Matt Smith, Tamara Rozova, Nataliia Borodina, and Tetyana Ovcharenko

This article is devoted to the discussion of Puppetry in the Face of War: A Study of Odesa Puppet Theatre project, which took place in 2023.^[1] This project focused on puppetry’s socio-humanitarian role during the war and as a part of the subsequent recovery of Ukraine. The activities of the puppet theatre were analyzed through the prism of children’s education and socialization during the war. Research methods included artist interviews, historical narratives of the puppet theatre, surveys, and photography as sources. As a result of the study, we determined three significant spheres of influence of the puppet theatre on war-time Odesa: sociopolitical (helping with identity building); academic-cultural (creative solutions such as building puppetry during air raids and blackouts), and therapeutic (applied puppetry for healing and adaptation). Puppet theatre in this context has demonstrated great resilience to adversity and change, adapting to the needs of its community and creating a safe haven and place for audiences to experience their dreams and joys. The theatre has become a place of healing, where puppets serve to displace trauma and explore play with the audience.

Dr. Nataliia Borodina is an associate Professor at the Department of Cultural Studies and Philosophy of Culture at Odesa National Polytechnic University and a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Theory and History of Culture at the P.I. Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine. Her research interests include psychology of art, approaches to trauma informed art, and philosophical and cultural anthropology.

Tetiana Ovcharenko holds a PhD in Cultural Studies. She is Associate Professor at the Department of Cultural Studies and Philosophy of Culture at Odesa National Polytechnic University. Her research interests include theatre (specifically puppetry), theatre collections, collecting and patronage in the field of theatre and music, cultural heritage, art tourism, applied cultural studies, and cultural axiology. 

Tamara Rozova, Doctor of Philosophical Sciences, is Professor and Head of the Department of Cultural Studies and Philosophy of Culture at Odessa National Polytechnic University. Her professional interests are in scientific and analytical work on the problems of philosophy of culture, philosophical and cultural anthropology, and social philosophy. She has received the following honors: Academician of the Academy of Sciences of Higher Education of Ukraine (2011), Excellent Educationist of Ukraine (2002), Diploma of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine “For Merit to the Ukrainian People” (2010), and Medal “For Scientific Achievements” (2012).

Dr Matt Smith is Reader in Applied Theatre and Puppetry at The University of Portsmouth. Matt has produced articles about applied puppetry in community settings (2009, 2012, 2015). He explores applied puppetry within networks of participatory practices. His monograph, Applied Puppetry: The Theory and Practice of Object Ecologies, was published in 2024.

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In modern Ukraine, there are about fifty professional and numerous amateur puppet theatres whose work was under threat during the Russian Federation’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and this violence continued as the authors’ research began.^[2] This article analyzes therapeutic adaptations since the beginning of the war in three areas, including how puppet theatre has adapted to the modern state of war, the new types of work for young and adult audiences, and the therapeutic function of puppets.

The Odesa Academic Puppet Theatre was founded in 1932 and, since its inception, has managed to survive two wars (during World War II the theatre was closed but resumed in 1944). Before the Russian full-scale military invasion in 2022, the theatre enjoyed a very favorable period, completing a long renovation and winning several awards at Ukrainian and Bulgarian theatre festivals, including the International Festival of Puppet Theatre in Lutsk and the International Festival “Golden Dolphin” in Varna, Bulgaria. The theatre also became a laureate and diploma holder of festivals in the Netherlands, Japan, Romania, and Finland. Even under wartime conditions, the Odesa Academic Puppet Theatre continued to produce performances for children, as well as a special evening repertoire for adults. 

Through a textual analysis of thirteen semi-structured, in-depth interviews with professional theatre workers, we explored the impact of the Odesa Academic Puppet Theatre on people during the war, also looking at the influence of the war on the life of the theatre. In order to elicit the most authentic and meaningful responses, the following basic interview questions were formulated:

• What is your role in the puppet theatre?
• Why is puppet theatre a part of culture in Odesa?
• How long have you been involved with puppetry?
• How has the war impacted puppetry?
• How has the puppet theatre operated since the war?
• How has the puppet theatre reacted to the war?
• Does puppetry help people during the war?
• What is your favorite show in the puppet theatre?
• What is your favorite puppet? Please describe.
• Is there anything else you want to say about puppetry?

