The Town Players of New Canaan this weekend presents a new multimedia production that organizers say “captures the effect of the war on real people—Russians, living in fear and moral outrage; a Ukrainian soldier, fighting for the life of his country and his family; a Ukrainian couple, shedding light on the war and on their immigration to the United States.” Using real correspondence (texts, emails, social media posts) that followed the invasion, “Words from the Front” so far has raised about $7,000 for the UNICEF Foundation’s Relief Fund for Ukrainian Children, and all proceeds from Saturday (8 p.m.) and Sunday’s (2 p.m., with a talkback after) performances will be donated to the same charity. (Tickets here.)
L-R: Nancy Herman and Lynda Sorensen
We put some questions to co-writers Nancy Herman and Lynda Sorensen. Here’s our exchange.
***
New Canaanite: What is “Words from the Front”?
Nancy Herman: Words from the Front is a multi-media performance which began to take shape at the very beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in March 2022. It is composed of actual text messages, Facebook posts, IMs and emails that have been exchanged in real time between my Russian friends and me, and my daughter Olivia and a Ukrainian soldier who is fighting in the war. In Words from the Front, Russians give voice to their fears and their hopes, and a Ukrainian soldier, defending his country, conveys an irrepressible optimism in spite of the tragedies unfolding day by day.
What made you decide to use real correspondence? What value does that add to the production?
Nancy: As I shared my correspondences from the early days of the war with my friend Lynda, she noted what a rare, authentic glimpse they were providing us into the early days of Putin’s invasion from the points of view of ordinary Russian people living through it. In addition, my daughter’s correspondence exposed a powerful and intimate voice from a Ukrainian soldier preparing to go to war. Hearing their stories in their own words makes them personal and truthful, providing a sense of honesty that we choose not to filter.
What are your own connections to Russia or the Ukraine?
Nancy: I have many long-standing friendships with people from Russia and the former Soviet Union which I developed in the late 1980s and early 1990’s through theatre exchanges and peace camps with which I was involved at the time. I also have a daughter whom I adopted from Russia and who has located some birth family in Ukraine.
Is this a fixed work of art or are you updating the correspondence as the war progresses? If it’s the latter, how do you choose what to incorporate? What criteria do you apply?
Lynda: Words from the Front is not a fixed work of art. We make changes to it based upon the evolving news of the war in Ukraine and the changing circumstances of the people with whom we are communicating. And of course, we take into account artistic concerns, as we look to keep the presentation fresh.
What would you say to someone who is reading this and can find the time to get to the Powerhouse for the production and is on the fence about it?
Nancy and Lynda: We would tell them that this performance will share something they won’t see or hear anywhere else. The Russians and Ukrainians who have agreed to let us use their words and their photographs have done so at personal risk to themselves and their families. Words from the Front provides a unique and personal perspective of the war from those who are actually living it. As a Ukrainian friend of ours, Ian Levytsky, said just today, “You never know real war until it touches your own skin.”