Blood of Our Soil
Event Notes
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BLOOD OF OUR SOIL
by LIANNA MAKUCH
directed by PATRICK LUNDEEN
PRESENTED BY PYRETIC PRODUCTIONS IN ASSOCIATION WITH PUNCTUATE! THEATRE
TITLE SPONSOR: BCU FOUNDATION
After generations of conflict, a new crisis opens old wounds.
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 the missing piece of their family history. 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.
Blood of Our Soil tells a personal story of war and trauma that spans generations. 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, Blood of Our Soil 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.
PROMOTIONAL VIDEO
Accompanying the production will be several outreach activities, including:
Pre-show Panel Discussion:Friday, March 8 @ 6:30pm: Voice of War, Ukraine’s Contemporary Conflict
Post-show Talk Back Series: Friday March 8 || Tuesday, March 12 || Thursday March 14 || Friday, March 15: Talkbacks will include members of the cast, production team and special Outreach Guest, Ukrainian war veteran Dmytro Lavrenchuk from Kyiv, Ukraine. Dmytro’s experiences inspired content featured in Blood of Our Soil. He served in the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the summer of 2014 and was wounded in battle. He continues to serve his country as a social activist, creating and supporting opportunities for war veterans in Ukraine.
Ongoing Lobby Installation: Will include Ukrainian artwork curated by Toronto’s Kosa Kolektiv & FOLK CAMP CANADA, and a display contextualizing a century of Ukrainian history titled 100 Years of Resistance, created by Marlee Yule.
Pay-What-You-Can Performance: Tuesday, March 12
CAST AND CREW
Written by: Lianna Makuch
Direction by: Patrick Lundeen
Dramaturgy by: Matthew MacKenzie
Stage Management by: Lore Green
Production Design by: Stephanie Bahniuk
Sound & Projection Design by: Nicholas Mayne
Music Direction by: Larissa Pohoreski
Production Management by: Trent Crosby
Featuring: Oscar Derkx, Mawell Lebeuf, Lisa Norton, Lianna Makuch, Tanya Pacholok and Larissa Pohoreski
The running time is 2 hours and 15 minutes including intermission.
BLOOD OF OUR SOIL
by LIANNA MAKUCH
directed by PATRICK LUNDEEN
PRESENTED BY PYRETIC PRODUCTIONS IN ASSOCIATION WITH PUNCTUATE! THEATRE
TITLE SPONSOR: BCU FOUNDATION
After generations of conflict, a new crisis opens old wounds.
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 the missing piece of their family history. 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.
Blood of Our Soil tells a personal story of war and trauma that spans generations. 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, Blood of Our Soil 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.
PROMOTIONAL VIDEO
Accompanying the production will be several outreach activities, including:
Pre-show Panel Discussion:Friday, March 8 @ 6:30pm: Voice of War, Ukraine’s Contemporary Conflict
Post-show Talk Back Series: Friday March 8 || Tuesday, March 12 || Thursday March 14 || Friday, March 15: Talkbacks will include members of the cast, production team and special Outreach Guest, Ukrainian war veteran Dmytro Lavrenchuk from Kyiv, Ukraine. Dmytro’s experiences inspired content featured in Blood of Our Soil. He served in the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the summer of 2014 and was wounded in battle. He continues to serve his country as a social activist, creating and supporting opportunities for war veterans in Ukraine.
Ongoing Lobby Installation: Will include Ukrainian artwork curated by Toronto’s Kosa Kolektiv & FOLK CAMP CANADA, and a display contextualizing a century of Ukrainian history titled 100 Years of Resistance, created by Marlee Yule.
Pay-What-You-Can Performance: Tuesday, March 12
CAST AND CREW
Written by: Lianna Makuch
Direction by: Patrick Lundeen
Dramaturgy by: Matthew MacKenzie
Stage Management by: Lore Green
Production Design by: Stephanie Bahniuk
Sound & Projection Design by: Nicholas Mayne
Music Direction by: Larissa Pohoreski
Production Management by: Trent Crosby
Featuring: Oscar Derkx, Mawell Lebeuf, Lisa Norton, Lianna Makuch, Tanya Pacholok and Larissa Pohoreski
The running time is 2 hours and 15 minutes including intermission.