Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Produced With
Martin E. Segal Theatre Center
Thursday 23 April 2026
Lesya Ukrainka, born Larysa Petrivna Kosach (1871–1913), is one of Ukrainian literature's foremost writers, best known for her poems and plays. She was also an important political, civil, and feminist activist.
Ukrainka's dramatic poems put Ukraine on the world stage, reimagining classical myths, challenging patriarchal norms and envisioning a sovereign future. Her poem Contra spem spero (Against all hope I hope) embodies Ukraine's spirit—to fight, to endure, and to believe in victory. Lesia was active in the Ukrainian struggle against Tsarism as a member of Ukrainian Marxist organizations. In 1902, she translated the Communist Manifesto into Ukrainian and was arrested in 1907 for her political activities. Following her release, she was kept under surveillance by The Okhrana, the Tsarist police, for the remaining years of her life. Lesia died, after a long illness, in 1913 in Georgia—shortly after the ban on the Ukrainian language, the language she wrote her entire life in, was lifted. She did not live to see the collapse of the Tsarist Empire.
Written in 1907, Cassandra reimagines the fall of Troy through the eyes of a prophetess cursed by Apollo to never be believed. Ukrainka’s fearless drama resonates clearly with today’s battles over propaganda, war, and truth. With the unbreakable heroine of Cassandra—one of the daughters of Priam, King of Troy—this classic dramatic poem embodies Ukrainka’s legacy of portraying women not as passive figures but as seers, warriors, and visionaries. The play was presented in 2025 at Tatro LATEA by Eklektika Productions as part of Razom’s Ukrainian Cultural Festival, Against the Grain. The book Cassandra, A Dramatic Poem, translated by Nina Murray with an introduction by Marko Pavlyshyn, has been published Harvard Library of Ukrainian Literature.
The evening will feature readings of poems and excerpts of Cassandra by Ukrainka with Dominika Handzlik and Jacob Anderson, followed by a talk with director Artemis Wheelock, producer Illia Rebechar, Handzlik, Anderson and others.
Many thanks to Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute (HURI) and the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America (UNWLA). who supported the NYC production of Cassandra.
About HowlRound TV
HowlRound TV is a global, commons-based, peer-produced, open-access livestreaming and video archive project stewarded by the nonprofit HowlRound. HowlRound TV is a free and shared resource for live conversations and performances relevant to the world’s performing arts and cultural fields. Its mission is to break geographic isolation, promote resource sharing, and develop our knowledge commons collectively. Anyone can participate in this community of peer organizations revolutionizing the flow of information, knowledge, and access in our field by becoming a producer and co-producing with us. Learn more by going to our contribute content page.
Produced With
Martin E. Segal Theatre Center
Thursday 23 April 2026
Lesya Ukrainka, born Larysa Petrivna Kosach (1871–1913), is one of Ukrainian literature's foremost writers, best known for her poems and plays. She was also an important political, civil, and feminist activist.
Ukrainka's dramatic poems put Ukraine on the world stage, reimagining classical myths, challenging patriarchal norms and envisioning a sovereign future. Her poem Contra spem spero (Against all hope I hope) embodies Ukraine's spirit—to fight, to endure, and to believe in victory. Lesia was active in the Ukrainian struggle against Tsarism as a member of Ukrainian Marxist organizations. In 1902, she translated the Communist Manifesto into Ukrainian and was arrested in 1907 for her political activities. Following her release, she was kept under surveillance by The Okhrana, the Tsarist police, for the remaining years of her life. Lesia died, after a long illness, in 1913 in Georgia—shortly after the ban on the Ukrainian language, the language she wrote her entire life in, was lifted. She did not live to see the collapse of the Tsarist Empire.
Written in 1907, Cassandra reimagines the fall of Troy through the eyes of a prophetess cursed by Apollo to never be believed. Ukrainka’s fearless drama resonates clearly with today’s battles over propaganda, war, and truth. With the unbreakable heroine of Cassandra—one of the daughters of Priam, King of Troy—this classic dramatic poem embodies Ukrainka’s legacy of portraying women not as passive figures but as seers, warriors, and visionaries. The play was presented in 2025 at Tatro LATEA by Eklektika Productions as part of Razom’s Ukrainian Cultural Festival, Against the Grain. The book Cassandra, A Dramatic Poem, translated by Nina Murray with an introduction by Marko Pavlyshyn, has been published Harvard Library of Ukrainian Literature.
The evening will feature readings of poems and excerpts of Cassandra by Ukrainka with Dominika Handzlik and Jacob Anderson, followed by a talk with director Artemis Wheelock, producer Illia Rebechar, Handzlik, Anderson and others.
Many thanks to Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute (HURI) and the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America (UNWLA). who supported the NYC production of Cassandra.
About HowlRound TV
HowlRound TV is a global, commons-based, peer-produced, open-access livestreaming and video archive project stewarded by the nonprofit HowlRound. HowlRound TV is a free and shared resource for live conversations and performances relevant to the world’s performing arts and cultural fields. Its mission is to break geographic isolation, promote resource sharing, and develop our knowledge commons collectively. Anyone can participate in this community of peer organizations revolutionizing the flow of information, knowledge, and access in our field by becoming a producer and co-producing with us. Learn more by going to our contribute content page.