All interviews were conducted by the same researcher, Nataliia Borodina, in Spring 2023 and, on average, each interview did not exceed one hour. The data was then translated, processed, anonymized, and used to draw conclusions from the study. Seven men and six women were interviewed; two respondents were under 30 years old, two respondents were over 70 years old, while the majority of respondents were permanent employees of the theatre aged 30-50 years. Among those taking part in the study were designers, performers, and administrative staff. Each interview was accompanied by the signing of a consent form for participation in the study, developed by the ethics committee of the University of Portsmouth. According to the terms of the ethics committee, we can quote the interviews without naming the respondents. 

The interviewer also attended three post-war premieres and studied the audience’s reaction to the performances. Audience responses on social networks and in a special feedback book were also considered. The quantitative and qualitative changes in the theatre repertoire after the beginning of the war were also considered via theatre posters for the 2022-2024 seasons. Tetyana Ovcharenko took a group of students from the Polytechnic University to a performance by the Odesa Academic Puppet Theatre, and they conducted a theatre quest, i.e., an in-person exploration of the theatre and its puppet collections. Tetyana captured the students’ impressions. 

For ninety percent of those surveyed, the full-scale invasion was a real shock and a terrible surprise. One of the respondents was a temporarily displaced person from the Donetsk region^[3], so for him the war began earlier, eight years ago, and he was prepared for Russia to move on to a full-scale invasion after his experience of displacement. 

From February 24 to June 2022, the Odesa theatre did not hold in-person performances, but actively rehearsed and released online puppet video performances on the topic of war: “We continued to create performances, and the audience continued to come to us. …the theatre did not stop” (interview with respondent from Odesa theatre). The respondent also recalled an anxious time when they had to stop the performance to go to a bomb shelter, and then continued the performance after the break. Another respondent discussed how work of the theatre continued in parallel with important educational aspects of the theatre’s work. Another member of the theatre’s staff noted that they continued their important educational work with children throughout the war, in spite of interruptions by air alarms. “We also conduct tours…These are interactive tours of the theatre with quiz elements exploring the space and the world of the puppet theatre…They are told about all the intricacies of puppets and art, and we even allow them to try to work with puppets.” 

The staff believe that they are providing an important cultural service that is a “safe imaginative space of theatre away from the bloodshed and horror of the conflict outside the theatre’s walls […]. the puppets were a guarantee of the promised safety, normality and protection.” One of the respondents considered their work part of the war effort: “For me, puppetry is a cultural front, and I feel that I am also on the front. I help and entertain children during air alerts, and this is my contribution to our common cause for victory.” 

It was clear from these stories that puppetry is an important cultural reference point for children, and an important distraction from trauma. There were many comments about how puppetry can bring joy and smiles to the younger generations. One respondent also recognized how important it is for adults: 

My goal is to popularize puppet theatre. Because, unfortunately, I hear from many that ‘theatre with puppets’ is only for children, that this puppetry is not serious. During the Soviet Union period, everybody believed that ‘theatre with puppets’ meant that some people played with puppets, and only children between the ages of three and ten could watch it. However…we make multi-layered performances; everyone will find a world of meaning—both children and adults, because we are creating a new interactive space where everyone will find something for themselves. 

Odesa Academic Puppet Theatre describes itself on social media platforms as a “Cosy theatre for audiences of all ages” (http://www.teatr-kukol.od.ua/), where morning performances are offered for the whole family, and evening performances are for adults and teens 16 years and up. It is clear that employees show a passion for the formation of alternative imagined spaces away from war, where people can dream and use escapism and theatre as a way to resist. This recognition is important at a time when war separates people from each other. One of the important impacts of our project resulted in a union between participants, allowing them to share stories about Ukrainian culture. In this way, puppets unite people, even when they are divided by conflicts and borders. An emotional comment was made by a Ukrainian team member in our project when they noted that the interest of the English researchers in Ukrainian puppetry emphasizes for us the power of Ukrainian puppetry. 

Researchers found three significant activities of the theatre: sociopolitical, academic, and therapeutic (applied puppetry). Before the war, the entire scope of the theatre’s activities encompassed the creative search for original ideas for plays. Now all three spheres are of equal importance.

