Theatre Festivals during the War as a Means of Preserving National Identity

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to find out the role of theatre festivals during the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war in preserving national identity. The research methodology involves a systematic approach using a set of general scientific and interdisciplinary methods, in particular methods of analysis and comparison for a comprehensive analysis of the current state, main trends, development prospects and the ability of Ukrainian theatre festivals to preserve national identity. The scientific novelty lies in understanding the possibility of theatre festivals to be one of the means of preserving Ukrainian national identity during the Russian-Ukrainian war. Conclusions. An analysis of the activities of Ukrainian and foreign theatre festivals in the period 2022–2024 revealed that theatre festivals in which Ukrainian groups participated during the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war are becoming a powerful means of preserving national identity through high spirituality, appeal to Ukrainian traditions, and actualization of universal human values. Theatre festivals are also becoming a means of informing other countries about the war in Ukraine, thanks to the large number of relevant contemporary repertoires, including plays about the events of a full-scale war.