director Poppy Franziska
lighting Natalia Ponomarova
translation John Farndon
produced by ProEnglish Theatre of Ukraine
cast Kateryna Hordiienko
photography by Daniil Prymachov & Dario Grasso
Herz was conceived as a part of the Ukraine War Text IV stage readings in 2023 at ProEnglish Theatre of Ukraine in Kyiv. This played to an audience of 30 in an underground bunker and was live streamed to an international audience. The text is taken from a blog post written by Ukranian soldier Yurii Hudymenko, and introduces us to the concept of Herz, an ancient Ukrainian war dance created to undermine and distract the enemy. The performance is dedicated to celebrating Ukranian culture and strives for solidarity while challenging the binary between pacifism and indifference.
It was selected for Teatri Riflessi’s Short Play Award at Teatri Riflessi festival in August 2023.
It has since performed at Codex Festival and revived by ProEnglish Theatre of Ukraine.