The Les Kurbas Theatre was founded in 1988 as the “Lviv Youth Theatre” by Volodymyr Kuchynsky and troupe of young actors and artists seeking to create a new and challenging arena for theatre practice in the midst of a changing Ukrainian World. Their distinctive voice began resonating through the works of silenced Ukrainian authors such as Vasyl Stus and Lina Kostenko, and since then their actor-centric theatrical exploration has evolved in response to personal and social history—from antiquity to present—in union with art, artists, other theatres, and a remarkably diverse span genres and authors. Poetry, fables, literature, drama, and “text for theatre,” have all graced the Kurbas Theatre’s stage, through authors such as Skovoroda, Chekhov, Plato, KLIM…. Its theatre studio, established at its onset as a means for the search to develop its theatrical practice became aligned with Lviv National University in 2001. Concurrent with this aim, it has conducted the international workshop-festival, “Theatre: Method and Practice” which examines the theatrical approaches of differing theatres’ work, and it has participated in similar theatrical meetings with practitioners such as Grotowski, Vasiliev, Staniewski, Reichblum, Bogart, as well as many many other individual theatre leaders, troupes and organizations (IETM) that have been met along a multi-decade way. Their productions have been performed the world over where they have taken prizes at numerous festivals. In 2006 their “Marko Prokliaty,” based on Stus’ poetry became a Shevchenko Prize recipient, Ukraine’s highest honor awarded to the arts. Soon after this distinction, one of many distinctions it holds in Ukraine, the Theatre’s official cultural status was raised to being an “Academic Theatre.” Through all its years, The Les Kurbas Theatre has produced over 50 productions, raised several generations of actors and other thespians, collaborated with delightfully high-minded partners—including its audiences and benefactors, all with its singular aim: To continue the search to develop. It was born in an uncertain time in Ukrainian history, and that it still stands is testimony to the methods and integrity of this aim.
PROJECTS, FESTIVALS AND CONFERENCES:
2024 Theater festival "Actor's House. Immersion", Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine
2024 The Golden Lion, International Theater Festival, Lviv, Ukraine
2024 European Heritage Days in Lviv.
2024 International Theatrical Festival STUS-FEST 2024
2023 International Theatrical Festival Melpomena Tavrii, Lviv, Ukraine
2022 The Golden Lion, International Theater Festival, Lviv, Ukraine
2021 XXIII International Theatrical Festival Melpomena Tavrii, Kherson, Ukraine
2019 The Stage at Crossroads International Theater Festival, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
2018 MOLOKO, Theater Festival, Odessa, Ukraine
2018 Ternopil Theater Nights, Theater Festival, Ternopil, Ukraine
2018 Mandrivnyi Vishak International Theatrical Festival, Lutsk, Ukraine
2017 The Stage at Crossroads International Theater Festival. Plovdiv, Bulgaria
2017 Chekhovfest, theatrical festival, Sumy, Ukraine
2017 "Platform 77", Kharkiv Theater Festival, Ukraine
2016 Stages of Humanity, International Theater Festival, Ukraine
2016 Comedy Festival International Theater Festival, Gori, Georgia
2015 A Week of Modern Drama, in conjunction with the Lviv Book Forum, Lviv, Ukraine
2015 Time of Theatre Festival, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
2015 Gogolfest International Art Festival, Ukraine
2015 Contemporary Drama Week in Lviv (within the Publishers Forum), Ukraine
2014 Europe Live Game Festiwal International Theater Festival, Wroclaw, Poland
2013 ChekhovFest Ukrainian Theatre Festival, Sumy, Ukraine
2013 Gristmill Art Festival, Kyiv, Ukraine
2013 Drama.ua, Contemporary Drama Festival, Lviv, Ukraine
2012 The Golden Lion, International Theater Festival, Lviv, Ukraine
2012 Good Fortune, International Theater Festival, Luhansk, Ukraine
2012 Stages of Humanity, International Theater Festival, Ukraine
2011 Slavic Theater Meetings, International Theater Festival, Chernihiv, Ukraine
2010 The Golden Lion, International Theater Festival, Lviv, Ukraine
2010 Gogol Fest, International Art Festival, Kyiv, Ukraine
2010 Bez granic ХХI, International Theater Festival, Poland
