Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
(28 Aug 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kyiv, Ukraine - 25 August 2026
1. Various of actors playing "Odysseus. Maeotis" on the stage of the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater
2. Mid of an actor singing
3. Close of serviceman of the First corps Azov of National Guard of Ukraine Daniil Mireshkin playing the role of Odyssey
4. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Daniil Mireshkin, serviceman, National Guard of Ukraine:
"I think this combination of myth and modernity allows us to draw parallels and understand just how critical the question of return is: the return of military personnel to civilian life, the return of our territories and the return of ourselves to our true identity as Ukrainians. That is why this story helps us talk about these topics, which, as it turns out, haven’t lost any of their relevance."
5. Various of actress Daryna Leheida playing role of Penelope
6. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Daryna Leheida, actress of the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater:
"Penelope is about the fate of Ukrainian women who wait, believe, hope, who can also be powerless, without faith, without hope. It's about the land, about the motherland, about Ukraine, which is waiting for the return of its heroes and non-heroes. It's about a temporarily occupied land, which is waiting to return home. It's about children, people who are waiting, and about what we face in this waiting and about the consequences that war has on us."
7. Various of director Ivan Uryvskyi looking at the stage
8. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Ivan Uryvskyi, director of “Odysseus, Maeotis”"
"Of course, very little of Homer’s original text remains here, because the play was written from scratch. We simply took the core narrative arc — Odysseus’ return home. That is, there is Odysseus who returns, there is Penelope who waits, and these two worlds somehow exist in this play."
9. Various of Daniil Mireshkin and Daryna Leheida acting on the stage
10. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Ivan Uryvskyi, director of “Odysseus, Maeotis”:
"The goal is probably simple, to remind, it's generally about memory, and art is sometimes about memory. That is, if it's not talked about, it's forgotten. Unfortunately, that's how the world works, and that's why it's important to raise these topics and try to talk about it."
11. Various of Daryna Leheida standing on the stage
12. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Oleksii Dorychevskyi, serviceman of the First corps Azov of National Guard of Ukraine, playwright:
"While working on the play, we processed a lot of interviews, personal conversations, memoirs and books of the defenders of Mariupol, of people who went through captivity. And we wanted to reflect their manifestations, their thoughts as much as possible in this play. But we didn't go the documentary route, we still made a work of art and chose an artistic form here, because the things we are talking about are very painful and they are very painful for everyone. And in order for the audience to somehow reflect on all this, it seemed to us that it was necessary to create a certain distance, that this would be the best way to talk about it today."
13. Various of actors pulling drone on the stage
14. Close of a robot
STORYLINE:
War’s timeless ache — death, captivity, the agonizing wait and the pull of home — has found a new stage in wartime Kyiv, with Homer’s epic reimagined as a contemporary Ukrainian odyssey.
The play “Odysseus, Maeotis” is ready to open in the Ukrainian capital as the ancient tale enjoys a global moment with Christopher Nolan’s IMAX spectacle and box-office hit “The Odyssey” starring Matt Damon.
Find out more about AP Archive: aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: instagram.com/APNews
You can license this story through AP Archive: aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/af52e599008c43ae841a0b186b3aeaad
(28 Aug 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kyiv, Ukraine - 25 August 2026
1. Various of actors playing "Odysseus. Maeotis" on the stage of the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater
2. Mid of an actor singing
3. Close of serviceman of the First corps Azov of National Guard of Ukraine Daniil Mireshkin playing the role of Odyssey
4. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Daniil Mireshkin, serviceman, National Guard of Ukraine:
"I think this combination of myth and modernity allows us to draw parallels and understand just how critical the question of return is: the return of military personnel to civilian life, the return of our territories and the return of ourselves to our true identity as Ukrainians. That is why this story helps us talk about these topics, which, as it turns out, haven’t lost any of their relevance."
5. Various of actress Daryna Leheida playing role of Penelope
6. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Daryna Leheida, actress of the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater:
"Penelope is about the fate of Ukrainian women who wait, believe, hope, who can also be powerless, without faith, without hope. It's about the land, about the motherland, about Ukraine, which is waiting for the return of its heroes and non-heroes. It's about a temporarily occupied land, which is waiting to return home. It's about children, people who are waiting, and about what we face in this waiting and about the consequences that war has on us."
7. Various of director Ivan Uryvskyi looking at the stage
8. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Ivan Uryvskyi, director of “Odysseus, Maeotis”"
"Of course, very little of Homer’s original text remains here, because the play was written from scratch. We simply took the core narrative arc — Odysseus’ return home. That is, there is Odysseus who returns, there is Penelope who waits, and these two worlds somehow exist in this play."
9. Various of Daniil Mireshkin and Daryna Leheida acting on the stage
10. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Ivan Uryvskyi, director of “Odysseus, Maeotis”:
"The goal is probably simple, to remind, it's generally about memory, and art is sometimes about memory. That is, if it's not talked about, it's forgotten. Unfortunately, that's how the world works, and that's why it's important to raise these topics and try to talk about it."
11. Various of Daryna Leheida standing on the stage
12. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Oleksii Dorychevskyi, serviceman of the First corps Azov of National Guard of Ukraine, playwright:
"While working on the play, we processed a lot of interviews, personal conversations, memoirs and books of the defenders of Mariupol, of people who went through captivity. And we wanted to reflect their manifestations, their thoughts as much as possible in this play. But we didn't go the documentary route, we still made a work of art and chose an artistic form here, because the things we are talking about are very painful and they are very painful for everyone. And in order for the audience to somehow reflect on all this, it seemed to us that it was necessary to create a certain distance, that this would be the best way to talk about it today."
13. Various of actors pulling drone on the stage
14. Close of a robot
STORYLINE:
War’s timeless ache — death, captivity, the agonizing wait and the pull of home — has found a new stage in wartime Kyiv, with Homer’s epic reimagined as a contemporary Ukrainian odyssey.
The play “Odysseus, Maeotis” is ready to open in the Ukrainian capital as the ancient tale enjoys a global moment with Christopher Nolan’s IMAX spectacle and box-office hit “The Odyssey” starring Matt Damon.
Find out more about AP Archive: aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: instagram.com/APNews
You can license this story through AP Archive: aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/af52e599008c43ae841a0b186b3aeaad
