As most male actors deal with Russia war, Ukrainian theatre rebuilds itself with all-female cast

With the Russia-Ukraine war extending to over three years, several male Ukrainian actors have also joined the war, fighting for their country as Moscow continues to attack Kyiv.

Consequently, Ruslana Ostapko, a 43-year-old Ukrainian actor, took to the stage, wearing a black leather jacket and with a moustache painted on her face. She has been performing in multiple traditionally male roles in a recent production of the Chernihiv Regional Youth Theatre.

As many Ukrainian men are serving in the country's armed forces to repel Russia's invasion, the theatre has now adapted to the realities of war, and women are taking the spotlight.

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Theatre’s 52-year-old director, Roman Pokrovskyi, said, "We were rehearsing Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’ when suddenly our men were taken to the front," adding, “We only had the female part of the troupe left. So we thought, ‘Well, if men played women in Shakespeare’s times, why not give it a try?’”

Women are now stepping into roles that were once dominated by men, as the country faces such a hard period with Russia's aggression. They have been pitching in to sustain not just their industries but the spirit of national resistance.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, four of the theatre's male actors and five stage workers have joined the army, leaving the troupe short-handed.

Now, only two men still perform on the stage, and most stage work is done by women. However, the troupe has reinvented itself by adapting its repertoire, transforming its space into a hub for art and wartime volunteer work, and casting women in most roles.

When asked about her friends and colleagues fighting at the border, Ostapko burst into tears, saying "our guys are doing well."

“This is pain, the pain of the entire nation, our pain,” she said while preparing for a performance. “But our guys are doing well. We keep our fingers crossed for them. We help.”

To express solidarity and support them, the theatre team regularly raises funds to supply their deployed colleagues with the necessary kit for the front lines.

“Our actor, Kostiantyn Slobodeniuk, went missing. Our sound operator, Dmytro Pohuliaylo, disappeared in the Pokrovsk direction at the end of 2024,” said Oleksii Bysh, 52, one of the theatre's few remaining male actors.

(With inputs from agencies)