Socio-political Impact

With the start of the war, the theatre made a sociopolitical impact by immediately expressing its civic position: 

Our theatre’s anti-war mini-plays [that] premiered online, Putin in Hell and The Last Call from the Bunker, directed by Elistin Mykhaylov, became the answer to Putin’s aggression, based on the idea of Yosyp Merkovych. In the first performance, the famous villainous tyrants of the past, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Vladimir Lenin, meet the present Russian president in the afterlife and give him the most honorable place in the cauldron of hell. The second project is about the complete failure of Putin’s ‘special operation’: a paraphrase of the song ‘Everything is fine, beautiful marquise’ by Odesa resident Leonid Utyosov was used as a plot frame. These works collected a total of almost a thousand views in social networks. (Vergelis 2022)

The goal of the work’s creators was to give courage and faith in victory to the Ukrainians. They aimed to show that, like other dictators, Putin’s regime will fall, and he will pay for his sins.

During this period of resistance, performers, Oleksandr and Iryna Bogdanovych, made puppet video-miniatures featuring patriotic original songs of the Honored Artist of Ukraine, Stanislav Mykhaylenko, which were posted on the theatre’s website. Employees were (and continue to be) actively involved in volunteer activities: “The art manager, Natalya Babicheva, and the stage manager, Raisa Bazelevska, sewed a lot of shoe covers and cushions for the military with their own hands. In addition, they initiated a collection of money and products for the soldiers in the theatre” (Polishchuk 2023). Odesa Academic Puppet Theatre’s official Facebook page and Telegram channels actively express pro-Ukrainian positions. 

The theatre takes an active part in artistic and patriotic events. On March 25, 2022, the theatre staff served on the jury of the first regional competition of drawings, “With Ukraine in the Heart.” The winners received tickets for an excursion and a master class from the theatre. The Odesa Academic Puppet Theatre also took part in the all-Odesa theatre protest against the Russian invasion in March 2023 and recently changed their official slogan to “Each of us is bringing Victory as close as we can!” This new position of active resistance was announced that year on World Puppetry Day: 

March 21 is our professional holiday – WORLD PUPPETRY DAY. We planned to celebrate this holiday in a completely different atmosphere, like all other holidays this year. After all, the whole year 2022 was supposed to be a year of great joyful holidays for us. Many outstanding employees of our theatre have anniversaries this year. And this fall, our theatre itself will be 90 years old.

But the cruel plan of the criminal Russian dictator changed our plans. Today we celebrate World Puppetry Day with a sense of anxiety for our country and our city and the pain of loss for our compatriots—the numerous victims of Russian aggression.

But we know for sure a big bright holiday is ahead of us —UKRAINIAN VICTORY DAY! Each of us brings this day as close as we can! And that’s why today, on World Puppetry Day, following the words, “Glory to the puppeteers of the whole world,” we say with redoubled energy: “Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!” Everything will be fine! Ukraine will win! And our holiday will be thebrightest and most joyful![MOU1]  (Odessa Academic Puppet theatre website)

Academic and Cultural Impact

An important cultural impact worth paying attention to is that, in 2022, Odesa Academic Puppet Theatre experienced a break with the colonial past of Odesa as controlled by Russian influence. Until 2022, many performances, according to the old tradition, were performed in Russian. Since 2022 all performances are performed and advertised in Ukrainian. 

In general, in 2023 there was a decrease in the adult repertoire. For example, in October 2022 and May 2023, only children’s performances were done. But starting in September 2023, the theatre returned to the usual tradition: eight performances per month for children and three for adults, of which, as a rule for the latter, one performance is dramatic while two are comic. This can be seen in the September announcement for the dramatic exploration of the holocaust Kaddish and the comic Shakespeare adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Dead Souls. The information in the later posters indicating that “performances are in Russian” has disappeared from the posters after the war. Three premieres took place during the war in 2023: the children’s play, The Painted Fox, along with the two adult productions mentioned above.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream was sold out and, according to the audience feedback, it became a most vivid theatrical event: “The premiere screening of Shakespeare’s comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream was accompanied by bursts of laughter and applause from a grateful audience …The fairy tale for adults turned into a brilliant carousel of incredible events, magical and simply magical … And, of course, with the most unexpected turns, where different storylines organically intertwine” (Kotova 2023). The performance gravitated in style toward a cabaret musical in which extraordinary creative techniques were used. For example, an artificial frame of a grand piano was built, within which a real synthesizer was placed instead of the piano keys; the puppet show takes place under the cover of the grand piano. This performance is an inventive example of comic art. This work demonstrates the main strategy of the Odesa Academic Puppet Theatre—to close the doors to war and give the spectators a safe, bright, and pleasant space to build their resilience.

