What Happened to the Production 'Mina Mazaylo'
The head of the Odesa Regional Academic Drama Theater, Elena Shramko-Pushkina, sent complaints to the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts regarding student Andrey Grishin. The reason was the cancellation of the premiere of the play 'Mina Mazaylo,' which fourth-year students of this educational institution were preparing. In her letters, the theater figure accused Grishin of anti-Ukrainian bias in the production and state treason. However, the university did not impose any measures on the student.
This spring, the Odesa Drama Theater canceled the premiere of 'Mina Mazaylo' — a work based on a play by Nikolai Kulis. Members of the theater's artistic council expressed concern that the performance could provoke interethnic strife, noting that the play 'does not withstand criticism.' The artistic council includes:
- Elena Shramko-Pushkina
- People's Artist Oleg Shkolnik
- Honored Artist Gennady Skarga
- People's Artist Olga Ravitskaya
It is noteworthy that the discussion at the council meeting was conducted in Russian.
Elena Shramko-Pushkina also stated that not enough attention is paid in Ukraine to the famine in the Russian Volga region, and spoke negatively about Western tourists, saying that they would 'pollute the shore.' The theater sent a complaint to the university criticizing the production and actions of Andrey Grishin, accusing him of 'anti-Ukrainian' work and disclosing the recording of the artistic council meeting.
Theater's Claims Against the University
In early June, the theater director sent a complaint to the university with a threat of contacting the police. In it, Grishin was accused of treason, inciting interethnic strife, and justifying Russian aggression. University lawyers assured the student that there was no reason for concern. It is important to emphasize that there was no official agreement between the theater and the university regarding the internship.
Andrey Grishin: 'The theater accused me of my play 'Mina Mazaylo' being... anti-Ukrainian and that I recorded and disclosed the proceedings of the artistic council. Probably, the goal of the complaint is for the university to conduct an internal investigation or to speak with me. The vice-rector asked me why I recorded the artistic council on a dictaphone. I explained that I had asked the theater for official minutes of the meetings, but they did not provide them to me. So using recordings was already a last resort.'
Thus, the incident surrounding the production 'Mina Mazaylo' and the actions of the students continues to provoke debates and raises important questions about creative freedom and language legislation in Ukraine. This situation could become a reason for a broader discussion about the role of theater in society and the limits of artistic freedom in the context of national identity and patriotism. For Russian-speaking audiences, it is worth noting that Nikolai Kulis's play is considered a classic of Ukrainian literature, but its interpretation often becomes the subject of sharp debates.
The situation surrounding the cancellation of the performance 'Mina Mazaylo' continues to attract wide resonance in theater circles. It is not surprising that the director of the theater is initiating a criminal prosecution against the student, which underscores the growing tension between cultural institutions and educational establishments in Ukraine.