Kharkiv Theater to change name from Pushkin to Ukrainian classic playwright Kvitka-Osnovianenko

The Kharkiv Academic Drama Theater, formerly named after Alexander Pushkin, will be renamed in honor of Hryhorii Kvitka-Osnovianenko, author of “The Witch of Konotop.” Kvitka-Osnovianenko’s play has been recently named “a smash hit” by the New York Times.

Theater director Oleh Yatsyna said that a vote was conducted among audience members and then among the theater troupe players. Based on the results, a commission of the Kharkiv Regional Council approved the decision to rename the theater. Still, public hearings and round tables will be held over the next two months to gather further public input.

The theater collective initially chose to honor Kvitka-Osnovianenko because they recognized that the playwright contributed significantly to the development of Slobozhanshchyna (a significant border region of northeastern Ukraine) and not just in the theatrical sphere.

“His plays are performed in theaters across Ukraine, yet there is still no theater bearing his name,” Oleh Yatsyna said.

A festival in honor of Kvitka-Osnovianenko will be established after the war ends.

Copy editing: Ben Angel, Terra Friedman King