Vták na povale UA
The Mykola Kulish Kherson Regional Academic Music and Drama Theatre of Ukraine returns to the Pohoda Festival after previous appearances. At the 30th edition, it will present two evocative monodramas created in the context of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, bringing deeply personal testimonies of war, loss, and resilience. At Pohoda 2026, the company will stage The Bird in the Attic and One-Day Hero.
The Kherson ensemble continues to create and perform directly in their home city, which was occupied and still lives under the threat of shelling. Their productions rank among the most authentic artistic testimonies of contemporary Ukrainian experience, and serve as powerful reminders of the individual human stories behind the news headlines.
The Bird in the Attic
The monodrama The Bird in the Attic (70 min.) tells the story of a girl from Mariupol who, despite losing her home, being separated from her mother, and forcibly taken to Russia, has managed to preserve Ukraine within herself. She is about to turn fourteen — an age when the world should still feel safe and bright. But her reality has been shattered by war: the people who tore her from her family and razed her city now try to make her “one of their own.”
Yet the girl steadfastly holds on to her identity, language, and memories of home. Her inner world becomes a space of resistance that cannot be occupied. The production is also a reminder of the fate of thousands of Ukrainian children forcibly deported to Russia.
Author: Oleg Mykhailov
Director: Serhii Pavliuk
Performer: Mariia Shapochka
“For me, the Kherson Theatre is proof of the boundless strength of art anad the importance of culture. Despite the city being under constant shelling, with streets covered by anti-drone nets and a terrifying daily hunt for people that the world has called a ‘human safari,’ performances still take place here every weekend, and workshops for children continue. The theatre has become an oasis of life, a centre of resilience, and a testament to how artists refuse to give up even in truly difficult times. I am proud that these extraordinary and inspiring people will also come to Pohoda,” says Michal Kaščák of the Pohoda Festival.
