Vertep in a Breath is an artistic and memorial project that I conceive and direct, inspired by the 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 the Kyiv Puppetry School to the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in February 2026, via Lyon-Ukraine, 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 also 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

In total, more than 200 people were able to attend the performances of Vertep and discover this Ukrainian art, probably performed for the first time in France.

🎬 Artistic Team

Directed by: Mihail Uritskiy

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

Today, Vertep continues to be performed in Ukraine, in forms that are both faithful to tradition and resolutely contemporary. Despite the war, artists, schools, and institutions continue this practice, testifying to the vitality of a popular theatre deeply rooted in Ukrainian culture.

The show presented in Lyon, created by students from the Kyiv School of Puppetry for the occasion, is now enjoying a new life in Ukraine, where it is being performed and shared with local audiences. This circulation extends the artistic dialogue initiated by the project and situates the work within a genuine exchange between European and Ukrainian theaters.

As an artist, this approach reflects my desire not to freeze traditional forms, but to accompany them in their transformation, in direct connection with those who embody them today. Vertep then becomes a meeting place, where memory, creation, and commitment intersect.

As part of this initiative, UNIMA-Ukraine also donated a traditional Cossack puppet to the Gadagne Museums in Lyon. This gesture places Vertep within a dialogue between living heritage and museum institutions, and testifies to the bonds of solidarity and cultural exchange between Ukrainian artists and French cultural organizations.

UNIMA-Ukraine has also undertaken a campaign to have Ukrainian Vertep recognized as an element of UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage. This initiative underscores the importance of this art form, which is at once theatrical, spiritual, and communal, and is rooted in a long and ever-evolving history.