Formation of the national identity of the Ukrainian society by means of theater

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to examine the plays of contemporary Ukrainian playwrights who depict the most acute social and political conflicts of the era, analyze their poetics, the features of functioning in the cultural space of Ukraine and the possible influence on the formation of the national identity of society. The methodology consists of the use of methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison, as well as hermeneutic, cultural-historical, sociological approaches. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that for the first time in the history of Ukrainian literature and theater an integral analysis of the plays of contemporary national playwrights N. Marchuk, P. Arye, N. Simchich, J. Bezpyatchuk was carried out, their performance features in the cultural environment and significance for society were studied. Сonclusion. The author came to a conclusion that, referring to the tragic historical events of Ukraine, modern playwrights combine a historical basis with elements of the Baroque drama, analyze history through the prism of modernity, but at the same time base on realism as an artistic method of depicting reality. The ideological differences between the Ukrainian people and accomplices of the communist regime or part of the Russian-speaking population of modern Ukraine who are oriented toward the so-called «Russian world», are reflected in the personal relationships of the characters of the plays and go beyond the stage action. The plays of contemporary Ukrainian playwrights contribute to the formation of historical Ukrainian-centric and social memory, and this, in turn, affects the formation of the national identity.