“THE FOG” is a joint Ukrainian-German theatre project created as a result of an international creative residency in Berlin with the support of the Goethe-Institut.
Organisers: The Voices NGO (Ukraine) and Hotel Continental — Art Space in Exile (Germany).
The performance was created in the pseudo-documentary genre — a form of theatre that balances between reality and its artistic interpretation. Through interviews with people who have endured unimaginable trials and fought for their freedom, the performance reveals the stories of those who found themselves at the epicentre of the struggle for survival during a brutal and cynical war.
These are stories of lost and shattered lives — stories of people trapped in a dense fog of lies, pain and injustice. A fog from which, we believe, Ukraine will emerge victorious.
It is also a story about the future we are all working to bring closer — a future in which the fog of war has lifted, yet everyone who has passed through it will always know the price of Freedom.
The performance premiered on 25 January 2025 at Hotel Continental — Art Space in Exile in Berlin.
The performance features monologues from different parts of Ukraine — profound, painful and sincere. Each monologue is like a scar on the body of the country, each one a cry from the fog in which hope is still breathing.
The purpose of the theatre project “THE FOG” is to preserve the living memory of the Russian-Ukrainian war through the personal stories of people from different regions of Ukraine and to transform these testimonies into a theatrical document of the era. The project seeks to reflect on the experiences of war, occupation, captivity, loss, forced displacement and the struggle for freedom; to foster a responsible approach to national memory; and to make Ukrainian voices heard both in Ukraine and around the world.
International cultural cooperation is an essential part of the project. It makes it possible to tell Ukraine’s story through the language of contemporary theatre, create dialogue between societies, and counter propaganda and the distortion of historical facts.
Project objectives:
To foster a comprehensive understanding of the war through the stories of people from different cities and regions of Ukraine.
To reflect on collective trauma through art and create a space for public dialogue.
To present contemporary Ukrainian theatre and the Ukrainian experience to international audiences.
To develop long-term cooperation between Ukrainian and European artists and cultural organisations.
We express our sincere gratitude to the Goethe-Institut and our German partners, Hotel Continental — Art Space in Exile, for their support and for making it possible to bring this important project to life. We invite everyone to join us on this journey through the fog of war towards our shared Victory.
This work was produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.
