About United Ukrainian Theatre
United Ukrainian Theatre (UUTheatre) is an theatre platform for professional Ukrainian theatre makers—including actors, directors, dancers, singers, and playwrights—whose mission is to create both independent and collaborative Dutch–Ukrainian theatre projects. The foundation was officially registered in December 2023 and is based in the Netherlands.
UUTheatre gives Dutch audiences the opportunity to discover contemporary Ukrainian drama and theatre traditions, while providing Ukrainian theatre makers a platform to integrate into European cultural life. The foundation also runs an educational programme—a Theatre School-Laboratory—where Ukrainians, Dutch, and other expats study theatre arts and take part in professional productions.
The group’s core members are director Yasha Gudzenko and actresses Alesia Andrushevska, Milena Kompaniiets, and Elena Rechych. United by the tragedy of forced migration caused by the war in Ukraine, these women have been supporting each other and creating theatre projects in the Netherlands since 2022.
The United Ukrainian Theatre was founded on the initiative of Yasha Gudzenko and Alesia Andrushevska, who had previously collaborated at the Zaporizhzhia Municipal Theatre-Laboratory “Vie,” as well as on film projects and theatre workshops. After arriving in the Netherlands in March 2022, they organized readings of contemporary Ukrainian plays, marking the beginning of their integration into the Dutch professional theatre community.
Notable Productions
Witnessing U – A benefit performance in collaboration with Toneelmakerij, sharing stories of survival from the war in Ukraine.
Endless February – A series of staged readings of contemporary Ukrainian plays at De Balie, performed by both Ukrainian and Dutch actors.
Take the rubbish out, Sasha! – A full-scale production in collaboration with Dutch actor Bram Gerrits.
The Hague (2024) – A performative reading of Sasha Denisova’s play at De Balie, featuring Ukrainian and Dutch actors. Cast: Victoria Koblenko, Alesia Adrushevska, Bram Gerrits, Manja Topper, Benjamin Moen, Erik van Welzen, Oleksandra Bilousova, Aleksej Ovsiannikov, Milena Kompaniiets, Artem Smotrych.
Chaos (2025) – An original UUTheatre production written and directed by Yasha Gudzenko, with leading roles performed by Alesia Andrushevska, Milena Kompaniiets, and Elena Rechych, alongside graduates of the Theatre Laboratory.
Permanent team members also include Eduard Bukhanets, responsible for video production, and Nadezhda Bakhshi, the theatre’s permanent lighting director and creator of digital content.
UUTheatre continues to develop projects that preserve Ukrainian theatre traditions, amplify Ukrainian voices in Europe, and create meaningful cultural dialogue through both performance and education.
The UUTheatre is registered at the KVK with number: 923156070000