February 16-26, 2023 at HERE

(beyond) Doomsday Scrolling is an original work of epic theatre about women, war, displacement, and resistance. Set in an imagined theatre sheltering women fleeing from wars across time and across the globe, this dramatic cabaret connects the invasion of Ukraine with the larger landscape of systemic aggression around the world – and centers women in the story of war.

Amplifying the voices of women as social actors in wartime, this multilingual show is performed by 12 women and 1 man, from 11 countries and multiple generations. Featuring a live ensemble (vocals, bandura, french horn, violin, accordion, mandolin, and keyboard) headed by Ukrainian musician Lesya Verba, with songs ranging freely over cultures, eras, and genres, the piece conveys experiences of displacement and resistance through drama, music, satire, living newspaper, personal testimony, and text drawn from the long tradition of women’s war writing.

From the theatrical cabarets of the Jewish Ghettos to the theatre-shelters that arose in Ukraine following the 2022 invasion, theatres have played a critical role wartime - as shelters, as sites of cultural opposition, and as spaces in which to construct sense from nightmare. Excavating that legacy, (beyond) Doomsday Scrolling traces a single day in the life of 12 women from different countries, wars, and eras, sheltering in a theatre: a microcosm of intercultural conflict, friendship, violence, and resilience. The play culminates with an action of resistance quoting the global legacy of feminist arts activism.

Cast

Ylfa Edelstein, Claudia Godi*, Monica Blaze Leavitt*, Diana Zhdanova, Lesya Verba, Simona DeFeo, Jeremy Goren, Eka Kukhianidze, Wilemina Olivia-Garcia*, Kathryn Mederos Syssoyeva, Weronika Wozniak, Alina Mihailevschi, Savanna Sinéad Kenny*

Musicians: Lesya Verba, Alex Alabin, Ylfa Edelstein, and Savanna Sinéad Kenny

Directed by Kathryn Mederos Syssoyeva with Jeremy Goren and Diana Zhdanova

The Production Stage Manager is Erika Bracy

Lighting design: Adriana Camila Gonzalez

Research: Orian Assayag, Lu Li

*Equity Member appearing with permission of Actor’s Equity Association in this Off-Off Broadway production.

We are in the process of raising funds in order to continue the piece’s mission. Your donation will help to cover our production costs, allowing us take our theatre of conscience further out into the world, and our work deeper into the communities we strive to support. 

AnomalousCo depends on generous donors who understand that ticket sales alone will not cover the costs producing meaningful theatre. We need your help in order to continue the piece’s mission!  

Photo: Jarrett Robertson

To date, (beyond) Doomsday Scrolling has raised $13,000 in humanitarian aid: $11,500 from the first two performances, 100% of which we distributed among several organizations providing assistance to Ukrainian and Central American refugees; and an additional $1,500 in direct assistance, personally raised and donated by company members to assist a young Ukrainian/Russian couple, theatre artists, in their flight from Kyiv to the USA via Mexico.

Continued development has been supported by generous rehearsal residencies provided by The Center at West Park, Target Margin Theatre, and (twice) Chashama, as well as a donation of additional rehearsal space from LEIMAY.

(beyond) Doomsday Scrolling has been performed in multiple forms and venues, and led to offshoot projects. Performances to date:

Mainstage Performances

  • March 19,2022: (beyond) Doomsday Scrolling. In the first performance of (beyond) Doomsday Scrolling AnomalousCo collective raised nearly $8500 in ticket sales and donor contributions for humanitarian support to Ukraine and its refugees.
  • April 29,2022: (beyond) Doomsday Scrolling. The Center at West Park, NYC. This second iteration of the show raised $3000 in ticket sales and an additional 1500 in personal donations for humanitarian aid to refugees in Ukraine and Central America.

Gallery Performances

  • April 15,2022: Ukrainian Connection. A benefit performance and exhibition in support of Ukraine, featuring music and poetry, performed by Lesya Verba and AnomalousCo. Additional performances by musicians Sergey Ryabtsev and Alex Alabin. The Gallery at Evans Real Estate International.
  • May 28,2022: Ukraine. Identification Code. A benefit performance and exhibition in support of Ukraine, featuring music, theatrical texts by Helen Astaseva, and poetry by Liudmila Khersonskaya, performed by Lesya Verba and AnomalousCo.  The Gallery at Evans Real Estate International.

Related Performances

  • April 16,2022: A 12-hour online marathon of readings and conversations with 24 New York theatre institutions. AnomalousCo participated as a guest of HERE ARTS CENTER.
  • May 29,2022:  A Dictionary of Emotions in a Time of War, by Helen Astaseva. Directed by Kathryn Mederos Syssoyeva; performed by actors of the ProEnglish Theatre of Kyiv, Ukraine. Presented live and online as part of UKRAINE. WAR. TEXTS. Staged Readings Ukrainian Playwrights: the ART Shelter of ProEnglish Theatre Hub (Kyiv).

Upcoming Performances

  • We continue to seek development support for all of our work. If you are interested in learning more about ways you can support the development - whether through financial support, in-kind donations of performance and rehearsal space, materials, and other resources, or by contributing your skills, talents, and time to our collaborative work, please, reach out to us directly at: company@anomalousco.com