Liliia Voloshyna
Theatre and Scenography Researcher, Curator, Educator
Liliia Voloshyna (Danyleiko) is a theatre and scenography researcher, curator, educator and cultural project manager based in Kyiv. She holds a PhD in Theory and History of Culture and specializes in the history and theory of scenography, spatial practices in theatre and Ukrainian theatre heritage.
She is the Head of the NGO “Theatrical Spaces” and a member of the Education and Research Commissions of OISTAT. Since 2024 she has been a lecturer at the Department of Theatre Studies of the I. K. Karpenko-Karyi Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television, teaching History of Ukrainian Theatre, Experimental Theatre Directions and History of Scenography. In 2022–2025 she was Associate Professor at the Department of Acting and Directing of the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, where she authored the course History and Theory of Scenography.
She is co-curator of the Ukrainian Pavilion at the Prague Quadrennial 2027. She curated the educational programme and moderated the International Symposium of the Lviv Quadriennale of Scenography (2021), and presented Ukrainian scenography at the Tbilisi Stage Design International Symposium in 2020.
She is the author of more than 30 academic articles on theatre, scenography and cultural practices, and co-author of the book Ukrainian Theatre Costume of the XX–XXI Centuries. Sketches (2021; second edition, 2024).
Presentation: “Performing Experience and Spatial Practices: Theatre Work with Veterans in Times of War”
15 October 2026, 11:45–12:00, Online Session. Symposium Agenda
Abstract
This presentation examines contemporary Ukrainian theatre practices that engage with veterans’ experiences in the context of ongoing war, with a particular focus on scenography as a key mediating and meaning-producing element.
The paper outlines a spectrum of artistic approaches, from the use of veterans’ testimonies as dramaturgical material to their direct presence on stage, and investigates how scenographic strategies shape, frame, or transform these experiences.
At one end of this spectrum is the performance “Antonina”, where the story of a non-binary servicemember functions primarily as a textual foundation. Here, scenography plays a crucial role in mediating absence: spatial composition, objects, and visual metaphors construct a distance between lived experience and its theatrical representation, raising questions about authorship, visibility, and the ethics of staging another’s story.
At the other end is “Eneida” by director Olha Semioshkina, which involves veterans as performers and foregrounds presence as a scenographic principle. In this case, scenography is not merely a visual background but an active partner in performance: the arrangement of bodies, minimal or symbolic set elements, and the use of space articulate a shared field of experience where personal narratives are embodied rather than represented.
Through these case studies, the presentation asks: How does scenography negotiate authenticity and distance in wartime theatre? In what ways can spatial design either protect, expose, or empower participants with lived experience of war? And how does the stage environment influence the audience’s position as witnesses?
By situating Ukrainian examples within broader discussions in performance studies and scenography, the paper argues that working with veterans redefines scenographic practice itself, shifting it from illustrative design toward relational, ethical, and affective spatial dramaturgy. Ultimately, the presentation highlights scenography as a critical tool in creating spaces of visibility, negotiation, and shared presence in times of war, while acknowledging the tensions and limitations inherent in representing lived experience on stage.