Center for International Theatre Development (CITD)

09/15/2026

Get to know the team behind CITD! A lot of new folks have connected with CITD in the last year, and this fall, we want to help you get to know us better, starting with the people behind the work.

First up: the incomparable John Freedman, CITD Ukraine Program Director, giving us a peek into his past and present (which includes minor league baseball!)

09/07/2026

New post on our Substack from Brandice Thompson, about the extraordinary power of deep relationships in LINKAGES:Ukraine over space and time, and how theater is a tool for survival in Ukraine.

Read on!

American playwright Ali Viterbi’s work is finding resonance across Ukraine.

08/31/2026

News from the front:

Our Ukrainian partners daily show extraordinary bravery and resolve to make art together in the face of extreme violence. Their commitment to cultural resistance on the front of this war is extraordinary.

Please read below for some behind-the-scenes communications that we've decided to share with our whole community:

From CITD Managing Director Brandice Thompson in an email to the team (and thanks to Ukraine Projects Director John Freedman for passing on the difficult news):

"SUMY: First, some exciting news. Ali Viterbi’s Life Cycle of a Star has been selected for a full production at Sumy National Music and Drama Theater, directed by award-winning director Roman Kozak.

Sumy is one of Ukraine’s most respected regional theaters, with some of its greatest artistic achievements coming during the war. But conditions in the city are becoming increasingly dire. The theater has been hit repeatedly by shelling.

KYIV: On Saturday, the Theatre of Playwrights celebrated its anniversary during the longest air raid Kyiv has experienced to date. Part of me assumed the event would be canceled; another part of me has learned never to underestimate the fierce determination of Ukrainians to continue living, gathering, and making art. The event went forward. Attendance was much lower than expected, but around ten people still came to be together and celebrate the theater.

These are just two examples of what our colleagues are living through while continuing to make extraordinary work."

Sign up for CITD's mailing list to dive deeper into the lives and work of our Ukrainian partners: https://mailchi.mp/def7bb9ab316/join-the-citd-mailing-list

Donate to CITD to help us fund the ambitious and vital work that our Ukrainian partners continue in the midst of constant threats: https://www.citd.us/donate

08/21/2026

From CITD Communication & Legacy Manager Susan Stroupe:

Last Saturday I had the honor to attend the Artist Talk at the The Peale Museum in Baltimore, as part of the extraordinary "We Know Who They Are" exhibit of contemporary Ukrainian artists, which is on view through October 2.

The event, hosted by the Baltimore-Odesa Sister City organization, featured Ukranian-born, Maryland-based artists and exhibit co-curator Yevgen Nemchenko speaking about the work on display, their own artistry, and how the full-scale invasion changed their trajectory as artists.

It was an extraordinary talk and powerful exhibit of art and artifacts of many mediums and styles, all telling the story of a people who are fighting fiercely to retain their identity, dignity, and humanity in the midst of atrocity.

This is exhibit includes a work (pictured here) from CITD's friend and artistic partner, Ludk Tymoshenko, who is a visual artist, playwright, and leader in the Театр Драматургів/Theatre of Playwrights in Kyiv.

If you're in the DMV, I highly encourage you to come see this exhibit! Through Oct 2.

Read more about the exhibit: https://wkwta.com