EIGHT SHORT COMPOSITIONS FROM THE LIVES OF UKRAINIANS FOR A WESTERN AUDIENCE Clatter of guns and the worried voices of politicians are heard from all media. Eight Short Compositions from the Lives of Ukrainians for a Western Audience is a response to the Russian aggression against the peaceful Ukrainian nation. Five performers, each from a different European country – Ireland, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden and Ukraine –, meet in a metaphorical space defined by text projection, musical composition, singing and personal statement. Together they search for hope rooted in the tradition and routine of everyday life.
JANA SVOBODOVÁ (1962) She is a stage director, founder of the International Summer School of Documentary Theatre. In her work, she combines authentic stories with video art, music, lighting design and modern technologies. Her latest projects Those Who Speak for Themselves (2021), Perché non Io (2022) and Eight Short Compositions from the Life of Ukrainians for a Western Audience (2023) address the issue of personal freedom. Her projects have been presented at festivals in the Czech Republic as well as in the USA, Japan, South Africa, Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovenia and other countries. The production Ordinary People (2018), which she co-directed with Chinese choreographer and dancer Wen Hui, was presented in the main programme of the 2019 Festival D’Avignon and the 2019 Festival D’Automne in Paris.
