“Shakespeare with his eternal theme of love, human strife, life and death visited Poltava”.

The students of the Department of Performing Arts and Culture, the Institute of Culture and Creative Industries of Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design, together with their teachers, People’s Artist of Ukraine, Professor Lev Somov and Associate Professor Valeriya Demchenko, are brightly completing the spring theatre season in Poltava!

The play “Romeo and Juliet” was shown on the stage of Poltava Academic Regional Ukrainian Music and Drama Theater named after Mykola Hohol.

Scene from the performance “Romeo and Juliet”. Juliet’s monologue

The success of the play can be best determined by the audience feedback:

“Quite an unusual genre of performance for such a classic work. I thought and decided to ask what it looks like. The performance exceeded all expectations. Young, energetic, emotional actors from Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design and well-known leading masters of the Ukrainian stage appeared on the stage, and it was easy for them to play the characters who were close in age and who were written by Shakespeare in 1595”.

“Romeo and Juliet” performance. The finale of the performance

Juliet was especially impressive. The actress did not play her character, she was her - an inexperienced teenager, passionately devoted to her lover.

Juliet - Nadia Korenchuk, Romeo - Kostiantyn Dryha

The thin, hot-tempered, unbalanced Mercutio seemed to have passed the century and is often found among the youth of our time.

Mercutio - Stanislav Yezhov

The play is full of scenes involving many actors. Each of them diligently performed their episodic or main role, contributing to the general atmosphere of the action. And, of course, the dances are captivating with coordinated, energetic, synchronized movements, excellent choreography and acrobatic elements.

Laurence - People’s Artist of Ukraine, Prof. Lev Somov,
Romeo - Konstantin Dryha

Tybalt - Nikita Marchenko

“There is no story sadder in the world than the story of Romeo and Juliet”. With their inspired performance, the young actors managed to draw the audience's attention to the lifelong problems depicted by Shakespeare, to think about the present, and how lightly we sometimes treat the value of life. 

Laurence - People’s Artist of Ukraine, Prof. Lev Somov,
Juliet - Nadiya Korenchuk, Death - Yuliya Horobets

“Special thanks to the teachers Prof. L.M. Somov and Assoc. Prof. V.P. Demchenko for the training of highly professional actors, the future creative elite of Ukraine”. - Antonina Khvan, Associate Professor, teacher of the Department of Foreign Languages, Poltava University of Economics and Trade.

The cast after the performance

Together with the students and graduates of KNUTD, professional leading actors of Ukrainian theatre and cinema took the stage.

The incomparable Olha Sobko plays the role of the nanny. Ukrainian actress and producer, founder of the "Tsukor" theater, known to the audience for such projects as: "AZOVSTAL. The Voices", "A Quiet Family Dinner", "The True Story of Fröken Bock", "Poetic Dialogue", "Fantastic Stories". The character she embodied on stage impressed the audience with her sincerity, brightness, and incredible variety of acting palette - the grotesque comic manifestations in Act 1 contrasted strikingly with the tragedy, despair and grief we see in the second part of the performance.

Nanny - Olha Sobko, Juliet - Nadia Korenchuk

Ukrainian theater and film actor Dmytro Korostyliov also joined the performance. The role of Mr Montague, Romeo’s father, he played, was imprinted in the hearts of the audience and was noted for his nobility, chivalry and high level of professionalism.

Mr Montague - Dmytro Korostyliov, Mrs Montague - Zhanna Zalutska

Crazy applause, a flurry of ovations and enthusiastic shouts - all this accompanied every appearance on the stage of Friar Laurence, whose role is masterfully embodied by the master of theatrical art, People’s Artist of Ukraine, Professor of the Department of Performing Arts and Culture, the Institute of Culture and Creative Industries of KNUTD, Lev Somov. A famous Ukrainian theater actor, who has hundreds of roles and tens of thousands of performances.

Laurence - People’s Artist of Ukraine, Prof. Lev Somov, Nanny - Olha Sobko

We believe that the young Department of Performing Arts and Culture of the Institute of Culture and Creative Industries of KNUTD will conquer the hearts of viewers not only throughout Ukraine, but also throughout the world!