Weather 
After four years of war in Ukraine, it may seem like there is little space for art or fun. But in the eastern city of Kharkiv, there is a small corner where children can learn the grace, discipline and joy of theater. In a new segment from PBS News Hour’s arts and culture series, CANVAS, special correspondent Jack Hewson reported on the theater and the good that it’s doing for the children suffering through these terrifying times. Check out the video above.
“At the beginning of the war, all my friends left and I had nothing to do. I was scared to stay home alone,” one of the children, Maria Gorkavtseva, stated. “I found out there was a children’s theater in Kharkiv. I did not know about it at all. I came and saw there were a lot of children here. They were all having fun playing. I knew if anything happened, that would save me because there was a shelter here.”
The director of the theater, Anton Zhiliakov, talked about the importance of the arts during these times.
“We understand that first and foremost now is the front. The army and everything related to it. But I believe in a second place, should be art and theater and so on. That should also be what we are fighting for. Not only the fight for our freedom, but then what we do about our identity, about our culture.”
In the middle of the interview, a drone was heard overhead, and all of the children were taken down into the basement of the theater, something that the reporter stated was just routine for them. Soon, they were back upstairs and resuming their rehearsal.
