, Leipzig and Dresden. Initiated by the Theatre of Playwrights/театр драматургів – a theater that should have opened in Kiev on March 12, 2022 and is directed by a collective of 20 Ukrainian playwrights.

Ship. Bridge. Body, presented by Theatre of Playwrights, is a deeply evocative and thought-provoking production that delves into the incomprehensible nature of the russian war of aggression on Ukraine. With an impressive collaborative effort from Julia Gonchar, Alina Rashko, Anastasiia Seheda, based on the texts by Liudmyla Tymoshenko, Oksana Savchenko, Julia Gonchar, and directed by Roza Sarkisian, this performance explores themes of war, resilience, and the human body.

The premiere on June 28, 2023, at the Dresden Art Centre captivated the audience with its fragmented narrative and powerful imagery. The performance consists of scenes and chaotic moments, skillfully enacted by Nadiya Alunova, Serzh Avdey, Olena Avdieva, Serhij Bazhenov, Olena Bohdan, Dudu Dudunia, Elena Francalanci, Sergiy Glybin, Iride Hasanova, Maryna Ianina, Alona Kowalenko, and Martina Lisa. Their performances evoke a wide range of emotions, depicting the consequences of war, the resilience of the human spirit, and the shattered dreams of individuals caught in the midst of unprovoked agression.

Ship. Bridge. Body utilizes various artistic elements, including video projections, powerful musical performances, and physical movements, to create a collage that reflects the experiences of Ukrainian artists who have been displaced by the war. It is a poignant reminder that reality can often be harsher and more complex than any written text.

Throughout 60 minutes, the performance maintains a captivating hold on the audience's attention. Moments of intensity, including trance-like drumming and raw vocal performances, are juxtaposed with moments of despair and suffering portrayed by contorted bodies. The collision of dance and disorganized movements creates a visually striking and emotionally charged atmosphere.

In this collage of emotions and fragmented narratives, Ship. Bridge. Body invites the audience to contemplate the impact of war, the human condition, and the power of art in the face of adversity. It serves as a testament to the strength and creativity of Ukrainian artists, reminding us that reality can be both devastating and resilient beyond any written description.

Cast & Credits

Workshop leader and director: Roza Sarkisian
Idea, organization, curation: Julia Gonchar, Alina Rashko and Anastasiia Seheda
Text draft: Liudmyla Tymoshenko, Oksana Savchenko, Julia Gonchar
Participating artists: Nadiya Alunova, Serzh Avdey, Olena Avdieva, Serhij Bazhenov, Olena Bohdan, Dudu Dudunia, Elena Francalanci, Sergiy Glybin, Iride Hasanova, Maryna Ianina, Alona Kowalenko, Martina Lisa

A cooperation of Theatre of Playwrights, Schaubühne Lindenfels and HELLERAU – European Center for the Arts.
The project is supported by the European Cultural Foundation within the framework of the Culture of Solidarity Fund, by the Fonds Darstellende Künste within the framework of Neustart Kultur: #TakeHeart, realized by the Bündnis internationaler Produktionshäuser, the Netzwerk freier Theater and by the flausen+bundesnetzwerk as well as with scholarships for Ukrainian artists by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.

reviews

Tobias Prüwer. Krasser als jeder Text, nachtkritik.de (de)

https://nachtkritik.de/?view=article&id=22643&layout=*&catid=1459

Ship. Bridge. Body: Unveiling the Impact of War at the Dresden Art Centre, ukrdrama.ui.org.ua (en)

https://ukrdrama.ui.org.ua/en/news/ship-bridge-body-unveiling-impact-war-dresden-art-centre

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20 Ukrainian playwrights joined forces in February 2020 to create a theater in which the text is at the center of the theatrical work. The Theatre of Playwrights/Театр Драматургів is a platform for the presentation of texts as well as for the exchange of experiences and further education of playwrights:inside with the aim of strengthening the author:inside role in Ukrainian society. The Theatre of Playwrights/Театр Драматургів is financed by sponsors, grants, ticket sales and voluntary donations.

Fotos: Peter Fiebig

Roza Sarkisian is an Ukrainian theatre director and curator. Her innovative work explores themes of memory, identity, and resistance, often employing queer art strategies and documentary theatre techniques.

Roza Sarkisian holds degrees in Theatre Directing from the National University of Arts named after I. P. Kotlyarevsky in Kharkiv (2012) and in Political Sociology from V. N. Karazin National University in Kharkiv (2009). From 2014 to 2017, she served as the artistic director of Kharkiv’s independent theatre DeFacto. From 2017 to 2019, she was the principal theatre director at the First Ukrainian Academic Theatre for Children and Youth in Lviv, and during the same period, also worked at the National Academic Drama and Musical Theatre in Ivano-Frankivsk.

Her notable works include My Grandfather Dug. My Father Dug. But I Won’t (a Ukrainian-Polish co-production, co-directed with Agnieszka Błońska, 2016), The Great Filter Theory (Theatre of Contemporary Dialogue, Poltava, 2017), Psychosis (Actor’s Theatre in Kyiv, 2018), Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful Times (First Theatre in Lviv, 2018), and Macbeth (Lesya Ukrainka Academic Drama Theatre in Lviv, 2019). Additional acclaimed works include H-effect, based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Heiner Müller’s Hamletmachine (a Ukrainian-Polish-German co-production, NGO "Art-Dialog", 2020), Radio Mariia by Joanna Wichowska and Krysia Bednarek (Powszechny Theatre in Warsaw, 2022), Ship. Bridge. Body (a co-production of the Theatre of Playwrights in Kyiv, Schaubühne Lindenfels in Leipzig, and Festspielhaus Hellerau, Dresden, 2023), and Fucking Truffaut (a co-production with Reszka Foundation, Dramatic Theatre in Warsaw, and Gorki Theater in Berlin, 2023), Karabakh Memory (Gorki Theater in Berlin, 2025).

Her productions focus on themes of collective and individual memory, national identity, non-normativity, power, and social oppression. She combines radical imagination with queer art strategies, often using devised theatre techniques, personal stories, and elements of (post-)documentary theatre and autoethnography to connect personal experiences with broader social contexts and explore the boundaries between reality and fiction. Working with both professional and non-professional actors, she rethinks conventional aesthetics, introduces new ways of thinking, and creates space for alternative narratives. Her works have been recognized with several awards and invitations to festivals in Ukraine and internationally.

Roza has been recognized with several prestigious accolades, including winning the British Council Ukraine's Taking the Stage 2017 competition, the Gaude Polonia Scholarship 2017 from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland, International Mobility Grants through Culture Bridges, the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation Scholarship, Culture Moves Europe, the Artistic Scholarship of the President of Ukraine for 2019/2020, and the Warsaw City Artistic Scholarship in 2023. She was also named "Personality of the Year 2018" in the Theatre category in Lviv.

In addition to her theatre work, Roza has initiated and curated various artistic and educational projects for young people and children, including Desant UA: Independent Ukrainian Theatres Review (2017, Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute, Warsaw), Drama Teen Lab (2019, Lviv), and Young Directors for Children (2018, Lviv). She has also been involved in projects such as Voices of the Neighborhood (2019, Lviv), Documentary Theatre for Children Evacuated from near Kyiv (2022/2023, Kahl-am-Main, Germany), Korczak Festival: Focus on Ukraine (2022, Warsaw), and Film and Theatre Workshops (2022, Warsaw). Roza has led numerous workshops for teenagers and has created performances featuring young non-professional actors and people with disabilities.