A look back at 2025
Pictured: The cast and creative team of Sickle at the St. Paul Hands Off protest in April 2025
Dear Friends,
We are feeling the weight of ICE's invasion in our cities, and the profoundness of the mutual aid and protest happening in our community. We see your light. We hope you are staying safe and finding joy in these dark times.
(If you're looking for more ways to help, keep scrolling for information on Legal Aid for Ukrainian Refugees Affected by ICE in Minnesota.)
As we evaluate our path forward, we have been reflecting upon our past year and the types of stories we choose to tell: stories that explore the clash between unchecked political power and the pursuit of peace, true stories and history of Ukrainian and post-Soviet immigrants, and current realities of Minnesotans watching the war in Ukraine from afar.
At Novi Most, we are dedicated to bridging cultures and creating innovative, boundary-pushing theatre that speaks to our shared human experience. Nothing will change that (not even an NEA grant being withdrawn).
Pictured: Tracey Maloney in Sickle at Mixed Blood Theatre, May 2025. Photo by Dan Norman
Pictured: The cast of An Ocean Away at the Center for Performing Arts, Oct. 2025. Photo by Dan Norman.
In our ambitious 2025 season:
We shared a Minnesota Premiere with over 700 community members and theater lovers alike with Sickle, by Abbey Fenbert at Mixed Blood Theatre in May. Sickle revolved around a group of women in Ukraine during the Holodomor and celebrated a will to survive.
The cast and creative team of Sickle took a break from rehearsals on Saturday, April 5th to take part in the Hands Off protest at the Saint Paul capitol building.
In collaboration with The Museum of Russian Art in March, we presented a staged reading of the English language premiere of a brand-new adaptation of Karel Čapek’s 1937 piece, The White Plague. This adaptation was created by Belarusian playwright Andrei Kureichik (An Ocean Away) and translated into English by Co-Artistic Director Vladimir Rovinsky. The White Plague explored the clash between unchecked political power and the pursuit of peace in a dystopian future.
And finally, after two years of development, we presented the beautiful world premiere production of An Ocean Away by Andrei Kureichik, telling the true stories of Minnesotans with ties to Ukraine. We spent the first several months of the year deep in community conversation and research. In May, we hosted a staged reading at the UMN Rarig Center. Then, in October, we welcomed over 400 people to witness these stories and pay homage to the strength of the Ukrainian people.
An infinite thank-you to all the Minnesotans with links to Ukraine who shared their stories and their hearts with us.
