SPREAD YOUR WINGS або «На перші гулі» plus Christmas Special

MOTANKA Theatre [Театр «Мотанка»] is a Ukrainian-Australian theatre group dedicated to bringing migrants’ and refugees’ voices to the stage.
Театр «Мотанка» це українсько-австралійський театральний колектив, покликаний донести зі сцени голоси мігрантів та біженців.

Act I

SPREAD YOUR WINGS або «На перші гулі» (‘Na pershi huli’ in Ukrainian, ‘going out with the suitor for the first time’ – literal translation) based on the written play of the same name by Stepan Vasylchenko. This is one of the most famous plays written by Stepan Vasylchenko (January 8, 1879 – August 11, 1932), the classic of Ukrainian literature.
This one-act play will take you to a Ukrainian village at the end of the XVIII century. With its everydayness, distinct local flavours, traditions, culture and, of course, a little of humour. A story about an ordinary family. Where Savka is the father, Vasylyna is the mother, Severna is the grandmother, and young girl Olena; all of them work very hard every day to manage their household to support their living.
Olena is an obedient girl to her parents, so she will do anything to get their blessing to go out for the first time. But the father, the head of the family (only he thinks, he is in charge), is adamantly against even such an idea. How exactly will the events develop? Will the suitor Tymish persuade the girl’s parents to let her go to a party, so she could finally spread her wings?

Act II

Christmas is one of the most important holidays for Ukrainian families. Not by chance, our second act is dedicated to the Christmas Holidays, the continuation of the story of the same family; written by our director, Valeriia Demianenko.
What creates a festive atmosphere is traditions passed through generations. There is a variety of them — traditional dishes and special family rituals, carols and nativity scenes. We will try to show you some of it in this part of the play!

The play will be in Ukrainian with English subtitles.

CAST

Savka, Father | Christopher Dowling
Vasyluna, Mother| Zhanna Levics
Olena, Daughter | Yaryna Yablonska
Tymish, Suitor| Oleksandr Demianenko
Baba Severyna, Grandmother | Lyubov Pereiaslov
Ukrainian folk signing & Natalka, God Mother | Natalie Solomko
Sophiyka. Olena & Tymish’s daughter | Sophiia Mandzyuk

Director, author of the stage idea | Valeriia Demianenko