Artists from Ukraine have been shaping Polish art — including theatre — with remarkable intensity over the past few years. They negotiate space for themselves, search for their own languages, build international alliances, and gather audiences eager to listen and to talk. This becomes even more important as conservative politicians increasingly fuel hostility toward immigrants. Three Divine Comedy performances will show that the theatre stage can become a charged meeting point for different cultures, political visions, and languages.

What do Ukrainian artists want to speak about on stage? And what do they feel obliged to speak about?

These questions are crucial for the young creators presenting Eros and Psy (performance on 8 December at Teatr KTO). Directed by Kostiantyn Vasiukov, the piece is a contemporary reinterpretation of the story of Psyche (the goddess and embodiment of the human soul) and Eros, transformed through the lens of migrant experiences shaped by war. As Vasiukov explains: “Our Psyche, in contemporary conditions, alters the mythic story and continues it on her own terms.” Eros and Psy is also an intriguing hybrid of genres — documentary theatre merging with performance art.

A thrilling and radically different account of war arrives in Kraków from Estonia, brought by director Magda Szpecht with Spy Girls (two performances on 7 December at the MOS Stage). This exceptional work blends art, politics, and activism. For several months, the creative team — using fake dating-app profiles — held conversations with Russian soldiers, obtaining information about their locations, morale, and actions at the front. The performance recounts these operations, but it is also a powerful indictment of a criminal regime and a call for mobilization on all fronts.

Stories from the front reach us through many channels — social media, news services, the press, television, the internet. Yet rarely do we have the chance to hear from those who fought on the Ukrainian side and can speak directly about their experiences. In the unique project I Didn't Leave Ukraine (two performances on Friday, 12 December), Estonian director Merle Karusoo gives voice to war veterans. The conflict continues just across our border, even as many try to look away. This performance does not allow such detachment: meeting veterans face-to-face and hearing their testimonies shakes audiences to the core.

Also on Friday evening, between the performances at 19:30, festival audiences are invited to the discussion Bordering on Darkness. A conversation about the state in a tragic situation. The meeting will be led by Gazeta Wyborcza reporter Michał Olszewski, with writers and activists Ziemowit Szczerek, Antonina Palarczyk and Olha Menko taking part. The debate will be held at the Małopolska Garden of Arts, after the first performance.

Participants will confront questions that carry exceptional weight amid today’s armed conflicts. How does a state behave when it stands on the brink of catastrophe? Does the government have the moral right to demand that citizens defend the borders at any cost, or should it leave this decision to their free will? How high a price is society willing to pay to preserve independence?

At the heart of the discussion lies a question of individual responsibility: do we have the right to judge those who choose their own safety over the fate of their country? The debate promises to be intense — full of difficult themes — yet deeply necessary in a time when questions about freedom, fear, and the limits of sacrifice feel painfully urgent.

Tickets for all performances are still available at bilety.boskakomedia.pl.

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Photo: Ilja Smirnov (Spy Girls)