Marking another Christmas far from home

A group of Ukrainian performers have been telling the story of being far from home and unable to make it back for Christmas.

Their play, staged at the weekend in Reading, Berkshire, tells the tale of a group of travellers stranded at a railway station after all their trains are delayed.

It is fictional but also semi-biographical, with the amateur actors playing people trying to return to the towns and cities they had to flee in real life after the Russian invasion.

Alina Nesterenko, who came to England from Zaporizhzhia - right on the front line of the war - said she wanted to show support for those, like her father, who were left behind.

The cast arrived on stage dressed for the long journey, complete with pull-along suitcases.

As it progressed, overcoats were removed to reveal traditional costume underneath.

Ms Nesterenko and her sister portray the Ukrainian custom of "walking the goat," where the animal is led through the streets as part of celebrations marking the arrival of a new year.

"I am showing how important it is to us, that we not forget about our culture, even though we are very far from our home," the A-level student said.

The play was penned by writer and director Kateryna Spitkovska, who was a senior teacher back in Ukraine.

She described the story as a metaphor for the situation she and her fellow exiles found themselves in.

"I understood it should be something about our real life," she said.

Stranded at the railway station, the characters in the play realise they will not make it home in time for Christmas.

As they talk, they learn that, while they are all strangers, they have much in common and decide to celebrate the season with each other, where they are.

"It wasn't me who created the idea, the idea found me," said Ms Spitkovska.

The play included traditional Ukrainian songs performed by Reading-based Kryla Choir.

Among the songs was the seasonal piece Shchedryk, by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych, better known to English speaking audiences as The Carol of the Bells.

Choir founder Oksana Dema said many members had been saddened to have left Ukraine.

She said she had tried to return to Kyiv but her young daughter found it impossible to live with the constant missile and drone attacks.

"Coming together and singing has been like a therapy," she said. "Yes we cry, but we also laugh and now it is more like a family."

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