The play "Stalker" in Germany from 3 to 6 November 2025

Three people live in the deserted expanse of the Chernobyl zone: the sharp-tongued Baba Pryssja, her sick daughter Slawa and the simple-minded grandson Wowtschyk. They remember the taste of sweetened condensed milk - and ask themselves big questions about life, death and the in-between.

With "Stalker", a black comedy by the renowned Kyiv theater "Golden Gate" (Soloti Vorota), an extraordinary piece of Ukrainian theater art comes to Germany. The story is based on the drama "At the Beginning and End of Times" by Pavlo Arje, which was awarded the most important Ukrainian theater prize "Kiev Pektorale" in 2015.

What does it mean to live in a place that the world has forgotten? Why are we here - and others are not?
In "Stalker", the exclusion zone becomes a metaphor for an entire country: a nation that seems cut off - and yet full of voices, dreams and the will to live. The characters, as quirky as they are touching, give a face to the fears, hopes and illusions of many Ukrainians.

Director Stas Schyrkow interweaves humor with bitter reality, folklore with the present. The evening balances virtuously between grotesque and tragedy - and leaves no one untouched.

The production has been celebrated at international festivals and shows how much strength, dignity and artistic clarity there is in contemporary Ukrainian culture - even (or especially) in times of war.

Cast:

• Irma Witowska (Honored Artist of Ukraine)
• Vitalina Bybliv (Honored Artist of Ukraine),
• Dmytro Oliinyk (Honored Artist of Ukraine),
• Vladyslav Pysarenko

Voices: Oleh "Fahot" Mychajljuta and Inna Myroschnitschenko
Author: Pawlo Arje
Director: Stas Schyrkow
Stage: Julija Saulytschna
Music: Olesja Stefanyk, Ihor Antonow
Video: Ilya Pelyuk

Audience advice:
The "Golden Gate" (Soloti Vorota) theater is aimed at an audience that is prepared to look at the world critically and profoundly. Even during the war, the ensemble does everything it can to keep art alive and make Ukrainian culture visible at home and abroad.