“Before she died, she asked to look after the cats”: a play about the Levchanovska family is being prepared in Lutsk

Lutsk's "Garmider" theater is preparing a production called "Levchanovska's Room" — a research play dedicated to the Ukrainian public figure and senator of the Second Polish Republic, Henna Levchanovska, and her daughter Iryna. The project is being created on the basis of archival documents and family memories, with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, and its premiere is scheduled for October 2026 in Lutsk, accompanied by a parallel video version. This is reported by the Wave RBC.UA publication, citing the press office of the theater's director and head, Ruslana Poritska.

A story that begins with a final letter

The central motif of the production becomes Henna Levchanovska's final letter to her daughter. After the Soviet authorities took power, the senator was arrested, and in 1940 she was killed by the NKVD. In her last message to Iryna, she asked her to look after two cats — a white one and a grey one. "Among the thoughts of a person facing death, this simple concern for living creatures who depend on them remains," explains director Ruslana Poritska. According to the creators' concept, it is precisely this detail that becomes the emotional core of the play.

Cats as a symbol of tenderness amid repression

Iryna Levchanovska kept the family archive and the memory of her mother for decades. The surviving materials include photographs, postcards, collages, and entire albums dedicated to cats; one of the animals she named Lutsyk in honor of Lutsk. "Preserving the memory of my mother, collecting the archive, taking photographs, creating collages, caring for animals — it was as if stubbornly keeping a place for tenderness in one's life where the system tried to deprive a person of everything personal," notes Poritska. For the daughter, the cats probably became a source of support in her loneliness.

A charitable component: helping a shelter

In addition to the artistic part, the project includes a charitable component: the "Garmider" theater is beginning a collaboration with an animal shelter to draw attention to finding homes for animals in families. The charitable part of the project will be dedicated to the memory of Iryna Levchanovska and her love of cats, thereby linking the family's personal story with a relevant social issue.

Format of the production and participants

The research play is being created on the basis of archival documents and memories. Six actresses will take part in working on the images and symbols of the Levchanovska family's story. The premiere of "Levchanovska's Room" is scheduled for October 2026 in Lutsk, and a video version of the production will be made available for a wider audience.