The Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Olena Kondratiuk met with young actors of the Lviv theatre studio “School of Arts of the Free and Indifferent”, who raised funds for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and presented them with the Edgar Rosenblum Award.
“Ukrainian children are the best cultural diplomats. They are extremely talented, impress the world and bring victory closer by helping the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In Lviv, I met with the young actors of the play “Mum on Skype”, which made a splash in the United States, performing at the legendary Irondale Theatre in Brooklyn and several other states,” said Olena Kondratiuk.
The play premiered in a Lviv bomb shelter in the spring of 2022, in the midst of a full-scale russian invasion. The children were noticed and invited to tour the United States in August of that year. As part of their tour, young actors from the Lviv theatre studio “School of Arts of the Free and Indifferent” raised more than UAH 1 million for a military aircraft for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The Irondale Theatre recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, and the Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine had a particularly pleasant mission – to present the actors of the play with the Edgar Rosenblum Award for Children of Ukraine. The award is named after the prominent American art producer.
“For over 40 years, Irondale has been creating theatre that touches minds and hearts. And in August 2022, it showed the people of the United States the courage of the Ukrainian people in an unforgettable way – through the voices and acting of Ukrainian children who told the audience about the events in Ukraine. We are very proud of the children who performed in the United States! And we are grateful to Irondale’s management for their invitation and for this award, which truly honours the future of a free Ukraine,” said Olena Kondratiuk.
According to the Vice-Speaker, cultural diplomacy should be actively used to draw the world’s attention to the protection of the rights of Ukrainian children. After all, the war is ongoing, and the aggressor country, russia, continues to commit horrific crimes against Ukrainian children. In particular, russia has killed almost 500 Ukrainian children and wounded over 1,000. 20,000 girls and boys have been effectively abducted and forcibly deported from Ukraine to russia.
“At every opportunity, we must turn to people of art. After all, their voice has great power and influence on the audience. Help us save and return our children! No one in the world has the right to deprive Ukrainian children of their own homeland, identity and future,” summed up Olena Kondratiuk.