The Rivers

On 10 October, the PidVal art space hosted an audio-visual performance The Rivers, created in collaboration with Norwegian composer Sveinung Nigaard. The audience saw 12 paintings by Chernihiv-based artist Viktor Onyshchenko, which were brought to life with the help of artificial intelligence and accompanied by original musical compositions performed by Norwegian composer and musician Sveinung Nigaard and Chernihiv-based composer and musician Illiia Herhul.

Photos by Vladyslav Savenok https://radio.svoboda.fm/news/muzika-i-zhivopis-v-ukritti-139

Kino Residence La Guarimba

In September and October 2024, AmaTea Youth Drama Theatre was a partner of the La Guarimba artistic film residency project, which took place in Amantea, Italy, and brought together artists from 28 countries. The residency participants focused on the rebuilding of Ukraine's cultural sector. The project was created with the support of the Zmina Rebuilding programme. ZMINA: Rebuilding ZMINA: Rebuilding is a project co-funded by the EU Creative Europe Programme under a dedicated call for proposals to support Ukrainian displaced people and the Ukrainian Cultural and Creative Sectors.The project is a cooperation between IZOLYATSIA (UA), Trans Europe Halles (SE) and Malý Berlín (SK).

Laboratory of Creative Works (Ukraine-Norway youth exchange under the Erasmus+ programme)

The project Laboratory of Creative Works aims to provide an experience of intercultural exchange between Norwegian and Ukrainian youth in the age group 16 to 22.
This is a project by ''Laterna Magica'' within Vesterålen kommunalt oppgavefellesskap for kultur (Norway) together with Youth Drama Theatre “AmaTea” (Ukraine), bringing the participants involved in theatre and art projects of both organisations together.

Following a step-wise laboratory approach the young people will be guided through all stages of a co-creative process leading up to a film or animation. The project is set-up to empower the youth, to stimulate their sense of inclusive
cooperation and to engage and strengthen their creativity and skills, using digital as well as non-digital art techniques.

The project took place in Vesterålen, Norway, from 11 to 18 August and brought together 16 participants from Ukraine and Norway.

In July 2024, the preparatory stage took place - AmaTea representatives visited their Norwegian colleagues to agree on a plan for a youth exchange and felt the beauty of the harsh Norwegian summer :)

"We Create The World" (Cultute Helps)

From January to April 2024, we worked on the We Create the World project. The participants were families with children who were forced to leave their homes due to Russia's war against Ukraine and now live in Chernihiv.

In late January and February, the project participants visited 3 guided tour with a Chernihiv guide, Volodymyr Pylypenko, and learned about the city's history. From February to April, the families worked on creating their own ‘theatres at home’ at weekly workshops with Olena Rosstalna and Kateryna Yanchuk. Together we learnt how to create stories, sketch characters, sew, and make sets. All classes took place at the Art and Media Hub of the Chernihiv Regional Art Museum. 

The project participants created ten performances and home theatres, which can be supplemented with other characters and scenery in the future. After the presentation of the performances, the scenery models and characters of the home theatres will be on display at the museum until early May 2024. 

This project is supported by “Culture Helps /
Культура допомагає” — project co-funded by the European
Union under a dedicated call for proposals to support
Ukrainian displaced people and the Ukrainian Cultural and
Creative Sectors. The project is a cooperation between Insha Osvita (UA) and
zusa (DE).

Photos by Vladyslav Savenok

http://newvv.net/culture/Culture/295606.html

Preparing a youth exchange under the Erasmus+ program

In June 2023, the head of the AmaTea took part in the training course on writing grant applications for participation in Erasmus+ youth exchange and networking program in Tbilisi, Georgia. After successful completion of the training, the organization continued to work on the grant application together with a partner organization from Norway, Vesterålen kommunalt oppgavefellesskap for kultur in Oslo (Norway). In December 2023, the joint application for the youth exchange was approved, so now we are preparing for the youth exchange in 2024.

