Undesirable Elements: Ukraine

2023
Theater

About the Production

Undesirable Elements: Ukraine is created in partnership with Yara Arts and explores the experiences of Ukrainian American New Yorkers: Ukrainian identity, immigration, intergenerational connections, the history of Ukrainians in the U.S., and the disastrous effect of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

This project ​​is the result of a three-decade relationship between Ping Chong and Virlana Tkacz, who first worked together in the early 1990s, when Ping first created the series. Last year, Ping invited Virlana to collaborate on a new production about the experiences of Ukrainian Americans. She identified the people who form the cast, and whose stories comprise the script.

Undesirable Elements: Ukraine features Ukrainian and Ukrainian-American performers, musicians, and activists: George Drance, whose grandparents arrived in New York before World War I; Julian Kytasty, whose father arrived with his bandura-playing family after World War II; Lesya Verba, who arrived in New York from Odesa just two years ago; Nariman Asanov, a Crimean Tatar who came to U.S. in the 1990s; and Daria Kolomiec, who was in Kyiv for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The production interweaves their personal stories and Ukrainian history with traditional Ukrainian music and songs.

Performances will take place May 5-14 at the Ukrainian Museum, located at 222 East 6th Street, New York.

Production Team And Cast

Co-Director

Ping Chong and Virlana Tkacz

Cast

George Drance, Julian Kytasty, Lesya Verba, Nariman Asanov, and Daria Kolomiec

Production Associate

Courtney Golden

Sound Design

Ernesto Valenzuela

Set Design

Watoku Ueno and Waldemart Klyuzko

Performance History

Presentation

The Ukrainian Museum, May 5 - 14

Partners

Yara Arts

Funders

Undesirable Elements: Ukraine is made possible by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Mellon Foundation, Cathy Barbash, the Self Reliance Foundation, and the friends of Yara Arts Group