A theatre director, educator, and Senior Lecturer at the I. K. Karpenko-Karyi Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television in Kyiv, Ukraine, Urytskyi has dedicated decades to theatre education, puppet theatre, and inclusive performance practices. Recipient of multiple international and national directing awards, including Best Director prizes across major European theatre festivals and repeated Kyiv Pectoral Awards for Best Director, Best Dramatic Performance, and Best Children’s Play (2012–2024).

He has directed more than 70 performances across Ukraine and Europe, including productions created for deaf and hard of hearing audiences as well as spectators with Down syndrome. Alongside his artistic work, he is also actively involved in theatre education, international collaborations, and the development of new methodologies for inclusive theatre.

Theatre education in Ukraine amid a full-scale war. New circumstances. New challenges. New opportunities.

The presentation at the Congress will focus on the changes that theatre education in Ukraine has undergone since the outbreak of the full-scale war launched by Russia against Ukraine. The situation that arose in the country’s theatre education institutions in February–March 2022 will be analysed, when many students and teachers were forced to become refugees and leave the country. Many educational institutions in European countries were able to accept our students for study. There was also a relocation of educational institutions and theatre companies due to the military hostilities. Particular attention will be paid to new forms of learning that emerged during a period when it was impossible to hold classes in person. We will discuss the safety aspects of learning and the specific challenges of the educational process during blackouts.