At the Kyiv Drama Theater on Podil they presented the play «Water Carries Halia», created based on the real story of the rescue of a family from the occupied left bank of the Kherson region. The play was written by playwright Oksana Hrytsenko, who based it on Halyna Pitomets’ account of the events of June 2023 that occurred after the Russians blew up the Kakhovka HPP.
This is reported by Suspilne Kherson.
The plot describes events in the village of Kardashynka, where Halyna and Vitalii Pitomets’ house was completely destroyed by the flood. Due to the rapid arrival of water and the poor condition of the husband, who had suffered a stroke at that time, the woman was forced to make a raft out of foam, ropes and wire on her own. On this improvised structure the couple managed to float out of the flooded area against the current until they were picked up by a boat heading to Kherson.
Director Ihor Matiyiv and the creative team worked on the project for more than half a year. A distinctive feature of the scenography was the decision to place the main action in the cabin of an ambulance.
The leading roles in the play are performed by Tetiana Pechenkina and Kateryna Rubashkina. According to the actors, the production aims to demonstrate not only the tragedy of the events, but also the unbreakable optimism and strength of the Ukrainian character.
The heroine of the story herself, Halyna, now lives in Poland with her husband.
Recall, the dam of the Kakhovka HPP, which was located near the now-occupied city of Nova Kakhovka in the Kherson region, was destroyed on June 6, 2023. On June 18 the Kakhovka reservoir effectively ceased to exist.
More than 30 deaths have been officially confirmed, but the actual number of victims is significantly higher, especially on the occupied left bank, where hundreds of people died.
As of September 2023, it was known that 32 people had died in the government-controlled territory and dozens were reported missing.