Dakh Daughters / Aeneid from the Veterans Theater
GOGOLFEST 2026 Opening: Special Program September 16
- Main hall of the ICCM
- 2 acts
The first day of the festival opens with a special program – an attempt to take a closer look at our present, to understand it, analyze it and rethink it. Two acts – two conversations about war, truth and a person who daily confronts distorted narratives, finds a voice when the world tries to silence her – and about how art becomes an antidote where words are powerless.
- Act I · 18:00 – 19:00 Dakh Daughters with the program "AntIDot"
In a world that has opened its Pandora's box, from which war, lies and indifference have escaped, art ceases to be just entertainment - it becomes a vital antidote. This is the mission of Dakh Daughters in their program "Antidote": an artistic action of resistance, a voice that sounds at full strength against the information poison. Combining theater, music, poetry and the grotesque, the group will present not only their favorite hits, but also compositions from the new album Pandora's Box - a musical manifesto that sings for those who are silent, who have lost, who are fighting. This is a reminder that even in the darkest times, music and art remain a source of strength, hope and truth.
- Act II · 19:30 – 21:30 "Aeneid" – Veterans Theater
The immortal poem by Ivan Kotlyarevsky, interpreted by the Veterans Theater, turns into an emotional conversation about war, memory, and the power of words. Through physical plasticity, words, and music, the performance opens the way to inner healing. The roles are played by active military personnel and veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian war - people who, despite physical injuries, demonstrate an amazing will to live on stage.
"Aeneid" is not just a premiere, but a project of the Communications Department of the Armed Forces of Ukraine's Territorial Defense Command and the Dramatists' Theater, which combines psychological rehabilitation with creative realization and helps society understand the experience of those who went through the war.
Director – Olga Semyoshkina. Artistic director – Akhtem Seitablaev.
- When: September 16, 2026, 6:00 PM
- Where: Kyiv, International Center for Contemporary Art (October Palace)
- Genre: Festival
- Features: duration - 1 hour 30 minutes, without intermission