Photo: Kristin Curley
*Emily Wiest is a member of the Department of Theatre and Dance’s marketing team
“Me, War and Toy Grenade” is the second show of the semester in the Department of Theatre and Dance. This production of the show by Ukrainian Playwright, Nina Zakhozhenko, is an extra special performance being that this is the U.S. premiere of the show. According to an article from WCUPA’s newsroom, Zakhozhenko expressed her appreciation for the performance saying, “I am very glad that my play will be performed at West Chester University and that the production will also benefit victims of the war. It is essential for us that this support does not fade because the war continues, and people die every day. Millions of Ukrainians remain inside the country, experiencing shelling, blackouts, and occupation (in some areas).” Taking place in the J.P. Adler Theatre in E.O. Bull Center for the Arts, cast and crew are in full swing with their rehearsals. I had the opportunity to interview the Chair of the Department, Julie Wunsch, as well as just a few of the amazing actors in this cast.
Since the Russian invasion of February 24, 2022, the lives of the Ukrainian people have changed fundamentally. “Me, War and Toy Grenade” is a series of vignettes about people who are looking for ways to adapt to a new reality. Each of them faces a choice: go or stay, fight or hide, save yourself or help your neighbor. These are stories from “the rear”: from the depths of the Kharkiv metro, from roadblocks in the capital’s sleeping areas, from the occupied suburbs, from telegram chats and conversations with the dead. WCUPA’s newsroom states that these are stories about love and jealousy, care and helplessness, confusion and hope that “in this new world in which we find ourselves, we can also play football, eat peaches and smile.”
I sat down with Wunsch and wanted to talk about how WCU got the pleasure of doing the U.S. premiere of the show. She said, “We are thrilled to be presenting a premiere production. However, the process is similar to any play we approach in terms of understanding the social impact and making choices that support and enhance the message to the audience.” I asked how this process began, she said “we were approached by an art curator who was putting an exhibit in the gallery, and we decided that it would be a great opportunity to support that process with a production of our own that focused on Ukraine and the current conflict.”
The gallery exhibit, called “My Ukraine”, is currently open in the E.O. Bull Center in the John H. Baker Gallery until December 9. Wunsch went on to talk about how successful the gallery opening was. “It was lovely, very well supported by the Ukrainian Embassy, the president of the university, the Dean’s office and representatives of the Department of Theatre and Dance. The event itself developed a strong sense of community and support for the mission.” During the opening, a staged reading took place containing some excerpts of the play. “The selected elements were very powerful and well received,” Wunsch says.
The actors of this show have truly been working so hard to get this show moving, while also putting a lot of love into the art they are putting out. Kendall Collins, an actor in the show, said, “My vignette is about grief, so telling the story of those who are grieving their loved ones that have passed on the front lines is an honor.” When asked about the rehearsal process, they said, “This process has been very different because we are in small vignettes, so we kind of have our own individual show that comes together, which has made everything a lot more interesting. With it being the first time it will be performed in the U.S., it gives us a lot of freedom.”
John Bellomo, a professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance, has the pleasure of being an actor in one of the vignettes. I also asked Bellomo about this process and how it has been acting alongside his students. “It’s been great, we are just doing the work, talking about the play, running lines.” He goes on to say, “You know it’s kind of funny they know their lines better than I do.” When asked what performing this show meant to him, he said “I think it’s important. We in the United States do not have any first-hand experience with war so we don’t have that kind of proximity to it. In the news, it is always this war in this far off place so if there is any way we can show the human condition under these horrible circumstances, then that is what this play means to me.”
“Me, War and Toy Grenade” will be shown on November 16, 17, and 18 at 7:30 p.m. and November 19 at 2 p.m. in the J.P. Adler Theatre in E.O. Bull Center for the Arts. Tickets can be purchased online at www.wcupa.edu/TheatreDanceTickets.
Emily Wiest is a fourth-year student majoring in theatre with a minor in elementary education. (EW958888@wcupa.edu)