Blood of Our Soil

Blood of Our Soil
by Lianna Makuch
directed by Patrick Lundeen
March 06, 2019 – March 16, 2019
Extraspace
After generations of conflict, a new crisis opens old wounds.
Hania’s Baba has a secret. A secret she’s bringing with her to her grave. Since moving into the Long-Term Care Centre, her grandmother has been restless. Agitated. Something from her past is haunting her. She urges Hania to return to their Ukrainian homeland to seek out the missing piece of their family history. Hania’s search for answers brings her to the edge of the ongoing war in Eastern Ukraine. Here she meets the people and sees the places touched by war, and finally confronts the truths of her Baba’s past.
Blood of Our Soil tells a personal story of war and trauma that spans generations. The play is inspired by the experiences of the playwright’s grandparents who fled Ukraine during WWII, and the true accounts of people interviewed in conflict zones in Eastern Ukraine. Raising awareness of the ongoing war, Blood of Our Soil depicts the struggles of the Ukrainian people against the atrocities of Stalin to the horrors of Hitler, while drawing disturbing parallels to the current Putin regime.
Accompanying the production will be several outreach activities, including:
Pre-show Panel Discussion:Friday, March 8 @ 6:30pm: Voice of War, Ukraine’s Contemporary Conflict
Post-show Talk Back Series: Friday March 8 || Tuesday, March 12 || Thursday March 14 || Friday, March 15: Talkbacks will include members of the cast, production team and special Outreach Guest, Ukrainian war veteran Dmytro Lavrenchuk from Kyiv, Ukraine. Dmytro’s experiences inspired content featured in Blood of Our Soil. He served in the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the summer of 2014 and was wounded in battle. He continues to serve his country as a social activist, creating and supporting opportunities for war veterans in Ukraine.
Ongoing Lobby Installation: Will include Ukrainian artwork curated by Toronto’s Kosa Kolektiv & FOLK CAMP CANADA, and a display contextualizing a century of Ukrainian history titled 100 Years of Resistance, created by Marlee Yule.
Pay-What-You-Can Performance: Tuesday, March 12
Cast and Crew
Writer – Lianna Makuch
Director – Patrick Lundeen
Dramaturg – Matthew MacKenzie
Stage Manager – Lore Green
Production Designer – Stephanie Bahniuk
Sound & Projection Designer – Nicholas Mayne
Musical Director – Larissa Pohoreski
Production Manager – Trent Crosby
Actors – Oscar Derkx , Mawell Lebeuf , Lisa Norton , Lianna Makuch , Tanya Pacholok , Larissa Pohoreski