A DC-BASED COMPANY, and at our core:
DEVELOPING AND PRODUCING ORIGINAL WORKS OF MUSIC-THEATRE,
FOSTERING THE GROWTH OF ARTISTS,
AND ENGAGING WITH THE COMMUNITY IN PARTNERSHIP
Changing the Conversation Through the Arts
The UKRAINIAN PROJECT
Alliance for New Music-Theatre
Continues to support Ukraine
Descend with us into the bunker-like setting of Dupont Underground to witness the last surviving member of a Ukrainian military band sheltering from Russian bombardment below the steelworks of Mariupol in 2022.
Inna Goncharova’s play presents a vivid depiction of the terrible essence of war, while the spooky, echoey space of Dupont Underground provides an eerie parallel for the trumpeter's subterranean bunker.
The TRUMPETER
by Inna Goncharova
in an English translation by John Farndon.
11 performances - from January 22 to February 1, 2026.
Tickets available HERE!
This is a total immersive experience.
Directed by world-celebrated Hungarian director János Szász, this production resonates with haunting music by trumpeter Kevin McKee. A refugee-led Ukrainian Men’s Vocal Ensemble enhances the vivid storytelling in Inna Goncharova’s new play of survival against all odds.
Our fully-staged experience is the latest event in our ongoing commitment to the writings of Ukrainian playwrights, bringing the far-away suffering of the Ukrainians up close during the fourth year of the Russian invasion.
From the DC Theatre Arts Review:
“Rarely does a show’s sound design set the scene so specifically and viscerally as it does in the cavernous Dupont Underground during the performance of The Trumpeter. He wants to write, he says earnestly, A Symphony of War — to make sense of senseless conflict and to find harmony in war’s chaos.
Could there be a more apt metaphor for the vulnerable and maybe delusional will to live free and survive?
This is the link to the full review-
János Szász is joined by two of DC’s finest actors – Michael Kevin Darnall and Lise Bruneau - with trumpeter Kevin McKee as they explore the authentic bunker-like tunnels spatially and acoustically. The Ukrainian Men’s Vocal Ensemble is led by Ruslan Bondar, a Ukrainian conductor of secular and sacred choral music. The Trumpeter promises to be an unforgettable event.
11 Performances from Thursday, January 22
to Sunday, February 1 - Tickets available HERE!
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WHY THIS MATTERS NOW. Read more HERE.
as part of their "Drama in Your Face" series.
Featuring poignant photo exhibits
of Ukraine and Mariupol where the
play takes place.
There will be a short discussion after the performances:
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Thursday, January 22 - Opening Night hosted by Ukraine House with reception to follow
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Friday, January 23 - Embassy of the Czech Republic hosting conversation after the performance - "The long close relationship between the Czech Republic and Ukraine."
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Monday, January 26 - Industry Night for DMV theater staff - Panel discussion follows - "What is the role of the Artist in these times."
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Thursday, January 29 - Arts Club of Washington hosting conversation after the performance
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Saturday, January 31 - United Help Ukraine to host conversation after the performance - "How can we help Ukraine?"
Come to be in solidarity with Ukrainians and others worldwide thrust undeservedly into war zones, remembering it could be us next. Our common humanity is at stake.
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We started the Ukrainian Project in 2022. Following the successful presentations in May at Dumbarton UMC and in July at the DC Capital Fringe, Alliance for New Music-Theatre presented two public readings of selected short works by Ukrainian playwrights in September at the Lyceum in Alexandria, Virginia and at the Kay Spiritual Life Center on the campus of American University.
In this project, Alliance for New Music-Theatre joined in solidarity with the Center for International Theatre Development (CITD), which commissioned over several dozen plays since Putin’s army invaded Ukraine, calling their endeavor the Ukrainian Hope Initiative, and with John Freedman, translator and friend of so many of the country’s leading theatre artists. We applaud their efforts to support playwrights in war-torn Ukraine.
Jacqueline Schwab, best known for her work with Ken Burns and featured in several of his television documentaries, joined the project as Lead Collaborator and Musician. She has drawn inspiration for the piano music she has arranged for this presentation from her Ukrainian heritage.
Local composer, musician, and Alliance company member Andrew E Simpson was also featured on the accordion.
Cast members included Gyöngyvér Bognár, film and theater superstar from Hungary, who, newly immigrated with her husband Janos Szász, has made her DC debut in this project, along with their ten-year old son Jakob. Lise Bruneau, Karina Hilleard, Michael Kevin Darnell, and Matty Griffiths, round out the exceptional cast.
We presented six works, woven together in one seamless evening of shared storytelling, including monologues and plays, all commissioned by CITD and written in 2022 by Ukrainian playwrights.
Artistic Director Susan Galbraith and Matty Griffiths selected and co-directed the six short plays from the series, and that were presented in English translations.
The project is part of New Music-Theatre’s commitment to cross-cultural collaboration and integrating music with drama as catalyst for discussion on issues of relevance to our community and the world: changing the conversation through the arts.
The reading will include a post-show conversation to raise awareness of the ongoing struggle more than a year into this war of Russian aggression and to keep our Ukrainian friends and allies in our hearts.
All readings of these plays are offered to support Ukrainian artists, and we invite everyone who comes to consider making a generous donation.
If you are interested in other ways you can support Ukrainian artists, including how to host additional public or private Play Readings, please contact us at info@newmusictheatre.org
Donate directly on Alliance for New Music-Theatre web site HERE.