Benefit reading to raise money for Ukrainians as part of global effortDate: 3/21/2023 NORTHAMPTON — A global effort to raise money for Ukrainian organizations both inside and outside the theater world is making its way to Northampton.
On March 26 from 4 to 9:30 p.m., Edwards Church Sanctuary will host “A Night Out for Ukraine” featuring an evening of education, celebration and giving. The central effort is to raise money to help Ukraine and Ukrainians.
Connecting a global cause to a local setting
John Feffer, the director of Foreign Policy in Focus, and local organization Play Incubation Collective (PIC) collaborated to create an event as part of the Worldwide Ukrainian Play Readings Project that began shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
After the invasion last year, the Baltimore-based Center for International Theatre Development (CITD) contacted Ukrainian playwrights and commissioned 23 plays that would capture moments in time during the current war. The CITD translated them into English and began working with theater companies around the globe to put on benefit readings to raise money for Ukrainian organizations both inside and outside the theater world. So far, more than 200 readings have taken place, and more than $250,000 has been raised.
“They are like reports from the front,” Feffer said, when describing the commissioned plays. “From the start, Russian forces targeted civilians, and the aerial bombardment of civilian infrastructure continues to this day. So, playwrights have been in the midst of this war as much as any other civilians.”
Feffer has written several books and numerous articles about Eastern Europe and Russia and has traveled throughout the region interviewing people. He has also written, performed, and produced a dozen theater pieces, several of them related to the region. He currently directs Foreign Policy in Focus, which is described as a “Think Tank Without Walls” that provides analysis of U.S. foreign policy and international affairs while simultaneously recommending policy alternatives on a broader scale.
After recently moving to Northampton, Feffer contacted PIC to collaborate on a benefit reading at Edwards Church to help continue this global series since Feffer was already working with the CITD in Washington D.C.
“PIC is a relatively new institution that is not just bringing new plays to production but also making connections among different theater communities in the Northampton area,” said Feffer. “So, it made sense to approach PIC because of their professionalism and their capacity to serve as an organizing hub for such an event.”
According to Feffer, the event in Northampton will feature four short plays that provided different angles on the war – from different perspectives and different sectors of society.
“We also wanted plays that were distinct in format and approach – to give a kaleidoscopic view of the war and its impact,” he said.
PIC and Feffer wanted the Pioneer Valley community to share in this effort so they invited other theater professionals around the area to help direct these plays including Ellen Kaplan of Smith College, Sheryl Stoodley of Serious Play Theatre Ensemble, Milan Dragicevich of the University of Massachusetts Theater Department and John Goldstein of Ethel Playhouse. These individuals will spearhead the four readings and cast their actors as readers.
PIC’s contributions
As Russia’ invasion continues more than a year later, PIC realized that they wanted an event that would encompass more than just the readings. Although the plays are important tools for reflecting real-time experiences, PIC also wanted to attach an educational component at the beginning of the event.
“The idea is that we start with an educational component with a roundtable discussion with experts of what’s going on in Ukraine and Russia,” said Rachel Hirsch, a co-founder of PIC.
This component will be followed by a community meal with Ukrainian food provided by Crepes Tea House in West Springfield. After that, the four plays will be performed as readings, and then the evening will finish with a talkback and community dialogue facilitated by the Karuna Center for Peacebuilding.
The event costs $5 per person and people are also invited to donate more when they arrive. Beneficiaries of these funds include Ukraine TrustChain, the Jewish Family Service of Western Mass. Refugee Resettlement Program and the Ukrainian Performing Arts Fund.
PIC serves as a resource to playwrights and theater-makers by providing long-term developmental opportunities for plays that “challenge the status quo.” They also specialize in building a collaborative network of local multidisciplinary artists and supporters by offering meaningful opportunities for under-resourced artists in the Connecticut River Valley.
According to Hirsch, this event falls right in line with what PIC does within the broader community as an incubator for local playwrights to find the support and space they need to foster their stories. In this mold, it was easy for PIC to serve as the convener in bringing all of these different organizations together to collaborate on this event.
“The whole idea of this event is to bring up this topic of Russia’s war on Ukraine through the lens of theater,” said Hirsch. “So, we saw an opportunity to do what we do best, which is to facilitate community dialogue through theater but through this very specific lens.”
The event’s impact
For most people, this war can feel far away, unreal and almost abstract – which is why an event like this one in Northampton is so important, according to Hirsch and Feffer.
“When you get to hear someone’s real life, real-time story, it drives home the message a little bit more,” said Hirsch. “These artists, who are going through the same struggle their neighbors are going through and have no means to be able to create or work, were given support to be able to continue to do the work they do during this difficult time, and they’re also given an opportunity to tell their story as its happening.”
For Feffer, the western part of the world has an imperative to support Ukraine with hopes that they do not come out as a dysfunctional country after all of this. As a researcher and writer for years, Feffer said he remembers how awful the Yugoslavia wars were in the early-1990s and how politically incoherent Bosnia was after the peace agreement. He hopes the same fate does not lie with Ukraine.
The mission, then, is to use “A Night Out in Ukraine” as a small way to give back to an overwhelmingly dire situation.
“Getting a chance to share these plays globally helps us all remember that this war is still very present for the people for Ukraine,” said Hirsch. “You don’t have to be in Ukraine to get a glimpse into how folks are feeling because they so generously wrote it for us to understand.”
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