Vertep in a Breath is an artistic and memorial project inspired by Ukrainian Vertep, a traditional puppet theatre blending the sacred, satire and social commentary.

Through puppetry, sculpture and speech, the project explores the living memory of Ukraine: that of artists, exiles and territories wounded by war.

Conceived between France, Ukraine, and Poland, Vertep dans un souffle (Vertep in a Breath) combines stage creation, transmission, and work with the Ukrainian diaspora. It explores what it means to safeguard, transmit, and create when cultural heritage is threatened, and affirms puppetry as a space for poetic resistance and connection between peoples.

As part of the Vertep dans un souffle project, I invited, through Lyon Ukraine, the Kyiv School of Puppetry to the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region for a time of meeting, transmission and shared creation.

This invitation allowed young Ukrainian artists to present their work, exchange with French students and professionals, and meet puppeteers in their workshops around traditional and contemporary forms of puppetry.

Beyond mere artistic mobility, this visit constituted a strong gesture of cultural solidarity: offering a space for breathing room, visibility and cooperation to a school that continues its teaching despite the context of war.

This project was part of the Season of Ukraine in France, The Journey to Ukraine , organized by the French Institute and the Ukrainian Institute, with the support of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Culture of both countries. It received financial support from the Lyon Metropolitan Area and the Ukrainian Institute.

This encounter helped to strengthen lasting ties between the Ukrainian and French scenes, affirming puppetry as a common language and a space for poetic resistance.

Vertep, a Ukrainian traveling puppet theatre, has thus arrived in Lyon and as far as Ardèche for several public demonstrations.

Traditionally performed during the Christmas and New Year holidays, the Vertep mixes the story of the Nativity, the fall of King Herod and popular scenes full of humor, songs and dances, around the figure of the Cossack.

At the crossroads of ritual, theatre and satire, Vertep is a living heritage, constantly reinvented by contemporary artists, and remains an essential expression of Ukrainian culture.

📍 Dates and locations

• February 19 – 6:30 p.m. – Le METT – Le Teil (Ardèche)

• February 20 – 8 p.m. – Samuel Paty Space – Lyon

• February 21 – 4 p.m. – Museum of Puppet Arts, Gadagne – Lyon

• February 22 – 7 p.m. – Consulate General of Poland – Lyon

• February 23 – 7 p.m. – Meeting with the IK Karpenko-Karyi Puppetry School of Kyiv – La Domivka, House of Ukraine – Lyon

🎬 Artistic Team

Directed by: Mihail Uritskiy

Starring: Anastasiia Dobrynina, Dariia Kharlampova, Anastasia Zhum, Tymofii Liakh and Yevhenii Liakh