Undesirable Elements: Ukraine

Undesirable Elements: Ukraine is created in partnership with Yara Arts and explores the experiences of Ukrainian American New Yorkers: Ukrainian identity, immigration, intergenerational connections, the history of Ukrainians in the U.S., and the disastrous effect of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

This project ​​is the result of a three-decade relationship between Ping Chong and Virlana Tkacz, who first worked together in the early 1990s, when Ping first created the series. Last year, Ping invited Virlana to collaborate on a new production about the experiences of Ukrainian Americans. She identified the people who form the cast, and whose stories comprise the script.

Undesirable Elements: Ukraine features Ukrainian and Ukrainian-American performers, musicians, and activists: George Drance, whose grandparents arrived in New York before World War I; Julian Kytasty, whose father arrived with his bandura-playing family after World War II; Lesya Verba, who arrived in New York from Odesa just two years ago; Nariman Asanov, a Crimean Tatar who came to U.S. in the 1990s; and Daria Kolomiec, who was in Kyiv for Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The production interweaves their personal stories and Ukrainian history with traditional Ukrainian music and songs.

Performances will take place May 5-14 at the Ukrainian Museum, located at 222 East 6th Street, New York.