Propaganda: Understanding for Resistance

In 2022, the NGO worked on the educational project "Propaganda: Understanding for Resistance", which received grant support from the European Cultural Foundationhttps://culturalfoundation.eu/stories/cosround6-youth-drama-theatre-amatea/Together with their teachers, the project participants learned how to write scripts for short videos; studied examples of the use of propaganda in sculpture, architecture, painting, literature, and caricature; and created their own videos analyzing interesting examples of the use of propaganda in Ukrainian and European culture.

VAHA HUBS

In 2019-2022, the organization worked on a large grant project VAHA HUBS in partnership with the Chernihiv Regional Art Museum and partner organizations from Portugal and Turkey. https://vahahubs.org/hubs/chernihiv-hub

9 Meetings/I am (here)

2019 - 2020 AmaTea worked on international grant project 9 Meetings / I am (here) under the Tandem Ukraine programhttps://www.tandemforculture.org/collaborations/i-am-here/

The cooperation of partners from Ukraine, Belarus, and Bulgaria was aimed at exploring the phenomenon of isolation, loneliness, and invisibility in society by working with several target groups (migrants, the elderly, people with disabilities, etc.). Since the project was implemented during the pandemic, the original idea was changed. Collaboration with partner organizations from Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Belarus resulted in the creation of a documentary online installation.

Real Stories

In 2018-2019, AmaTea worked on the implementation of the Real Stories grant project under the Active Citizens program from the British Council in Ukraine.

The project was implemented on the basis of the Inclusive Resource Center of the Nizhyn City Council (Nizhyn). The aim of the project was to help organize the work of the inclusive resource center through the creation of literary and theatrical performances with elements of art therapy workshops for children (primary school and preschool age) with special educational needs. This project became the first successful example of regional community cooperation in cultural and educational activities, and it significantly contributed to the unification of families with similar problems through their participation in joint events and the great interest of parents.
The project presented the forms and methods of work in the theater-pedagogical and art-therapeutic areas that are used in non-formal education and are now included in the work of the inclusive resource center in Nizhyn.

Enjoy the Poetry with us

2018-2019 AmaTea together with the Library Art Cetner (Chernihiv) worked on literary and artistic meetings dedicated to the works of European and Ukrainian poets (P. Celan, J. Tolkien, F. G. Lorca, etc.). Olena Rosstalna, Olha Melashenko, Rodion Sychev, Ilya Herhul worked on the project.

World Theater : A Conversation by Example

2018 - 2019 AmaTea , together with the Library Art Center (Chernihiv), held open lectures on the history of world theater (ancient theater, medieval theater, Renaissance theater, commedia dell'arte, etc.)

Lecturer - PhD Olena Rosstalna

Andersen Modern

2020 AmaTea created a project to celebrate the birthday of the famous Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen. The project combines photo and audio versions of Andersen's fairy tales. Photo by Mykhailo Pakhanov

The Different Stages

The idea for "The Different Stages" project, which refers to a common episode in the history of Ukraine and the Scandinavian countries, emerged in 2016 at an international cultural exchange program in Ukraine.

Curators Nik Dee-Dahlstrom (Sweden) and Olena Rosstalna (Ukraine) successfully presented various stages of the project (trainings, performances, scientific and pedagogical developments) in cultural and educational institutions in Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland. In 2018, the project became one of the winners of the Participatory Budget in Chernihiv. In the summer of 2018, the performance was presented at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, and in the fall in Chernihiv. The musical narrative "Ingigerd" also premiered as well.

The project is officially included in the European program "2018 - Year of Cultural Heritage in Europe".

A night in the Museum

For several years in a row, AmaTea has participated in art events at the Chernihiv Regional Art Museum and the Chernihiv Regional History Museum.

Paper Fantasies

Since 2016, the AmaTea has been working on an experimental project called Paper Fantasies. The project combines art therapy classes, trainings, and workshops, as well as the creation of performances using eco-friendly materials to create sets, costumes, and bring the action to life.