Created before the war with the support of a grant, the performance of Kaddish, or a memorial prayer, was dedicated to the Holocaust. In the space of the theatre, the viewer relives the reconsolidation of traumatic memories through a return to the tragedy of the Jewish people, which affected the Odesa region as a whole. The tragedy of the Jews in the Holocaust, as considered in this production, allows the viewer to explore the tragedy of war as part of a past trauma eventually overcome.

The premiere of The Painted Fox was also a landmark event. Based upon the work of I. Franko, The Painted Fox is a traditional story for Western Ukrainian theatres; however, it is not typical for East Ukraine, where childhood is more associated with Russian-Soviet literature. The appearance of this work indicates another step toward a break with the colonial past of Russian influence and a welcoming of Ukrainian heritage by the theatre.

Some performances that were already in the repertoire underwent a rethinking, including Golden Chicken and Cossack Adventures. In Cossack Adventures, Odesa’s puppet theatre participated in the decolonization and struggle by engaging with a myth promoted by the Russians that Odesa has an exclusively imperial Russian past. Modern archaeological research has shown that Odesa arose in an ancient Cossack town, so Odessans are primarily descendants of Cossacks. This new view of the region’s cultural heritage is the basis of the reinterpretation and post-war premiere of this show. The heritage of Cossacks is an important part of Ukrainian identity, and this show, in its new version, celebrates this history away from its ties to Russian imperialism.

The Odesa Academic Puppet Theatre’s last premiere during this research project was The Sea, in which the complex ecological question was raised: “Why did the Black Sea become completely black?” By way of context, Russian bombings blew up many ships, and a huge amount of harmful substances spilled into the sea; during the current war, less attention was paid to environmental control, so the sea became polluted, which resulted in the deaths of many dolphins. (https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20221222-how-the-war-in-ukraine-is-killing-marine-mammals) 

Therapeutic Function of Theatre

The therapeutic function of theatre was explored by the Odesa Academic Puppet Theatre even before the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Already by 2014, Russia had begun to capture the east of Ukraine, and Odesa faced the problem of resocialization of internally displaced persons (IDP). The management of the theatre decided that one of the best forms of socialization is puppetry, so tickets to the performances were free for IDP’s.

Even before the war, the theatre cooperated on projects with other inclusive organizations, and today this collaboration continues. Artem Telyashenko (performer, screenwriter, director, and also an IDP) conducts inclusive master classes for children and adults (see the project website at https://www.facebook.com/inkluzLyalteatr/).

The theatre also introduced new forms of art therapy and developed preferential support for immigrants and children with disabilities. Artem Telyashenko’s most cherished form of puppet therapy is offering master classes at places like schools and camps. During such activities, he gives children the opportunity to feel like performers and directors, which is very important for young participants. During wartime, participants feel that nothing depends on them, and this feeling of helplessness further aggravates and is connected to trauma. Working to create a plot for a puppet performance helps restore faith that they can move from passive victims to artistic creators with agency and choices that they can control.

Many classical plays for puppet theatre were reworked for modern realities as a way to entertain and edify children and parents experiencing the harsh realities of life during wartime. For example, in the play The Golden Chicken, young viewers and parents understand that the most important thing is family love and support, not mountains of gold.

The plot of this show takes on new dimensions during the war, when the golden chicken must choose between a rich caregiver (the fox) and another caregiver (the wolf), based upon which of the two truly loves the chicken but cannot guarantee it a decent standard of living. This kind of choice is currently faced by many Ukrainian children who have had to leave their country for safety reasons and yet, while they live in relative stability, they deeply miss their relatives who remain in Ukraine. The play offers the main character, the chicken, the chance to take a risk and choose the caregiver who truly loves them. The plot of this show takes on new dimensions during the war, when the golden chicken must choose between a fox caregiver who offers him a rich life and a wolf caregiver who truly loves the chicken but cannot guarantee him a decent standard of living. Many Ukrainian children also had to choose between a decent standard of living in Europe and the opportunity to remain in poor and unsafe war-torn Ukraine, but to be close to the caregivers-relatives and friends they love.

The tales of the cat’s house also took on new meaning. When the cat’s house burned down, many rich friends refused to help her, and the cat was forced to become temporarily homeless, like many Ukrainian families during the war.

