The performance “ALASKA” first appeared in 2021 in Mariupol, created by Greek director Evangelos Kosmidistogether with young actors from the Mariupol Puppet Theatre as part of a GogolFest theatrical residency.
At that time, it was a daring and almost provocative piece for the city — a story about teenage bullying, identity, and the challenges of migration, told through the eyes of Stefania, a girl displaced from the temporarily occupied territories.
After the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the troupe reunited to present the performance in Berlin. Many believed that the Mariupol theatre scene would never come alive again — yet by 2025, the project had found a new life.
The revived ensemble brought together actors from other Mariupol theatres (Teatromania), professional performers from the private theatre GlumArt (Dnipro), and members of the Puppet Theatre who had been scattered across different countries by the war.
Together, they received a Perform Europe grant and presented ALASKA in Gdańsk (Poland), Sarajevo (Bosnia & Herzegovina), and Pécs (Hungary) — each time involving local actors and forming charitable partnerships with young artists across Eastern and Central Europe.
Concept and Themes
Today, ALASKA is more than a performance — it is a message:
a message that trauma can become a language of art, and art can become a space of healing.
At its core lie the voices of children who survived war, lost loved ones, and became refugees.
On stage, their personal stories intertwine with literature and philosophy, featuring texts by Roland Barthes, John Green, Sibylle Berg, Elise Wilk, Jorge Bucay, Maria Polydouri, Kostas Karyotakis, and Penelope Delta.
Songs in Ukrainian, Italian, Greek, Polish, and the Rumeika dialect create a polyphony of memory — a soundscape that knows no borders.
In every city on tour, a new version of the play is born — multilingual, inclusive, and enriched with the voices of local youth.
At its heart, ALASKA asks questions that resonate deeply with young people across Europe:
loneliness and connection, love and passion born despite trauma, betrayal and its scars, and hope that continues to bloom even in times of war.
Director’s Vision
Evangelos Kosmidis, the director, writer, and artistic director of Mariupol Theatre in Exile, works at the intersection of devised, documentary, and inclusive theatre.
He sees the stage as a laboratory for exploring the relationship between the individual and society.
Today, he also directs productions at the National Theatre of Greece and the Municipal Theatre of Piraeus, yet ALASKA remains his personal act of remembrance and belief — a testament that art can transform pain into a global dialogue.
Creative Team
Director, Playwright & Artistic Director: Evangelos Kosmidis
Actors:
Maria Boiiko, Mykhailo Zahreba, Diana Klymenko, Vladyslav Piatin-Ponomarenko, Marianna Klymenko, Mehman Hamidov, Roman Rudenko, Polina Voleniuk,
Piotr Paweł Burdzel, Magdalena Modrzyńska, Andrzej Sulczewski, Eliza Zuzanna Stefanowicz, Ewa Julia Urmańska, Aleksandra Michalina Siedler,
Mila Mosca, Szabó Anna Zsófia, Uhri Levente, Koós Szüvellő, Ambrus Virág, Fehér-Steler Krisztián, Kömény Kiara
Curator: Andriy Palatnyi
Project Manager: Viktoriia Fedoriv
Communications Manager: Maria Boyko
Financial Manager: Konstantina Pandziou
Awards and Recognition
The script of ALASKA, written by Evangelos Kosmidis, was awarded by the ETC Drama Committee European Selection (2022).
Disclaimer
This performance contains strobe lighting, depictions of firearms, blood, and sirens, and addresses themes of physical and psychological violence.
It includes scenes of sexual assault, nudity, substance and alcohol use, and explores the subject of suicide.
Some dialogues are performed in the language of the aggressor state — used solely as a dramaturgical device to intensify the performance and do not reflect the views or affiliations of the creative team.
The performance also embodies the ideas of freedom and love, which may serve as emotional triggers for certain audiences.
Age restriction: 16+
Duration: 110 minutes
