--- title: "“Before she died, she asked to look after the cats”: a play about the Levchanovska family is being prepared in Lutsk" description: "Lutsk's \"Garmider\" theater is preparing the play \"Levchanovska's Room\" about the repressed senator Henna Levchanovska and her daughter Iryna. The premiere is scheduled for October 2026, and the project includes charitable support for an animal shelter." date: 2026-09-09T09:40:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/before-she-died-asked-to-care-for-cats-lutsk-play-levchanovska-family tags: [theater, lutsk, ukraine-culture, repression, animals, charity] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # “Before she died, she asked to look after the cats”: a play about the Levchanovska family is being prepared in Lutsk ![A person holds a black-and-white cat in their arms — a symbol of care for the Levchanovsky family's pets in the play being staged in Lutsk](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/09/komnata-levchanovskoy-lutsk-spektakl-o-seme-levchanovskikh/komnata-levchanovskoy-lutsk-spektakl-o-seme-levchanovskikh-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - The "Garmider" theater in Lutsk is preparing the production "Levchanovska's Room" about senator Henna Levchanovska and her daughter Iryna. - In her final letter before her death, Henna asked her daughter to look after two cats — a white one and a grey one. - The project is being created with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation, features six actresses, and its premiere is set for October 2026. - The play includes a charitable component: a collaboration with an animal shelter in memory of Iryna Levchanovska. 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. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Before she died, she asked to look after the cats: a play about the Levchanovska family is being prepared in Lutsk](https://wave.rbc.ua/ukr/culture/pered-smertyu-prosila-podbati-kotiv-lutsku-1788945589.html) - Источник подтверждает все ключевые факты: сюжет постановки, последнее письмо о котах, дату премьеры (октябрь 2026), поддержку Украинского культурного фонда, участие шести актрис и благотворительный компонент с приютом. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What is the play "Levchanovska's Room" about? **A:** The production is dedicated to the Ukrainian public figure and senator of the Second Polish Republic, Henna Levchanovska, and her daughter Iryna, in particular to Henna's final letter in which she asked to look after two cats. ### Q: When and where will the premiere take place? **A:** The premiere is scheduled for October 2026 in Lutsk, and a video version of the play will also be broadcast. ### Q: Does the project have a charitable component? **A:** Yes, the "Garmider" theater is beginning a collaboration with an animal shelter, and the charitable part of the project will be dedicated to the memory of Iryna Levchanovska and her love of cats. ### Q: Who is creating the production and with what support? **A:** The research play is being prepared by Lutsk's "Garmider" theater under the direction of Ruslana Poritska, on the basis of archival documents and memories, with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation; six actresses take part in it.