Lidia Krushelnytsky to be honored with jubilee luncheon at Pierre Hotel (03/27/05)

Lidia Krushelnytsky to be honored with jubilee luncheon at Pierre Hotel

NEW YORK - Lidia Krushelnytsky, founder and director of the Ukrainian Stage Ensemble, will be honored on Sunday, April 17, at a celebratory luncheon at the Pierre Hotel to be held at noon-2:30 p.m.

On the initiative of the Friends of the Ukrainian Stage Ensemble and under the sponsorship of the Self Reliance (N.Y.) Federal Credit Union, long-standing supporter of the ensemble, Mrs. Krushelnytsky's students and the general public will salute her at the gala event marking the occasion of her 90th birthday and her ensemble's 40th year.

Among the dignitaries expected to attend will be Dr. Valerij Hajdabura, historian of the Ukrainian diasporan theater and artistic director of the Ivan Franko Theater in Kyiv, who will extend congratulations to Mrs. Krushelnytsky on her life's work on behalf of the Society of Theater Artists of Ukraine.

Mrs. Krushelnytsky, drama teacher, former actress with the Hirniak Studio-Theater in New York and director of the New York-based Ukrainian Stage Ensemble, has produced over 150 plays, dramatic readings and other performances over the last four decades, touching the lives of 247 students, many of whom are still members performing with the ensemble.

The Ukrainian Stage Ensemble's repertoire has included the classics of Ukrainian, as well as world literature - from Ivan Franko and Lesia Ukrainka, to Eugene Scribe and Carolo Goldoni. Bringing together amateur and professional talent, Mrs. Krushelnytsky's Stage Ensemble brought high theater art to Ukrainian audiences across North America.

Among her credits are Lesia Ukrainka's "The Forest Song" (1970, 1996), Eugene Scribe's "A Glass of Water" (1977), Volodymyr Vynnychenko's "Sonata Pathetique" (1992) and "The Black Panther" (1980), Carlo Goldoni's "Servant of Two Masters" (1986) and Ivan Kocherha's "Yaroslav the Wise" (1988).

In 1991 Mrs. Krushelnytsky took the Ukrainian Stage Ensemble on an extended tour of her native Ukraine, where its performances were met with critical and popular acclaim. In 2002, when the Ukrainian Stage Ensemble returned to participate in the First International Diasporan Theater Festival in Kyiv, Mrs. Krushelnytsky was honored by presidential decree for her significant contributions to Ukrainian culture and art.

To reserve a seat for the luncheon, mail $125 (check payable to "Ukrainian Stage Ensemble) c/o Marta Kebalo, 143-20 84th Ave., Briarwood, NY 11435. All proceeds and donations will go to support the theatrical productions planned for the Ukrainian Stage Ensemble's 40th anniversary year. For further information contact Ms. Kebalo at (718) 291-4166 or e-mail [email protected].

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