Imagine if you could see the future, but no one would believe anything you said. This is Cassandra’s fate. Stuck in besieged Troy and knowing exactly how the war will end, Cassandra sees the destruction unfold around her, just as she knew it would.
First published in 1908, Lesia Ukrainka’s poetic drama retells the story of the Trojan war, from Cassandra’s perspective. Nina Murray’s fresh new translation of this monumental work won the Ukrainian Institute London’s 2021 Ukrainian literature in translation prize.
This premiere is brought to the stage by the Live Canon ensemble, who specialise in working with verse, and who have performed all over the world from Broadway to Abbey Road.
The production is directed by Helen Eastman, whose work has included The Cure at Troy (Delphi International Festival and world tour), Bridgetower (Hackney Empire and UK tour), Fair (Trafalgar Studios) and Bicycle Boy (GDIF and UK tour), and advising on many contemporary productions of Ancient Greek plays, most recently Paradise, by Kae Tempest at the National Theatre.
The production is presented by Live Canon and the Ukrainian Institute London, in association with the Polish Cultural Institute, the Lithuanian Cultural Institute, the Goethe-Institut and the Institut Français.
Please note: Tickets are very limited for remaining performances of Cassandra.
Watch the Livestream
The evening performance of Cassandra on Sat 15 Oct will be live streamed, available to watch for 24 hours from 7:30pm on Sat 15 Oct to 7:30pm on Sun 16 Oct. Tickets are Pay What You Can with a minimum donation of £5. Book here→
On Saturday 8 October the matinee performance at 3pm will be free for displaced Ukrainians. Email info@ukrainianinstitute.org.uk to book.
Post-Show Q&A
Sunday 9th October
Free to ticket-holders
Joining the panel is Helen Eastman (director of Cassandra), Nina Murray (translator of Cassandra), Sasha Dovzhyk (expert on Lesia Ukrainka; lecturer, University College London), Ola Rondiak (Ukrainian artist) and Olesya Khromeychuk (director of Ukrainian Institute London; historian and author).
16 Oct – Opera Concert Fundraiser For Ukraine
Sunday 16th October
Ukrainian opera star Yuriy Yurchuk leads a special one-off fundraising concert in support of Ukraine.
Royal Opera House principal artist and Ukranian baritone Yuriy Yurchuk will be joined by Armenian soprano Anush Hovhannisyan and pianist Ed Battling for an evening of world-class music in this special one-off fundraising concert. The night will feature a programme of much-loved arias and crowd favourites, with more information to be released over the coming days.
