Barvinok
by Lianna Makuch
Produced by Pyretic Productions in association with Punctuate! Theatre
“Makuch, Lundeen and MacKenzie have done a remarkable job of creating a theatrical experience that ties together a heritage journey with thoughtful commentary on a place tragically caught up in cycles of oppression and violence. ”
About
Hania’s Baba has a secret. A secret she’s bringing with her to her grave.Since moving into the Long-Term Care Centre, her grandmother has been restless. Agitated. Something from her past is haunting her. She urges Hania to return to their Ukrainian homeland to seek out a missing piece of their family history.
Photo by Dahlia Katz. Production Design by Stephanie Bahniuk.
Hania’s search for answers brings her to the edge of the ongoing war in Eastern Ukraine. Here she meets the people and sees the places touched by war, and finally confronts the truths of her Baba’s past. Barvinok tells a personal story of war and trauma that spans generations.
“Tightly written, beautifully designed, skillfully performed.”
The play is inspired by the experiences of the playwright’s grandparents who fled Ukraine during WWII, and the true accounts of people interviewed in conflict zones in Eastern Ukraine. Raising awareness of the ongoing war, Barvinok depicts the struggles of the Ukrainian people against the atrocities of Stalin to the horrors of Hitler, while drawing disturbing parallels to the current Putin regime.
Photo by Mat Simpson
MEDIA
Toronto Premiere – March 7-16, 2019
PRODUCTION REVIEWS
REVIEW: TORONTO STAR – MARCH 8, 2019 – KAREN FRICKER
3/4 Stars – Makuch, Lundeen and MacKenzie have done a remarkable job of creating a theatrical experience that ties together a heritage journey with thoughtful commentary on a place tragically caught up in cycles of oppression and violence.”
https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/stage/review/2019/03/08/blood-of-our-soil-is-part-family-drama-part-nail-biting-wartime-road-movie.html
REVIEW: MOONEY ON THEATRE – MARCH 14, 2019 – ILANA LUCAS
[Barvinok] is a quietly remarkable event… tightly written, beautifully designed, and skillfully performed. It’s well worth your time to pick up the pieces.
http://www.mooneyontheatre.com/2019/03/14/review-blood-of-our-soil-pyretic-productions-punctuate-theatre/
REVIEW: MY ENTERTAINMENT WORLD – MARCH 16, 2019 – AMY STRIZIC
[Barvinok] packs a punch… [Makuch’s] passion and creativity shine throughout the show.
http://myentertainmentworld.ca/2019/03/pyretic-presents-blood-of-our-soil/
REVIEW: NEW PATHWAY – MARCH 21, 2019 – VOLODYMYR KISH
I should make it clear that the play is not a propaganda piece crafted to instil patriotic fervEr in a time of war. Rather, it is more of a study into the suffering inflicted upon the human psyche by the trauma of large-scale conflicts that are beyond the ability of most individuals to either understand or control… It is that process of SURVIVAL that is the real crux of the play
Volodymyr Kish – New Pathway 21 March 2019
(formerly titled Blood of Our Soil)
Photo by Mat Simpson
Awards & Accolades
Anna Pidruchney Award for New Writers (2020)
Ukrainian Canadian Congress Provincial & National Levels - Leadership Award for playwright Lianna Makuch
ACUA-URDC Award 2018 (Alberta Council for Ukrainian Arts – Ukrainian Research and Development Centre)
Rena Hanchuk & Yaroslav Kitynskyy Artist Award 2018
Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Awards: Nominated in four categories
• Outstanding Independent Production, Outstanding New Play, Outstanding Multi-Media Design, Outstanding Score of a Play or Musical
Production History
Photo by Mat Simpson
2022
Edmonton, Westbury Theatre (September 21-25)
Canmore, artsPlace (October 6&7)
Lethbridge, New West Theatre (October 13-22)
2019
Toronto Premiere, Tarragon Theatre Extraspace (March 7-16)
2018
Edmonton Premiere, Westbury Theatre (March 1-10)
Development workshop in Kyiv, Ukraine & Staged Reading with Wild Theatre (October)
2017
Workshop Production, Edmonton, Studio Theatre (February)
