In a small basement theatre in central Kyiv, Ukraine, soldiers, veterans, and their families are turning their experiences of war into powerful stage performances that blur the line between art and lived reality.
The Veterans’ Theatre, founded in 2024, serves as both an educational space and a therapeutic workshop, where participants—many of them directly affected by Russia’s invasion—write and perform plays based on their own trauma, loss, and survival.
One of the productions, Twenty One, follows Maryna, a refugee from Crimea whose soldier husband is fighting on the front line. The story weaves together elements of magic realism and harsh wartime reality, portraying the emotional toll of separation, uncertainty, and constant fear.
Actors involved in the production say the experience reflects their own lives closely. Many of the performers are soldiers’ wives, widows, or veterans themselves, processing real grief through storytelling on stage.
Founded as a four-month programme, the theatre functions as a creative school where participants develop scripts with professional instructors and fellow veterans. The final works are later staged publicly, often moving beyond the workshop into wider Ukrainian theatre spaces.
Organisers describe the initiative as a form of “thespian therapy,” allowing participants to confront physical injuries, psychological trauma, and emotional loss in a structured artistic environment.
Actors and directors involved in the project say the performances create a shared emotional space between performers and audiences, where grief and resilience are collectively experienced rather than privately endured.
Many of the stories reflect the fragmented reality of wartime life—missing loved ones, uncertainty at the front line, and the strain placed on families left behind. For some participants, the act of performing their own experiences allows them to process emotions that are otherwise difficult to express.
The production Twenty One in particular captures this emotional weight, following a mother navigating war, loss, and hope while trying to hold her family together. Its narrative mirrors broader experiences shared by many Ukrainian families living through the ongoing conflict.
Directors at the Veterans’ Theatre say the goal is to preserve lived experiences of the war in real time, ensuring that personal stories are not lost to history but instead documented through performance while they are still unfolding.
Audiences attending the performances often describe a strong emotional response, with many reporting a sense of shared catharsis as they witness stories that reflect their own experiences of loss, separation, and uncertainty.
As Ukraine’s war continues, the theatre has become a rare space where trauma is not only expressed but transformed into storytelling—offering both performers and audiences a moment of reflection, connection, and emotional release.
