Nafta Theatre
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What it takes to make theatre during blackouts, sirens, and the cold.
A recollection by the Nafta ensemble
Train 723 brings together testimonies of railway workers and passengers, reflecting everyday life, labour, and emotional attachment to Ukrainian Railways.
Kharkiv‑based Nafta Theatre built the play as a kaleidoscope of perspectives. It links movement, disruption, and uncertainty to the railway’s role in shaping journeys across the country.
It started with a road trip
The project began with research and a road trip, outside the rehearsal room. This involved travelling between locations, including the director’s hometown. Meetings with a local historian and visits to the railway station helped gather material for the play. Even this initial phase carried its own challenges: ice-covered roads and long drives required continuous focus.
Energy and infrastructure
Electricity was not a given. Some spaces had lighting but no heat; others had warmth but no power. Where generators were used, they required manual maintenance. Technical set-ups became part of everyday practice, rather than something separate from the rehearsal process.
Cold spaces
Rehearsal spaces were often temporary, changing with little notice as electricity went off, temperatures dropped, or buildings became unusable. This meant constant movement between locations. During the coldest weeks, indoor temperatures fell to around +5°C. Pipes froze. There was no heating or running water, and rehearsals were shaped by physical endurance rather than planned schedules.
Interruptions and time pressure
The poster photoshoot took place near the train station. It was repeatedly interrupted. Air raid sirens divided time into short, unpredictable intervals, forcing immediate evacuations and halting work. The selected image was taken during one of these narrow windows, minutes before another interruption, leaving no scope to repeat, refine, or rethink. Every decision had to be made under pressure.
Support systems
The production process depended not only on formal rehearsal spaces but also on informal networks of support, such as a café across the street, which provided warmth, food, and basic facilities at short notice.
This support was not part of the production plan but became essential to its continuation.
Water damage
As winter passed, accumulated meltwater entered the main venue. The stage and backstage flooded, damaging parts of the floor. On the day of the premiere, water returned, spreading across the auditorium.
The ensemble addressed the situation directly, moving materials and removing water by hand. Despite repeated disruption from cold, blackouts, displacement, and flooding, the work did not stop. Adjustments were made continuously, often without any assurance that conditions would improve.
Yet, the premiere went ahead.
The premiere
Despite continuous challenges, the premiere was enjoyed by a full house, continuing Nafta’s purpose of highlighting young artists and directors in Kharkiv to develop and realise their visions.
Photo: Chekal Petro, Nafta Theatre
Photo: Chekal Petro, Nafta Theatre
Photo: Chekal Petro, Nafta Theatre
Photo: Chekal Petro, Nafta Theatre
Photo: Vavara Art, Nafta Theatre
Photo: Chekal Petro, Nafta Theatre
Photo: Chekal Petro, Nafta Theatre
Photo: Chekal Petro, Nafta Theatre
Photo: Chekal Petro, Nafta Theatre
Photo: Chekal Petro, Nafta Theatre
Photo: Chekal Petro, Nafta Theatre
Photo: Chekal Petro, Nafta Theatre
Photo: Chekal Petro, Nafta Theatre
Photo: Chekal Petro, Nafta Theatre
Photo: Chekal Petro, Nafta Theatre
Photo: Chekal Petro, Nafta Theatre
Photo: Chekal Petro, Nafta Theatre
Photo: Vavara Art, Nafta Theatre
