Golem

Based on true stories, Ukrainian author and director Sasha Denisova wrote the gripping play Golem, giving voice to two women left behind, the silent victims of war about whom we rarely hear. At De Balie in Amsterdam, actresses Zineb Fallouk and Victoria Koblenko present a try-out performance of the piece, directed by Yasha Gudzenko (United Ukrainian Theatre). Afterwards, Sasha, Yasha and Victoria will engage in a conversation about finding words for the visible and invisible violence of a war that still shows no sign of ending.

In a confined apartment in Kyiv, Maria and Martha, the widow and the ex-wife of a fallen soldier, teeter on the fragile line between reality and delusion. Their confrontation unfolds as a sharp, moving, and at times absurdly humorous struggle between two women who seem to share nothing but their love for the same man. As Ukraine creaks under the weight of war, Maria and Martha cling to one another, to memories, and to a desperate attempt to make sense of their loss.