Ukrainians Saixa Deníssova and Aleksei Iúdnikov, first residents of Barcelona Artistes En Risc
A monologue about the author's mother, who was born during the German bombing of Kiev and decided to stay in the city during the current war, will be premiered at the CCCB.
The playwright and theatre director Sasha Denisova and the actor Aleksei Yudnikov, both of Ukrainian origin, were rehearsing in Moscow when the war broke out. Because of their political position they had to leave and go into exile. On Saturday 4 March they will premiere My mother and the total invasion at the theatre of Centre de Cultura Contemporánia de Barcelona (CCCB). It has been made possible thanks to the Barcelona Artistes En Risc project, a joint initiative of various institutions and entities to host artists in situations of risk under the umbrella of an artistic residency in the Catalan capital. The purpose of these residencies is to provide a safe space for artists, not only to protect their lives, but also to give them the opportunity to continue their artistic activity and act as a loudspeaker outside their own territory. The participating institutions and entities are the Institute of Culture of Barcelona (ICUB), which facilitates the realisation of the project and the artists' residency at Fabra i Coats: Creation Factory; the CCCB, which provides part of the artists' maintenance and technical production; the platform Artist at Risk and the organisation No Callarem, which takes in artists in situations of risk and is supported by the project Artists at Risk (AR) - A European Network of Safe Havens, a Creative Europe network project, financed by the European Union.
My mother and the total invasion is a monologue performed by Yúdnikov with dramaturgy and direction by Denísova. The main character is Olga Ivanovna, the author's mother, who was born in Kiev while the Germans were bombing the city in the Second World War. Now, despite the invasion, she has decided to stay in the Ukrainian capital. It is a life caught between two wars, bridging the stories of love and intimacy between mother and daughter, separated by this new conflict. A story that is not lacking in irony, with Olga Ivanovna having conversations with heads of state, ex-husbands and also with her daughter.
More information and tickets in this link.