“What is it to discover that you’ve been loving something that doesn’t love you back? And even worse, I suppose, to invest in a culture that wants your culture to disappear?” – Andrew Kushnir
Playwright Andrew Kushnir wrote an article in 2023 entitled: Why Is Canadian Theatre So Russian Right Now? It was a sincere consideration of the role of Canadian theatre in providing Ukrainian stories a platform alongside other narratives. While the works of Russian writers were hitting Canadian stages in significant numbers, Ukrainian writers were struggling to be heard.
With his play entitled The Division that recently ended its extended and sold-out run at Toronto’s Crow’s Theatre, Andrew Kushnir has attempted to shift this balance.
Ukrainian actor and playwright Mariya Khomutova, a member of The Division cast, that was awarded Best Ensemble Performance in a Play by the Toronto Theatre Critics’ Awards, is also actively working to amplify the Ukrainian voice.
Mariya reflects upon her creative journey during an episode of The Shevchenko Foundation podcast, Kultura Rising, with host Andrew Kushnir. Together with The Division ‘s Associate Director and Co-Producer Lianna Makuch, Khomutova shares her thoughts on the role of theatre in bringing Ukrainian stories and voices to the forefront.
Mariya Khomutova was born in Odesa where she started her theatre studies at the age of 12. She continued her professional development at the Kyiv National University, earning her MA degree in acting for theatre and film. She worked in two repertoire theatres in Kyiv and worked in Ukrainian films, TV shows and international co-productions.
Since 2020, Mariya lives in Canada with her family – Canadian playwright Matthew MacKenzie and their son Ivan. Candidly discussing her upbringing, Mariya shares how, despite being Ukrainian and speaking the Ukrainian language, Russian culture was a big part of her life. It was not fashionable to read Ukrainian authors or listen to Ukrainian music. This also transferred to the theatre and her perception of Ukrainian culture. When Mariya graduated from university in 2012, it was a Russian speaking society. And only one theatre, the Ivan Franko theatre in Kyiv, performed plays in the Ukrainian language.
“So, it was just a very different landscape… in 2012, it was just two different countries. And later in 2013-14, the landscape shifted and my mentality shifted too with the processes that happened in Ukraine. My interest in Ukrainian culture and language only started in 2013 and 2014,” states Mariya.
The actor recounts how a residency for Canadian theatre artists in Kyiv changed her life. She first met Lianna Makuch and her team, that included her now Canadian husband Matt McKenzie, in Kyiv. Lianna was working on her own play, Blood of our Soil, and conducting workshops with theatre groups in Ukraine. Mariya was one of the actors.
Mariya admits to her initial distrust of the Canadian group and her stereotypical perception of foreigners coming to tell Ukrainians about their own country. But Lianna and Matthew’s sincere interest in Ukraine and the Ukrainian people changed all that.
“They talked to us as artists as well. I remember Lianna asked us questions about what’s going on in the theater here in Kyiv. What kind of shows are you doing? What are you interested in? It was a very open space for me and for all of us actors.”
Mariya’s exposure to the Canadians also helped her to understand that as an actor, she could do much more than simply read the lines of playwrights. She realized that she had a voice and that she was allowed to write and express her own thoughts and feelings.
Since February 24, 2022, Mariya has concentrated her work around promoting contemporary Ukrainian playwrights’ voices to the world theatre community. With support from The Shevchenko Foundation and its REACH mentorship program, Mariya is working on an adaptation of “First Métis Man of Odesa” for a screenplay.
The full-scale invasion of Ukraine weighed heavily on Mariya. To understand what was going on in their marriage, Mariya and Matthew wrote diary notes that expressed a crisis of faith not only around a marriage, but around one’s artistic identity.
Mariya speaks about the danger of being a “blind artist.” “You don’t see how culture can be weaponized and used as an erasure, how dangerous it is to give voice to the culture that uses its own artist as a weapon. And if you don’t see that, you’re participating… that’s what I realized I did during my fascination [with] and love of Russian culture.”
The diaries ultimately resulted in a theatre production entitled “First Métis Man of Odesa”. The play received high critical acclaim, had an extensive national tour and won 3 Dora Awards, with a nomination for Khomutova for Outstanding Acting. One can also listen to it on the CBC podcast, Play Me.
In 2023, TORONTO STAR included Mariya on a list of 10 breakthrough artists of the year.
So how do we, as Ukrainians, make our voices heard? Mariya believes that boycotting Russian culture is counterproductive. A more creative approach would be to provide more space for Ukrainian productions.
“…that’s the only way to raise awareness about Ukrainian artists who are contemporaries […],” says Mariya. “Ukrainian poets who were soldiers, like Maksym Kryvtsov, like Victoria Amelina. […] just showing interest in these people is already a huge step in winning this informational war because if we’re not doing that as Ukrainians, as creators, the Russian informational war will come in and take this space very quickly.”
Listen to Mariya Khomutova’s interview with Andrew Kushnir on Kultura Rising, an original podcast of The Shevchenko Foundation. Streaming on your favourite platform or TSF website https://shevchenkofoundation.com/kultura-rising/