Olga Annenko: World premiere of Ukrainian writer-director’s new play Codename Othello at York International Shakespeare Festival tomorrow
YORK International Shakespeare Festival is celebrating its tenth anniversary with a dynamic, diverse and bold programme that champions international voices, inclusive storytelling and the urgent themes of our time.
Run in partnership with main sponsor York St John University, a University of Sanctuary, the festival features world and British premieres, storytelling in schools and libraries, workshops, lectures, exhibitions and even Shakespearean dance lessons.
While this year’s events focus primarily on the present, the festival also reflects a decade of global partnerships, welcoming performers from the Netherlands (Gijsbreght van Aemstel, European Reading in Performance, York St John University Theatre 1, May 2, 5.30pm) and renewing the creative collaboration with Croatia for Marin Držić Day (European Readings in Performance, York St John University Creative Centre Auditorium, May 4, 3pm).
Drzic was an approximate contemporary of Shakespeare and is regarded as the father of Croatian theatre. Festival-goers in York will be the first in more than 400 years to see two of his sparkling comedies, Pinch Hoard (3.30pm) and Venus And Adonis (5.15pm), performed in English.
Festival director Philip Parr, born in New York, brought up in Australia and based here, says: “Our programme of performances, premieres and collaborations showcase Shakespeare as the world’s playwright with a voice that transcends borders, cultures and centuries.
“These are certainly strange times. War, corruption, moral dilemma. We might wonder what Shakespeare would have written about it, but we only have to read his plays to understand that he knew these problems only too well.
“The responsibility of theatre makers in our times is no different from that of Shakespeare: to tell the stories of the time and place, and to reflect the world around us. Shakespeare belongs to the world, and this year, that global conversation feels more vital than ever.”
Philip Parr: Director of York International Shakespeare Festival and chair of the European Shakespeare Festival Network
In particular, the festival will shine a spotlight on new work from Ukraine, exploring the impact of war through the lens of Shakespeare, led by tomorrow’s (April 25) 6pm world premiere of Codename Othello: European Reading in Performance, a new play by Ukrainian writer and director Olga Annenko, translated into English by Daria Moskvitina, at York St John University Creative Centre Auditorium.
Inspired by Shakespeare’s Othello, Annenko explores the psychological aftershocks of war, identity, and trauma in a work she completed with encouragement from the festival’s international adviser, Professor Nicoleta Cinpoeş, after he discovered it in its earliest stages. Now it will be performed by York actors, including Livy Potter and members of York’s Ukrainian community.
Annenko says: “The Othello project is an opportunity to talk about war and some of its hidden manifestations, such as psychological disorders. All this, and the complexity of the ordinary world with its tricks, makes the life of a person who has returned from war impossible and unhappy.”
On Saturday at 7.30pm, the same venue will play host to D:Space, York’s Ukrainian theatre group led by Dara Klymenko, presenting There’s No Clock In The Forest, a gentle collision of the Ukrainian classic Mavka (The Forest Song) with Shakespeare’s nature writing, reflecting on exile, mythology and environmental change.
The new piece builds on a creative partnership that began at last year’s festival with the Working Title collaboration between British and Ukrainian performers. Once again, D:Space actors will perform alongside actors from the York community this weekend.
Central to the festival’s ethos is the Pass It On ticket initiative, launched in 2023 to offer free tickets to refugees and asylum seekers. The programme began by enabling Ukrainian refugees in York to attend a Kyiv production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and has since expanded to welcome people from a variety of backgrounds.
Now in its third year, Pass It On continues to grow with tickets distributed through Refugee Action York, ensuring that this year’s international works are accessible to those who might not otherwise have the chance to attend.
There’s No Clock In The Forest: Staged by York’s Ukrainian theatre group, D:Space, on Saturday night
Dr Saffron Vickers Walking, senior lecturer in English Literature at York St John University and York International ShakespeareFestivaladviser, enthuses: “Our public lectures and workshops with leading experts offer new ways to understand Shakespeare’s works.
“Death By Hamlet (York St John University Creative Centre Auditorium and Atrium, April 29, 10am to 5.30pm) is a day of talks, workshops and the opening of an exhibition on Hamlet as you’ve never seen it before. Our annual symposium explores Shakespeare and our Histories – all open to the public and free.
“A key aspect of our festival is its ability to bring people together. This year, with guidance from Refugee Action York, we are launching workshops that explore Shakespeare’s flowers for adults and offer a GCSE-level Macbeth session for displaced young people.
“Theatre is a place of resilience, expression and hope and we are proud to offer a space where displaced artists and communities can share their voices and stories. We invite you to be a part of this extraordinary event, to witness powerful performances, and to support our mission of inclusivity through the Pass It On scheme.”
Reflecting on his Australian upbringing and the festival producer, Skylar Mabry, hailing from Colorado, USA, Philip says: “It’s about having an international outlook, and the fact we come from other places and also work in other places, means we see how culture works in other places,” he says.
“The weakness of much Shakespeare performance in the UK is that it’s locked into a very traditional way of presenting the work. In the UK, we have reverence, not respect for the plays that says ‘it must be done like this’.
“But I know that no matter you do with it, you can’t break it. Take risks. If you ‘drop it on the floor’, it won’t smash, it will bounce back.”
York International Shakespeare Festival runs until May 4. For tickets, full programme details and ways to support the Pass It On scheme, visit: yorkshakes.co.uk/programme-2025.