Ivan Urivsky

Country: Ukraine

Biography

Ukrainian theatre director. Since 2020, he has been working as a director at the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theatre in Kyiv. Previously, he served as the chief director of the Vasyl Vasylko Odesa Ukrainian Music and Drama Theatre. His awards and distinctions: Laureate of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine (for the production “Konotop Witch”) Laureate of the Kyiv Pectoral Award – “Best Chamber Performance (Small Stage)” (“Lymerivna”) and “Best Directing” (“Lymerivna”). Winner of the Korona Dnya (Crown of the Day) Award – for modern interpretation and rethinking of Ukrainian and Western European classics in accordance with global trends in performing arts. Recipient of the Les Kurbas State Prize. Honored Artist of Ukraine.

Portfolio & Latest Theatre Performances :

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tJS-rMNjfXPk2NWrttDCW7tjtIkPi3erxmrsMy5-idA/edit?usp=drivesdk

Caligula

Caligula by Albert Camus
Directed by: Ivan Uryvskyi
Music by: Ivan Uryvskyi
Set Design: Petro Bogomazov
Costumes: Tetiana Ovsiichuk
With: Vitalii Azhnov, Oleksandr Rudynskyi, Tetiana Mikhina, Liudmyla Smorodina, Olena Hohlatkina

Camus’ hero says: « We die because we are guilty. We are guilty because we are subjects of Caligula… » These words resonate powerfully when spoken by actors from the National Theatre of Kiev, engaged in a real war against another, much more real, Caligula. The play, inspired by the Roman emperor, immerses us in a world where madness and despotism intertwine.

The set, a geometric structure of wood and iron, evokes the dungeons of Louis XI, creating a stifling atmosphere. The actors appear and disappear from tiny cells, heightening the dramatic tension. The lighting, carefully crafted, fragments each scene, breaking down the presence of Caligula, played by Vitalii Azhnov, who portrays a manipulative and venomous character. Directed by Ivan Uryvsky, the production reveals a fallen Caligula, both touching and monstrous, in his quest for the absolute, destroying everything in his path.

The performance, intense and visually powerful, makes us question madness, manipulation, and the hidden evil in each of us. At the end, a quote from Camus echoes: « When a democracy is sick, fascism comes to its bedside, but not to check on its health. » A must-see production.

Macbeth 

Supported by Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater

Concept of the Performance:

The production explores the nature of tyranny through a contemporary interpretation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. At its core lies the process of dehumanization under the influence of power, fear, and manipulation. The infernal dimension of the tragedy is reimagined within the digital age, where witches become algorithms and evil manifests through information noise, fake news, and hybrid warfare.

In this global digital reality, the boundary between truth and illusion collapses, turning the human being into a target of constant influence. Against the backdrop of a modern value divide between democracy and rising tyrannies, the performance questions how to preserve humanity, consciousness, and integrity in an age of endless digital temptation. Theatre becomes a space to look into darkness — and not become part of it.

Artistic Statement – artist’s words :

The goal of the performance is to explore how tyranny is born in the modern world. Macbeth becomes for us a model of how a person, under the influence of fear, ambition, and external manipulation, gradually loses their humanity. We transpose the story into the digital age, where the temptation of power and control spreads through information flows, media, and social networks.

For me, it is important to show that evil today has no face — it operates through systems, technologies, and algorithms that shape our thoughts and reactions. In this reality, tyranny does not necessarily take the form of a dictator — it can be hidden in habits, in the mindless consumption of information, in the refusal to think critically.

Theatre becomes a place of resistance — a space where we can see the mechanisms of evil, name them, and thereby weaken their power.

Performance video/ Trailer if existing (with subtitles/ or script in english) :

Trailer https://drive.google.com/file/d/161HsswYHbGjpK2ecPcfuWf5xExibZp2M/view?usp=drivesdk

Full video https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sMk4BP4PIgaDOw0aT72Y9vc1Xgpbo2Ps/view