Dash Arts’ The Reckoning returns in 2027 for a UK tour taking in Coventry, Chichester and London. Built from verified real-life witness testimonies from the war in Ukraine, the production combines storytelling, music, movement and live onstage cooking.
The Reckoning runs from 28 January to 27 February 2027, visiting Belgrade Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre and Arcola Theatre. The cast is still to be confirmed.
Overview
Written by Ukrainian playwright Anastasiia Kosodii and Dash Arts co-founder Josephine Burton, who also directs, the production follows a journalist travelling to a small town outside Kyiv to interview the Man from Stoyanka, a security guard who stayed when others fled. Two Ukrainian actors bring their own experiences to the performance alongside two British actors.
The work is based on real events held within The Reckoning Project’s verified archive of witness testimonies. Each performance concludes with a five-minute reflection from a journalist, lawyer or someone with direct experience of the conflict, while the audience is served Ukrainian salad prepared onstage during the performance.
The production was first presented at Arcola Theatre in May 2025, where it received an Offie nomination for Best Creation. Its 2027 return to Arcola coincides with the fifth anniversary of the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Cast
The company listed by Dash Arts includes Marianne Oldham, Tom Godwin, Olga Safronova, Simeon Kyslyi and Danylo Shramenko.
Creative Team
- Writers: Anastasiia Kosodii and Josephine Burton
- Director: Josephine Burton
- Composer: Anton Baibakov
- Set designer: Zoë Hurwitz
- Lighting designer: Joshua Pharo
- Movement director: Josie Daxter
- Costume designer: Olivia Jamieson
- Sound design: Bella Kear
- Artist wellbeing: Lou Platt
- Food consultant: Olia Hercules
- Casting director: Abby Galvin
- Testimonies consultants: Nataliya Gumenyuk and Peter Pomerantsev
Dates, Tour and Venues
- 28–30 January: Belgrade Theatre, Coventry — 7.45pm, tickets from £12
- 2–6 February: Chichester Festival Theatre — Tuesday–Saturday 7.15pm; Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees 2.15pm; tickets from £10–£31
- 17–27 February: Arcola Theatre, London — 7pm Monday–Thursday; 6.30pm Friday and Saturday; 3pm Saturday; tickets £20–£29
Production Image
Practical Information
- Running time: 90 minutes, no interval
- Age guidance: venue guidance currently varies: Belgrade Theatre and Chichester Festival Theatre list 12+, while earlier Arcola information listed 14+
- Languages: performed in English and Ukrainian with live translation
Accessibility
Check the relevant venue’s current accessibility information when booking if you have particular access requirements. Arcola Theatre currently lists the 7pm performance on Tuesday 23 February 2027 as Relaxed.
Why See It?
The Reckoning approaches testimony through theatre rather than treating real experiences as background material. Its combination of verified witness accounts, Ukrainian and British performers, live cooking and post-performance reflection makes this a distinctive piece of documentary theatre about survival, truth and memory.
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