North American Premiere - Part of the Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts

Country of Origin: Ukraine

Trolls prowl and conflicts rage in online propaganda. People force themselves across borders creating an icy hot international stalemate. Thousands take to the streets demanding transparency and change.

This is the context for TseSho? / What’s That?, a super-charged puppet cabaret of real time events and Facebook feeds, iconic Ukrainian poetry, catchy vamps, and improvised action. Rambunctious and audacious, the piece asks its questions through the intense lens of childhood. How do we understand? Who are we in a time of sensationalized information and deceptive surfaces? Where is our place in our world and in history? What’s That??

A production of the breakthrough Teatr-Pralnia (Laundry Theater) with Ukraine’s leading contemporary hub, CCA Dakh, directed by theatrical disruptor, Vlad Troitsky.

The presentation of Teatr-Pralnia with CCA Dakh is part of Center Stage, a public diplomacy initiative of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts in cooperation with the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations, with support from the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, and the Trust for Mutual Understanding. General management is provided by Lisa Booth Management, Inc.