City Garage Raises Funds For Ukraine 1 Year After Russian Invasion

SANTA MONICA, CA — It has been one year since Russia invaded Ukraine, and Santa Monica's City Garage is presenting an evening of readings from Ukrainian writers to raise humanitarian aid for the people who have been affected by the war.

Attendees can look forward to hearing six short plays that were written since the beginning of the war. Four of the plays were completed just recently and this will be the first time they will be publicly read or performed in English.

The six pieces being read are:

• "Just Tell No One" by Oksana Savchenko
• "Hocus Pocus" by Liudmyla Tymoshenko
• "The Russians Are Coming" by Yelena Astaseva
• "How Not to Be a Katsup" by Oksana Grytsenko
• "Snuff Films" by Andriy Bondarenko
• "How to Talk to the Dead" by Anastasiia Kosodii

This event is part of the Worldwide Ukrainian Play Readings Project, which uses the work of Ukrainian playwrights to help raise funds for relief. The specific pieces that will be shared represent the passion, urgency, contradictions and heartbreak that people have felt during this time, according to event organizers.

"To date, there have been more than 285 performances of 110 texts by 45 writers in 27 countries and 19 languages," City Garage officials said.

Attendees are asked to make a minimum donation of $10, but can give more. Officials said 100 percent of the proceeds will be distributed to charities working on the ground in Ukraine such as Humanitarian aid for Ukraine, Ukrainian Emergency Performing Arts Fund and Children’s stories.

City Garage's event will take place at 8 p.m. on March 15 at the Bergamot Station Arts Center at 2525 Michigan Ave. Building T1. To attend the event and to donate visit City Garage's webpage.