29 May - 28 June 2025
Join dash arts for the world premiere of our new theatre production
A journalist meets a man in a ruined village outside Kyiv.
Why don’t you start with when the war began for you?
The Man from Stoyanka is a security guard, just an ordinary man. But when everyone else flees, he stays. As his home turns into a no man’s land, he chooses to take extraordinary action.
And she’s there to record it - for the history books, the courts, for humanity.
Written by Anastasiia Kosodii and Josephine Burton, and directed by Burton, The Reckoning is a vivid and powerful new play about war, survival and the fragile trust between those who uncover the truth and those who must live with it.
Based on real events within The Reckoning Project’s verified archive of witness testimonies of the Russian war in Ukraine, The Reckoning is playful and unsettling, blending storytelling with movement, music and cooking.
Food for Thought
As the performance ends, the conversation continues. Audiences will be invited to hear reflections from expert speakers—journalists, lawyers, and those with lived experience of the conflict. Further details to be announced.
DATES
The Reckoning will show from 29 May to 28 June 2025
19:00 Mon-Sat evenings
15:30 Sat matinees
To stay up-to-date on future events and updates, sign-up to our mailing list.
For press and media enquiries, contact Cliona Roberts cliona@crpr.co.uk.
Venue
Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin St, London, E8 3DL
CAST
Marianne Oldham, Tom Godwin, Olga Safronova and Simeon Kyslyi.
Creative TEAM
By Anastasiia Kosodii and Josephine Burton
Director Josephine Burton
Set Designer Zoë Hurwitz
Costume Designer Olivia Jamieson
Composer Anton Baibakov
Sound Design Bella Kear
Lighting Designer Joshua Pharo
Movement Director Josie Daxter
Artist Wellbeing by Lou Platt
Food Consultant Olia Hercules
Casting Director Abby Galvin
Testimonies consultants Nataliya Gumenyuk and Peter Pomerantsev
BACKGROUND
The Reckoning is part of The Reckoning Project, which gathers stories from survivors and witnesses to the current atrocities in Ukraine. Long after most journalists have moved on, their legally trained reporters spend months taking in-depth testimonies across Ukraine.
Our upcoming production follows a successful director-writer collaboration on the staged reading of Crimea 5am, funded by the British Council, co-written by Anastasiia Kosodii with Natalka Vorozhbyt, directed by Josephine Burton, produced by Dash Arts and presented at Kiln Theatre as part of the UK/Ukraine Season 2022/2023.
Read more about our decade-long programme of work with artists from Ukraine.
The Reckoning has been made possible with the support of partners The Reckoning Project, AHRC Impact Acceleration Account Award from the University of Cambridge, Public Interest Journalism Lab, Open Society Foundations, Fritt Ord Foundation, Goethe-Institut in Exile, Goethe-Institut London, The Golsoncott Foundation, and individual giving.
Support the reckoning
As we prepare for The Reckoning’s premiere, we have successfully raised the majority of the £148,000 budget. However, there is still £15,000 needed to fully realise this ambitious production. Your support will help us bring this powerful play to life, ensuring it reaches UK and international audiences at this critical moment.
Read more about how you can help us fund The Reckoning, or donate now.
All pictures shown below were taken during The Reckoning Script Development Workshop at Goethe-Institut London, in December 2023.
PODCAST
Stay up-to-date on the process of creating by subscribing to our podcast series ‘The Reckoning’ on Dash Arts Podcast - available on all streaming platforms.
BLOG
Follow our journey to see how we approach the in-depth research needed for The Reckoning, and how we developing a script with these heart-wrenching powerful stories.
