Sometimes a single event can forever change the history of a city, a country, and the collective memory of an entire people. For Mariupol, that date was March 16, 2022—the day an airstrike destroyed the building of the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theater (Mariupol), where hundreds of civilians had taken shelter from the shelling. This tragedy has become a symbol of the brutality of war and unspeakable pain.
For the fourth consecutive year, the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theater (Mariupol) is holding a peaceful event dedicated to honoring the memory of the victims of the tragedy in Mariupol. This initiative brings together artists, theater companies, and audiences from different countries around a shared desire to preserve the memory of the events of March 2022.
Last year, our theater’s voice resonated in the cities of the Republic of Moldova: Bălți, Cahul, and Chișinău. This year, the relay of remembrance continues with an international tour of cities in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: London, Exeter, and Liverpool. The theater presents the storytelling performance “The Mariupol Drama,” which combines the pain of loss, the strength of resistance, and faith in recovery. Representatives of the theater community from European countries have also joined the commemorative events, demonstrating their solidarity with the Ukrainian people.
While one part of the troupe carries out its cultural mission abroad, the other continues the commemorative events at home. In Kyiv, on the stage of the National Palace of Arts “Ukraine,” our theater presented the premiere of the joint Ukrainian-Canadian production “The Edge,” directed by Canadian director Christopher Morris. The director traveled to Ukraine specifically to meet with the actors—witnesses to the tragedy—to hear their stories and bring them to life in the production. His artistic vision is an attempt to comprehend the tragedy of Mariupol not merely as a historical event, but as a profound human experience.
Despite the loss of its home stage, the Donetsk Regional Theater continues to live and create. Today, it has become the voice of a city destroyed by war but unbroken in spirit. Through art, the actors speak to the world about truth, pain, and hope, preserving the memory of events that must never be forgotten.
This voice is heard far beyond Ukraine’s borders. And as long as the truth resonates in the hearts of people across the globe, Ukraine remains strong in its unity with the international community—for the sake of peace, justice, and the future.