Ukraine frontline underground theatre 'lets kids forget reality' of Russia war horrors
Ukrainian frontline village mum-of-four’s wish for her childrenAs Snow White glides across the stage, it could be a scene enjoyed by children in almost any theatre.But these kids are watching ballet deep underground near Ukraine’s frontline… against the backdrop of an air raid warning. Yet the show must go on; they are safe in the depths of Kharkiv State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre.The alert, which started before the performance and remained in place after it began, was a reminder war is close. Nearly four years on from the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion, life — and culture — has somehow found a way to survive in frontline city Kharkiv. Less than 20 miles south of Ukraine’s border with Russia, people here face the constant terror of Kremlin attacks.READ MORE: Inside Ukrainian frontline village where displaced mum longs for home but war chases family awayREAD MORE: Keir Starmer admits key 'mistake' but vows he'll lead Labour into next electionBut this theatre offers sanctuary to those weary of war; it lets audiences forget, at least for a while. We visited a weekend ballet performance of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, a magical spectacle which held the audience spellbound.Mum Darya Syrova, 35, took her beaming five-year-old daughter Vasilisa to enjoy her first ballet show at the theatre. “I’m very impressed. It was very, very beautiful, the costumes, the music, the dancers. It was stunning, marvellous,” the married English teacher says.“I like that even in these conditions during the war we have opportunity to develop our children and we have a place where we can watch, and touch, art… For these two hours to forget our reality, to dive inside this beauty and forget our reality, what’s going on outside this place, that’s very important.”The reality is a horror which is only too real. Elsewhere in Ukraine’s second-largest city, only weeks ago a Russian attack on a residential neighbourhood reportedly killed six people including a boy of three and injured over 30 others. A five-storey apartment was destroyed in the assault early last month. When we visited, there was a gaping hole in the side of one building, with rubble inside. Above it, exposed radiators clung to walls – the rooms they once heated no longer standing.The opera and ballet theatre has not escaped war-time unscathed either. Director General Dr Igor Tuluzov, who gave us a tour, recalled: “Approximately 20 people lived in the theatre in 2022. These were mainly security guards and technical staff. I lived in the theatre for over a year. We had a very difficult situation with the theatre because there were many explosions around it, and the roof of the theatre was hit [in early March 2022], causing a fire. Our guys who were here at the time put out the fire themselves.” He says: “A cluster rocket with fire-setting ammunition hit the roof, spreading incendiary clusters across it. There were six points of fire…Fortunately, no one was injured.”Igor showed off the theatre’s grand 1,500-seat auditorium which stands empty. A one-off performance took place here in October 2022, but the last before that was February 23 of the same year – the day before Russia’s invasion. “We hope that this year we will be able to start working little by little,” Igor explains. “Maybe not as actively as in peacetime, but we will slowly start working in the main hall. We would like there to be a peace agreement, but if there isn't one, we will continue anyway. We will do everything with caution. If there is an air raid alarm, we will evacuate people to shelters.”One challenge makes itself known during our tour as the lights momentarily cut out, plunging us into darkness. “We understand that simply surviving is one thing, but trying to work in such difficult times is important,” says Igor. “It is important for us to understand that we are needed by our community, and secondly, there is a great need for cultural events among the city's residents. They come with pleasure. And it is our mission to bring Ukrainian contemporary culture to our people and our friends who work with us. We need to show that we are a self-sufficient nation that wants to be part of a greater Europe.”Underground, a smaller ‘loft stage’ officially opened in spring 2024, seating 400. Up to 13 shows are put on weekly, including ballet, opera and concerts. Ballet dancer Sofia Grigoriadi, who played Snow White, says: “I believe that during wartime we need even more performances like this, so that children do not get caught up in adult problems when there is war and the situation in the country is so difficult.”The 27-year-old, who has worked at the theatre for eight years, tells how the children inspire her. “The audience, especially children, are very honest [with their emotions],” she explains. “When you see even two or three children smiling at you, I believe that my mission for the day is completed.”Artistic director Antonina Radievskaya, 43, says: “The children are in a protected space, they can't hear anything here, they are watching the performance… They can't hear the shaheds [drones] flying overhead; there's music playing here.”Darya highlights the importance of keeping culture going when fighting is so near. “It helps us to feel alive,” she says. “Now we continue despite all this situation, we continue to develop our children.” She adds: “It’s only one opportunity to live your childhood, and our life in general. There won’t be a second opportunity to spend these years.“That’s why I want to give her as much as I can. I’m really happy that I have this possibility even in Kharkiv during the war. And when she grows up I hope that she will remember these years how we visited ballet, theatres, cinemas, different playrooms.“I don’t want her to remember these bombs, explosions. I want her to have good memories from her childhood.” Darya doesn’t tell her daughter much about the war; but when she grows up she will. “I want her to live in her fairytale world,” she says.
