A deep dive into the complexity and human cost of the conflict in Ukraine Rating
Good
Olga Bragas’s Donbas at Theatre503 was the winner of Theatre503’s 2025 International Playwriting Award and is directed by Anthony-Simpson Pike. Inviting us into a small home in the Donbas region of Ukraine as the Russian invasion of 2022 occurs, it succinctly depicts a complex world of vulnerable people, intricate power shifts and the effects of trauma. Spotlighting the small but vital stories of ordinary people impacted by the war, the play demonstrates how conscience is tested when you need to stay alive.
Niall McKeever’s set design sees a space held together with parcel tape; there are holes in the ceiling, the refrigerator is bare, and, in many ways, it reflects the fragility of its inhabitants. Noises of war intrude invasively as Russian aggressors traverse the town, and snipers sit patiently waiting to pick off their neighbours. We meet a family both fragmented and held together by circumstance. Sashko (Jack Bandeira) returns home after detention by the Russians for rebellious behaviour and finds Marianca (Sasha Syzonenko) has moved in with his father (Philippe Spall). Fleeing troubles in Moldova, Marianca has become entrenched in worse here. Sashko’s sister Nadya (Ksenia Devriendt) is so traumatised after their mother’s disappearance she is initially non-verbal. She’s supported by her grandmother, Vera, played beautifully by Liz Kettle, and Vera’s ethnic Russian companion Ivan (Steve Watts).
The characters themselves are all fascinating elements of a bewildering world, and are played well by a talented cast. Bandeira, in particular, is excellent as Sashko, balancing fierce passion with poignant tenderness. Meanwhile, Kettle and Watts bring warmth and humanity as an ageing pair who are living embodiments of resilience and truly understand the essential values of life and family. Devriendt gives a powerful performance as Nadya, developing from a fragile child to a dangerous warrior, to exemplify the strength that national pride, imagination and belief can summon.
Humour injects depth to the human war story, notably from Kettle as Vera, who dreams of being Scarlet O’Hara while wrapped in a misshapen cardigan and headscarf. A comedy duo featuring a young sniper who kills without compassion misfires, though: it’s uncomfortable to laugh at what is a deeply saddening reflection on detachment from murder.
Some visual moments are impressive, including a simple snowfall that captures the chill and natural beauty of the Ukrainian winter, while a ferocious Russian attack is startling. However, the choice to enact historical figures in costume is a little pantomime.
There’s a lot going on here as the play explores domestic difficulties, which in turn represent the wider problems of a nation that is fiercely independent yet inextricably linked to the Russian state. In just trying to survive, the characters must challenge themselves, their past and their principles. Ideas of heritage play against a modern world where geographical boundaries disappear in a lifetime, and victims of invasion must adapt to live. Bragas does a precision job of identifying the many elements of uncertainty in the mix, but it’s a difficult deep dive, with multiple tensions set against each other, and it’s then not always clear what direction the production is trying to take us – if any at all – especially when there’s no resolution to the war. As with Sashko, we’re left aware of the need to do something, but it’s unclear what. Perhaps the message is simply that it’s all an imprecise art and we are fallibly human.
Ending with a resounding Ukrainian anthem, what we do understand from Donbas is that Ukraine is a nation that still has a powerful voice, still has the determination and strength to resist. There are important stories to be told, and we must stand together and listen carefully.
Writer: Olga Braga
Director: Anthony Simpson-Pike
Designer: Niall McKeever
Lighting Designer: Christopher Nairne
Sound Designer: Xana
Movement Director: Nevena Stojkov
Costume Supervisor: Hannah Danson
Fight Director: Joseph Reed
Voice & Dialect Coach: Mary Howland
Assistant Director: Antonia Ilies
Produced by Theatre503, Good Chance & 45North Production in association with Seventh Productions
You can read more about this production in our interview with Olga Braga.
Donbas plays at Theatre 503 until Saturday 7 March
