VIRTUAL FOREST SONG
the first human enters a primeval forest, and nature reacts
includes scenes from “Forest Song” by Lesia Ukrainka. translated by Virlana Tkacz & Wanda Phipps, Native American, English & American poetry, plus traditional songs from Ukraine
directed by Virlana Tkacz
movement: Shigeko Sara Suga
costumes: Keiko Obremski
projections & graphics: Waldemart Klyuzko
video & images: Evgeniy Maloletka & Jim Krantz
singer: Iryna Voloshyna, flute: Ihor Didenchuk
bandura: Julian Kytasty, sound: Maksym Lozynskyj
translations: Virlana Tkacz, Wanda Phipps & Oksana Batiuk
literary manager: Oksana Lebedivna
casting & coordination: Martin Nikolov
technical manager: Darien Fiorino
live-stream: Chris Ignacio/La MaMa
with Sanskar Agarwal, Andrew Colteaux, Darien Fiorino, Silvana Gonzalez, Akiko Hiroshima, Chamaya Moody, Martin Nikolov Nam Pham, Masha Pruss, Shigeko Sara Suga, Shona Tucker, Iryna Voloshyna and Georgia Waehler
Presented on Zoom on June 25, 2021
program | photos | full video
Dedicated to Ellen Stewart, the mama of LaMaMa and all Yara artists who worked on previous versions. In memory of Genji Ito.
Read fragment from our translation and about Lesia Ukrainka
PRESS in NEW YORK
The production of Yara Arts Group’s “Virtual Forest Song” directed by Virlana Tkacz is not the first time she tackled an adaptation of Lesia Ukrainka’s classic play. It is, however, different from the previous productions of “Forest Song” by Yara Arts Group in that it took place on Zoom. This format is especially appropriate for the show. It emphasizes the connection between nature, humans and technology. The space between the Zoom boxes becomes fluid as actors reach across boundaries.
The production begins with the image of an oak. The Zoom box is almost eclipsed inside the oak’s largess. Andrew Colteaux narrates the viewers’ way into the forest, which includes the trees sycamore, birch and willow, all played by actors. They are all trees that feel and experience as much as people. Nature is personified.
The only humans in the show are the ones that threaten the existence of nature. Luke played by Sanskar Agarwal is in the forest to get some syrup from a birch and later to chop trees for fences, but he is overcome with his love for Sylph played by Georgia Waehler, the forest nymph. His love interferes with his ability to work.
Ukrainian is spoken by Birch (Masha Pruss) and by the widow (Iryna Voloshyna) that replaces Luke when he no longer has the emotional strength and focus to do his job. The Ukrainian spoken by Birch is both a poem and an affirmation. The text is echoed in English in a translation by Virlana Tkacz and Wanda Phipps, offering a seamless connection.
There are startling photographs when trees burn and Sylph seems caught in ashes. This leads to a beautiful folk song sung by Iryna Voloshyna and Julian Kytasty who also performs the song on the bandura. The photographs and the video of burnt and ruined homes in the war-torn regions of eastern Ukraine by Evgeniy Maloletka cause viewers to feel a pang of sadness.
One of the memorable scenes occurs when the so-called water brats become excited about drowning Luke. The movement by Shikego Suga is both natural and dizzying as the water brats move to swallow Luke who has threatened the forest’s life and, at the same time, we as the viewers are enveloped by the water.
This author felt she was part of the performance. In “Virtual Forest Song,” it seems that technology is controlled. Zoom is used to manipulate and used to the benefit of the acting. Actors in this performance are Sanskar Agarwal, Andrew Colteaux, Darien Fiorino, Silvana Gonzalez, Akiko Hiroshima, Chamaya Moody, Martin Nikolov, Nam Pham, Masha Pruss, Shigeko Sara Suga, Shona Tucker, Iryna Voloshyna and Georgia Waehler.
The performance begins and ends with a flute playing, creating a frame that leads the viewers into the enchanted forest. Lesia Ukrainka suggested the melodies to her play. They are performed by Ihor Didenchuk, of Go A, Ukraine’s stunning entry in the Eurovision competition that took place this past spring.
Olena Jennings, Ukrainian Weekly, July 18, 2021.
Lesia Ukrainka's Forest Song read by Silvana Gonzalez
Lesia Ukrainka's Forest Song read by
Georgia Waehler
A THOUSAND SUNS
the first human enters a primeval forest, and nature reacts
includes scenes from “Forest Song” by Lesia Ukrainka. translated by Virlana Tkacz & Wanda Phipps, Native American, English & American poetry, plus traditional songs from Ukraine
directed by Virlana Tkacz
movement: Shigeko Sara Suga
costumes: Keiko Obremski
video editing & graphics: Waldemart Klyuzko
video & images: Evgeniy Maloletka & Jim Krantz
singer: Iryna Voloshyna, flute: Ihor Didenchuk
bandura: Julian Kytasty, tylynka: Ostap Kostyuk
translations: Virlana Tkacz, Wanda Phipps & Oksana Batiuk
literary manager: Oksana Lebedivna
casting & coordination: Martin Nikolov
design assistant: Darien Fiorino
sound: Marielle Iljazoski
stage manager: Juni Li
with Sanskar Agarwal, Andrew Colteaux, Darien Fiorino, Silvana Gonzalez, Akiko Hiroshima, Susan Hwang, Tatyana Kot, Martin Nikolov, Masha Pruss, Shigeko Sara Suga, and Georgia Waehler
August 5, 6 & 7, 2021
La Plaza Cultural Garden
674 East 9th St at Ave C
New York, NY 10003
Dedicated to Ellen Stewart, the mama of La MaMa and all Yara artists who worked on previous versions. In memory of Genji Ito.
Read fragment from our translation and about Lesia Ukrainka
inspired by Yara's zoom performance "Virtual Forest Song"
In A Thousand Suns, a new live theatre show by Yara Arts Group, a human enters a primeval forest and nature reacts. Trees are the main characters in the show, which revels in the joy and fertility of spring all the while mourning the loss of generations of knowledge and growth in the fall. A Thousand Suns follows Yara’s style of presenting the story through a diverse cast and multicultural influences. The work, conceived by Virlana Tkacz, interweaves performances in English and Ukrainian, including fragments of a classical verse play by Lesia Ukrainka, with Native American, Canadian, and American poetry. The show will be performed at the La Plaza Cultural Community Garden at 674 E 9th St & Avenue C, New York, NY 10003 on Thursday- Saturday, August 5-7th at 7pm. The shows are free and open to the public.
Yara Arts Group is a resident company at La MaMa Experimental Theatre. A workshop of the production was presented on zoom as Virtual Forest Song. Previously, Yara created theatre pieces based on Lesia Ukrainka’s play Forest Song include the bilingual Yara’s Forest Song created with the Kurbas Theatre in Lviv and at La MaMa in 1994. In 2013, Yara created the immersive Fire Water Night at La MaMa. This winter, Yara created virtual events about these shows, which can be seen on here
La Plaza Cultural hosts events which highlight the diverse community of the East Village and allow for artists to express their heritage and belonging to the historic neighborhood, which Yara has been a part of for decades. The outdoor setting of A Thousand Suns will assure a COVID-safe environment and solidify the show’s message about human’s intrinsic connection to nature.
A Thousand Suns is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the Self Reliance (NY) Foundation and contributions from the friends of Yara Arts Group.
