VOLYN PUPPET THEATRE IN THE CONTEXT OF CULTURAL TRANSFORMATIONS: REPERTOIRE, IDEOLOGICAL DIRECTIONS AND AESTHETICS

Abstract

The purpose of the study. To analyze the evolution of the Volyn Academic Regional Puppet Theater during 1975– 2025 in the context of cultural transformations in Ukraine, to identify the main repertoire and ideological directions of the theater, and to trace changes in stage aesthetics and interaction with different audience groups. The research methodology. The study is based on a comprehensive approach combining historical-cultural analysis, theater studies methods, and chronological and comparative analysis of the repertoire. Methods include documentary and archival analysis, interviews with production participants, as well as analysis of critical publications and reviews of the theater’s performances. The scientific novelty. For the first time, a fifty-year chronological analysis of the Volyn Puppet Theater has been conducted, highlighting four key periods of development (Soviet, post-Soviet, pre-war, and contemporary). Patterns of transformation in the theater’s repertoire, ideological, and aesthetic approaches in the context of cultural and political changes in Ukraine have been identified. The article demonstrates how the puppet theater combines traditions of Ukrainian puppetry with innovative practices, responding to the needs of diverse audience groups. Conclusions. The Volyn Academic Regional Puppet Theater has undergone a complex development path, from implementing Soviet ideological narratives to forming a contemporary repertoire open to experimentation. Repertoire analysis shows that the theater is capable of combining traditional Ukrainian motifs with global dramaturgy, offering artistically and aesthetically rich performances to both children and adult audiences. Contemporary productions, including immersive and patriotic performances, demonstrate the theater’s ability to adapt to new sociocultural challenges while preserving national puppetry traditions.The theater’s current activities reveal openness to new performative practices and experimentation with both dramaturgy and performance formats.