Sviatoslav (Sviat) Marchenko
City – Cherkasy (Ukraine)
Language – Ukrainian
Genre – Stand-up, improvisation
Comedian's Formation
Sviat Marchenko is a popular Ukrainian stand-up comedian, screenwriter, and improviser. Originally from Cherkasy, he is now based in Kyiv. He has been working in the humor industry for over 9 years. Despite receiving a law degree, Sviat became interested in comedy. He admits that his career shift surprised many of his family and friends. He was often asked why he didn’t want to work as a lawyer. Sviat himself had to answer this question, first to himself. Eventually, he realized that he couldn’t do otherwise and wanted to do something that brought him pleasure. While still young, he decided to take the risk – what if success awaited him in the future?
The risk paid off, and humor and creativity won, becoming his favorite profession. At that point, Sviat already had considerable experience performing on stage, starting with playing in KVN (a popular Russian comedy show) during his school years. His career progressed with tours, participation in various castings and shows. The aspiring comedian steadily moved toward recognition, winning the hearts of more and more fans. He found success in finding topics for jokes and connecting with the audience. People applauded his performances, and Sviat admits that this brought him the greatest joy. The feeling was similar to what musicians experience on stage, singing their best hits and receiving overwhelming feedback from their audience.
Creative Path
Sviat's debut in stand-up took place in 2015. In 2020, he began collaborating with the "Varyaty Show" team alongside Maksym Kravets. By that time, Sviat had already toured extensively, continued performing stand-up sets, and writing jokes. His collaboration with "Varyaty" was successful and truly fulfilling: the creative team of the show genuinely supported and helped newcomers. The young artists were beloved by the audience, who often called for an encore after their performances. Sviat notes that during his time with "Varyaty Show," his schedule often included two or three performances a day.
When writing new scripts and jokes, Sviat can spend days without leaving his home. He reads a lot, writes, and prepares for concerts. Recently, he presented his solo program "Sviatvechir," in which he joked about various topics: relationships, personal revelations, life during the war, aging concerns, cheeky Cherkasy hackers, and much more. The comedian considers the warm reception from the audience to be the highest reward. In these moments, he realizes that everything he does is not in vain, and this is an important step toward realizing himself as truly happy.
For anyone who is hesitant to try something new, Sviat advises not to be afraid. Life is about trying and experiencing results (not always positive and expected, but still!). He continues to work as a screenwriter for various humorous television shows. His stand-up performances during the full-scale war are aimed at supporting Ukraine's defenders. He also announces fundraising for the needs of the Ukrainian military on his social media. The artist is confident that Ukrainians can achieve anything and will continue to grow and become better in many fields.
Interesting Facts about the Comedian:
- He believes the main secret to success is proving to yourself first that you can do what you want. This should serve as a good example for others;
- Despite his busy touring schedule, he would like to engage in sports;
- He doesn’t enjoy seeing himself on television. He recalls a time when his family watched a New Year’s episode of a show in which he appeared. He did not enjoy the experience, and even mentioned that their dog was looking at him with confusion because he had said he didn't like meat;
- Among the comedy projects Sviatoslav Marchenko has worked on as a screenwriter are the "Mamakhokhotala" studio, "Diesel Show," the sketch comedy "Na Tryokh," the sitcom "Curators," the entertainment show "Stars, Gossip & Hollywood" on TET, and others;
- His favorite dish is buckwheat soup;
- He enjoys reading Erich Maria Remarque and Ray Bradbury;
- His favorite movie is "Gran Torino" starring Clint Eastwood;
- He listens to bands and artists such as Oasis, Kasabian, Arctic Monkeys, The Doors, Franz Ferdinand, Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Coldplay, Muse, Nirvana, The Courteeners, Black Pumas, Nothing But Thieves, Klaxons, Jack White, Kings of Leon, The Cure, BoomBox, Dymna Sumish, The Gitas, O.Torvald, and others.
