Drama-concert “Exiled from the Garden of Eden”

Directed by Rostyslav Derzhypilsky

Drama-concert “Exiled from the Garden of Eden” is a historic re-enactment of forced resettlement of Lemkos (a Ukrainian ethnic group) from their ethnic territory, which is performed in a format of a drama-concert featuring:

• about 20 authentic songs to the accompaniment of an orchestra and a choir of young actors;
• a drama based on a true story;
• merry stories of the youth and the first love;
• an authentic wedding with the wedding bonfire and a “traditional” wedding fight;
• a mother’s joy of lulling her baby to sleep and her sorrow of seeing her son out to war;
• rattling sound of wheels of a train that is carrying the people away from their Garden of Eden…
• strong will to live and unbreakable faith!

The performance will take place at Ivano-Frankivsk railway station – a place that 70 years ago hosted deported Lemko families – those who managed to preserve their culture after being exiled from their Garden of Eden. The drama-concert will take place during the journey, re-enacting tragic events of forced resettlement of Lemkos from their ethnic lands. This unique performance will let you get a first-hand experience of that tragic moment in Ukrainian history and learn more about Lemkos, their culture and traditions.