PRESS

There is so much amazing material presented here, starting with old winter songs (published 1693) which must be sung to insure the coming of the harvest. Next comes the enactment of a Ukrainian nativity puppet play from 1774. The conclusion has goat songs--where the goat goes, the grain grows--backed up by the high-energy Lemon Bucket Orkestra under the direction of Mark Marczyk. Projections by Mikhail Shraga and Volodymyr Klyuzko add yet another spiritual dimension to the spectacle.  I look forward to the next offering from Yara Arts Group, which promises to innovatively blend old and new.

Ed Malin, nytheatre.com December 28, 2012.

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This time Virlana Tkacz’s directing masterfully exceeded all her previous work. She seamlessly connected that which usually can’t be connected: epochs, languages, culture, and people… Her connections were so deep and far-reaching that they resulted in an opera which ends today in a real time and a real place…You have to be there and be a participant in the action. This exactly happens in the final scene -- the boundaries between the stage and the audience are erased.

Kateryna Kindras, Nova Hazeta, January 2, 2013.

Watching these scenes unfold, one felt drawn in to them, compelled to become one with them, spiritually and emotionally

Ihor Slabicky, Ukrainian Weekly March 10, 2013