ARE WE THERE YET: theatre told verbatim by Ukrainian teen refugees 

On March 25th and 26th, the TUT – Teens Ukraine Theater (TUT) will premiere the production “ARE WE THERE YET” – a documentary piece centered on children’s experience during the war and displacement that followed. 

Performances: 

Saturday, March 25 @ 7:30pm 

Sunday, March 26 @ 1:00pm & @ 6:00pm 

New York Theatre Workshop 

Fourth Street Theatre 83 East 4th Street 

New York, NY 10003

ARE WE THERE YET is the culmination performance piece of the TUT program. TUT, which translates into “here”, is a theatrical laboratory for Marks JCH refugee teens from Ukraine who all found their way to New York City during the last 12 months as a result of the full scale Russian invasion into Ukraine. TUT has engaged Ukrainian teenagers ages 12-17 via workshops in an exploration of their personal stories through Verbatim Theatre technique and educational theater. 

ARE WE THERE YET is a multidisciplinary production derived entirely from personal stories of ten teens from Ukraine; displaced and uprooted by war. Some of their families are still in Ukraine beneath the bombs. They feel the dissonance while stuck in a vacuum wanting to go back to the fateful day of February 23rd or to find themselves after the war ends, so they can return home. But where is home, and how can they shelter themselves from this horrific reality? When will the war end? What if? Are we there yet? These questions are just the tip of the iceberg as they relive their traumas, reflecting the experience of thousands of refugees and echoing the voices of those who are still in Ukraine. 

This production draws surrealistic and yet vivid images of life broken by the war. Millions of people have left their homes fleeing from bombs…leaving behind broken objects and homes, but their memories continue living, traveling along with them. The stories in the production echo through teens’ personal prism – the impact of the invasion, and what happened in its aftermath.

The TUT project is created, directed and curated by actor and pedagogue Anya Zicer who has developed a unique method of working with teenagers in the field of educational drama as part of her theater company, Lost & Found Project. The award-winning company was founded in 2011 but at the beginning of the war in 2022 refocused its work on raising awareness as well as producing several productions in support of Ukraine. The project is also led by actor/teaching artist Dima Koan and musician/composer Mariya Vasilevskaya.

The presentation of the original production ARE WE THERE YET will take place on March 25th and 26th and is hosted by New York Theatre Workshop, a historically supportive community for refugees and community theater.