On 30 May, the Atlas Art Centre in Washington, DC, hosted the premiere of the Diary of War charity reading, featuring real-life stories of Ukrainians during the war, performed by well-known theatre actors from the US capital. The event was organised by cultural activist Darya Kolomiyets to bring personal stories from Ukraine to a foreign audience, honour the memory of combat medic Iryna Tsybukh, and raise funds for the Hospitallers Volunteer Medical Battalion in cooperation with United Help Ukraine.
The script for the readings consisted of seven stories. The author and producer of the Diary of War project, Darya Kolomiyets, selected them from among the 41 episodes of her eponymous documentary podcast, which she released in 2022. At that time – in the first months of the full-scale invasion – she collected voice messages from dozens of people across the country, edited them, and posted them on digital platforms from her hiding place in Kyiv. Now, with the aim of sharing these stories with an international audience, she is bringing them to American theatres, where they are read in translation by award-winning actors.
This marks the first time such an event has taken place in Washington, DC. Previously, the Diary of War project had drawn full houses at theatres in New York. Since the beginning of 2024, these readings have raised over $90,000, all of which has been donated to Ukrainian volunteer organisations.
Heroes whose stories were told during the readings in Washington:
- Iryna Tsybukh (call sign Cheka) – a civilian media professional who became a combat medic with the Hospitallers Volunteer Battalion. On 29 May 2024, Iryna was killed during a rotation in the Kharkiv sector.
- Olena Nikulina – the wife of Azov fighter Maksym Nikulin. Olena learned of her second pregnancy while Maksym was at Azovstal under Russian siege. He has been in captivity for three years and has not yet seen his son.
- Denys Khrystov – a former TV presenter and volunteer who has been evacuating civilians from frontline settlements for the past three years.
- Yuliya Kochetova – a photojournalist working in the most dangerous areas of Ukraine, documenting Russian war crimes. She has received Emmy and World Press Photo awards for her work.
- Olha Bulkina – a clown at Okhmatdyt in Kyiv, the largest children’s hospital in Ukraine, which was struck by a Russian missile in July 2024.
- Marat Shevchenko – a DJ and sound engineer who fled occupied Kupyansk, Kharkiv Region, by motorbike in spring 2022, rescuing his vinyl collection and an embroidered shirt.
- Yuriy Marchenko– the editor-in-chief of the online media outlet Platfor.ma, who lost his dog in the early weeks of the full-scale war due to the lack of timely veterinary care.
The readings were directed by Muse Gernis, a long-time collaborator on Darya’s projects. This time, local theatre stars from Washington lent their voices to the Ukrainian stories: Holly Twyford, Emily Townley, Tony Nash, Lolita Mary Horne, Drew Kopas, Reenie Wilson, and Jeremy Keith Gunther.
The event was held to coincide with the anniversary of Iryna Tsybukh’s death, and her memory is honoured at every Diary of War event. Last year, news of her death came just before a reading in New York, scheduled for 2 June. Iryna had managed to sign a flag for the event’s auction and record a video message about her work for the audience. That video is now shown at every event whenever Cheka’s story is read.
All proceeds from the event – raised in partnership with United Help Ukraine and its medical aid programme – will go towards rebuilding the Hospitallers base, which was destroyed by a Russian missile strike on 25 April. The fundraising campaign has now surpassed $50,000 and remains open, allowing those unable to attend the event to contribute. The funds raised – up to $20,000 – have been matched by an anonymous donor.