The Odesa Academic Puppet Theatre is currently the only theatre in Odesa that not only sends audiences to the bomb shelter during air alarms, but also continues to work with them in the shelters, creating a new interactive performance together with the artists (see announcement by the theatre at the beginning of this article). As employees note, one of the main tasks of a therapeutic performance is to relive the experience of one’s trauma, to understand that evil is not invincible and it can be overcome, to understand that evil is defeated by laughter, and sometimes even evil characters can change and take the side of good forces |(as happened with the evil wolf in the tale of The Golden Chicken).

The theatre team, as part of its community outreach and education activities, creates platforms for interactive communications in quests, workshops, and excursions. An important aspect of the integration of temporarily displaced persons is the “birthday greetings” option, which helps children who have lost friends during the war feel part of a community again when the audience, together with the performers, sing happy birthday to include the displaced. Children in stressful situations often use electronic gadgets as a form of escapism, but this can negatively affect social communication skills. The opportunity to attend cultural events and communicate in person is particularly powerful. The Odesa puppet theatre explores this therapeutic activity with the help of puppets. Escapism seems, in this context, a very appropriate form of cultural activity.      

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Odesa Academic Puppet Theatre fully reveals the potential of puppetry during the war in sociopolitical, academic, and therapeutic terms. The theatre offers a safe space for the audience. But the audience is not limited to using only this space and has other resources linked to the theatre’s website. Puppet theatre raises difficult topics of trauma and acceptance for the adult audience in the evening performances, while children’s performances invite young spectators to think about their identity in a sensitive way. The theatre helps Odesa, and Ukraine as a whole, in cultural decolonization, helping to return Ukrainian culture to its independent heritage. Throughout the twentieth century, as a legacy of colonial propaganda, almost all theatre productions were in the Russian language and written by Russian authors. Now, performances are based upon productions created by Ukrainian authors and performed in Ukrainian, celebrating their cultural origins and increasing hope for resistance. This independence and resistance are at the heart of the artistic practice of this theatre. 

Notes

^[1] The project brought together colleagues from the University of Portsmouth and the Department of Cultural Studies and Philosophy of Culture of the National University «Odesa Polytechnic». Funded by the UK Research and Innovation Fund (UKRI), it was created due to the UK-Ukraine Twinning grant scheme, funded by Research England with the support of International Universities of Great Britain and UK Research and Innovation. Matt Smith led the project in the UK, while Doctor of Philosophical Sciences and department head, Tamara Rozova, led the project in the Ukraine. The purpose of the project was to support cooperation and links between institutions engaged in cultural research. The study highlighted the ways that culture can survive conflict, especially for young people, and drew attention to the city of Odesa in a time of crisis.

^[2] The full-scale invasion was a continuation of the crime of aggression that Russia has been carrying out against Ukraine since February 2014, temporarily occupying the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, and certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. (https://mfa.gov.ua/en/news/zayava-mzs-ukrayini-do-roku-z-pochatku-povnomasshtabnogo-vijskovogo-vtorgnennya-rosiyi-v-ukrayinu)

^[3] This was part of the annexation of the Donetsk region by Russia, which is not recognized by the international community. 

References

Vergelis, O., (2022). “Theatre in the Chronicles of War.” https://www.facebook.com/oleg.vergelis/posts/pfbid02xyyG7CqYGj7Py8aioNCWaP8pHKYbLM36Qe5SPjvCDh53cBQhQ15raSSeSaii7Yrl.

Polishchuk, V., (2023). “Theatres in Odesa: how they survive and give performances during the war.” https://Odesa-life.od.ua/uk/article-uk/odeski-teatri-pid-chas-vijni-pro-vistavi-v-bomboshovishhah-ta-prem-ieri-z-generatorami.

Odesa Academic Puppet Theatre. https://www.facebook.com/teatrPastera15a. 

Odessa Academic Puppet Theatre website. http://www.teatr-kukol.od.ua/107.html

Kotova, M., (2023). “Under the power of sorcery: on the stage of the Odesa Puppet Theatre – Shakespeare’s comedy.” https://Odesa-life.od.ua/uk/article-uk/pid-vladoju-chaklunstva-na-sceni-odeskogo-teatru-ljalok-komedija-shekspira.

Collingwood’s Aesthetics. (2022). https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/collingwood-aesthetics/#ArtAmus.

Inclusive Puppet Theatre. (2023). https://www.facebook.com/inkluzLyalteatr/.

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