Ukrainian Stage Ensemble to premiere new piece (05/24/98)

Ukrainian Stage Ensemble to premiere new piece

NEW YORK - The Lydia Krushelnytsky Ukrainian Stage Ensemble, which has been presenting outstanding theatrical productions for 33 years, will offer a new work at the Fashion Institute of Technology on Saturday, June 6. The ensemble's players will present a drama-montage,"Zhinka Kriz Viky," (Woman Through the Ages), based on the works of the poet/playwright Lesia Ukrainka. The play will be performed in Ukrainian by an all-female cast.

The new production was conceived as a vehicle for displaying the talents of the ensemble's female members. Lydia Krushelnytsky, the group's director, explained: "In my work with young students, I realized that many of the plays we've been presenting called for a majority of male actors. So I decided to engage only women from our ensemble to stage this special evening of Lesia Ukrainka's works." Thirteen actresses, appearing in changing formations on three stage levels, will be on stage for the length of the 90-minute drama-montage.

The production combines excerpts from several Ukrainka works, beginning with "Pamiatnyk" (Monument), which is based on Greek mythology, and ending with "Hrishnytsia" (The Sinner). It will include excerpts from the dramatic poems "Na Ruyinakh" (On the Ruins, 1903) in which the theme of Hebrew Babylonian captivity serves as a symbol of the imprisonment of Ukrainians within the Russian Empire, and "Kassandra" (1907), in which the fate of Ukraine is portrayed through the tragic fate of long-lost Troy, accompanied by a call to the Ukrainian people to shake off their apathy and inertia.

Original music, composed by Ihor Sonevytsky to accompany changing images and recitations, will be performed by a musical ensemble led by pianist Volodymyr Vynnytsky. The choreography is by Roma Pryma-Bohachevsky, set design by Maria Shust, costumes by Irka Lishman, and lighting by Andriy Hankevych.

Curtain time for "Women Through the Ages" is 7:30 p.m. at Fashion Institute of Technology's Haft Auditorium, 227 W. 27 St. Tickets may be purchased in advance at Surma, 11 E. 7 St., and Molode Zhyttia, 308 E. 9 St., and at the box office before the performance.