2010 Thus spoke Zarathustra (first session), joint project with E. Grotowski Institute, Wroclaw, Poland
2009 El-Kvadrat International Festival of Artists, Poland
2008 Ukrainian Spring, Poznan, Poland
2008 Theatre. Methods and practice: MASTERS, Lviv, Ukraine
2008 Stages of Humanity International Theater Festival, Cherkasy, Ukraine
2008 GogolFest, Kyiv, Ukraine
2008 Golden Lion International Theatre Festival, Lviv, Ukraine
2008 Inspiration, Kyiv, Ukraine
2008 Alternative Art Festival, Donetsk, Ukraine
2007 Jagiellonian Fair International Festival, Lublin, Poland
2007 Theatre. Methods and practice: ALMA MATER, Lviv, Ukraine
2007 Lekcja Ukrainskiego. Weekend teatrow z Ukrainy, Warsaw, Poland
2007 M.@rt. Kontakt International Theatre Forum, Belarus
2006 Bruno Schulz Festival, Ukraine
2006 Bosporos Agons International Theatre festival, Ukraine
2006 Teatron Ukrainian Youth Festival, Ukraine
2006 Stages of Humanity International Theater Festival, Cherkasy, Ukraine
2005 17 Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre, Egypt
2005 School of Spiritual Leadership, ARK, Ukraine
2005 Eastern line Festival, XIV session of ISTA, Poland
2005 Eugenio Barba Eastern line Festival, ISTA, Poland
2004 16 Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre, Egypt
2003 The Revealed One, joint project with Kadmus Theatre, Ukraine - USA
2003 School of Spiritual Leadership, ARK, Ukraine
2003 CPR International Programme of Theatre & Performance Workshops, UK
2003 Berezil Arts International Festival, Kharkiv Ukraine
2002 Bosporos Agons International Theatre festival, Ukraine
2002 Stobi International Theatre festival, Macedonia
2002 Cultural Heroes Ukrainian Festival, Ukraine
2001 Butrinti International Theatre festival, Albania
2001 Legend of the East in America
2001 International Lesia Ukrainka Center, Lviv Ukraine
2001 Butrinti International Theatre festival, Albania
2000 Theatre of Ukrainian Baroque, Lviv-Kharkiv, Ukraine
2000 Reforms In Ukrainian Theatre Symposium, Kyiv, Ukraine
2000 Golden Lion International Theatre Festival, Lviv, Ukraine
1999 Festival of Ukrainian Culture, Krakow, Poland
1999 Sibiu International Theatre Festival, Romania
1999 Theatre of the 3rd millennium Festival. Kharkiv Ukraine
1999 NET International theatre festival, Russia
1999 The Two Orchards Lviv-Kharkiv joint project, Ukraine
1999 Sibiu-99 International Theatre Festival, Sibiu, Romania
1998 Jarylo's Games (Theatre: Method and Practice)
1998 Shakespeare readings, Lviv
1998 Theatre as a Window to Ukraine, American tour
1998 10th Anniversary Tour, Kyiv, Ukraine
1998 Slavic Laurel Theatre Festival, Russia
1997 Kontakt International Theatre festival, Poland
1997 IETM International Theatre Meeting, Paris, France
1996 Chekhov International Theatre Festival, Russia
1996 Cult of the Modern International Theatre Festival, Kharkiv, Ukraine
1996 Saratoga International Theatre Institute, NY, USA
1996 Modern Culture International Theatre Festival, Ukraine
1996 Workcentre of Jerzy Grotowski, Pontedera, Italy
1995 The Creativity of Les Kurbas, International Seminar, Kyiv Ukraine
1995 Cult of the Modern International Theatre Festival, Kharkiv, Ukraine
1994 Suzir’ia International Theatre Festival, Kyiv Ukraine
1994 New Stage International Theatre Festival, Kharkiv, Ukraine
1994 LaMama Theatre, project with Yara Arts Group, NY, USA
1994 Art of the Berezil International Theatre Festival, Kyiv, Ukraine
1994 Golden Lion International Theatre Festival, Ukraine
1994 Gardzienice International Theatre Festival, Lublin, Poland
1993 National Minorities of Poland International Theatre Festival, Gdansk, Poland
1993 International Festival of Ukrainian Culture, Lublin, Poland
1993 InterBerezil International Theatre Festival, Ukraine
1993 LaMama Theatre, joint work with Yara Arts, New York, USA
1992 Repressed Authors Theatrical Festival, Kyiv, Ukraine
1992 Art of the Berezil International Theatre Festival, Kyiv, Ukraine
1992 Golden Lion International Theatre Festival, Lviv, Ukraine
1991 Plays of Lesia Ukrainka Festival, Lutsk, Ukraine
1991 Slavic Pilgrims, Theatre project of School of Dramatic Art of Anatoliy Vasiliev and Workcentre of Jerzy Grotowski, Pontedera, Italy
1990 The Theatre Laboratory of Anatoliy Vasiliev, Saint Petersburg, Russia
1989 Golden Lion International Theatre Festival, Lviv, Ukraine