Guest Lecture by Dr. Nataliia Yuhan on Postdramatic Theatre 

4.11.2025

On November 3, 2025, a guest lecture was held by Dr. Nataliia Leonidivna Yuhan, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor at the Department of Literary Studies, Oriental Philology and Translation, and Acting Head of the Department of Romance and Germanic Philology at LTSNU.

On November 3, 2025, the Department of Philology and Translation at the Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design hosted a guest lecture by Dr. Nataliia Leonidivna Yuhan, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor at the Department of Literary Studies, Oriental Philology and Translation, and Acting Head of the Department of Romance and Germanic Philology at Luhansk Taras Shevchenko National University.

First-year students of the Philology programme, groups BAM-25, BZAM-25, and BDAM-25, attended the lecture. The event became a combination of academic analysis and visual theatre practice: the lecturer presented video excerpts of contemporary theatrical interpretations of William Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet (in English) and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust (in German), as well as examples from modern productions in theatres in Germany and the United Kingdom.

The lecture, titled “Contemporary Western European and Ukrainian Drama: Between Postdramatic Theatre and Performativity”, covered key shifts in theatre from the second half of the 20th century to the early 21st century. Dr. Yuhan explained how theatre is no longer only a representation of a dramatic text but becomes a space of experience, action, bodily presence, and interaction with the audience. Key concepts such as postdramatic theatre (Hans-Thies Lehmann), performativity, and corporeality were introduced and discussed.

Particular attention was paid to contemporary German and Ukrainian practices of documentary and post-documentary theatre, as well as performances working with real testimonies, interactivity, and the blurred boundaries between stage and reality. Examples included interpretations of Frank Wedekind’s Franziska in productions by Sebastian Baumgarten (Düsseldorf, 2022) and Pınar Karabulut (Bremen, 2021), as well as a modern rethinking of the Faustian myth in Fatma Aydemir’s drama Dissertation Supervisor Faust (2024).

At the end of the lecture, Dr. Yuhan emphasised: “Today, theatre is a way of thinking through experience – of sensing reality and becoming its co-participant.” Students expressed their gratitude for the inspiring lecture, relevant examples, and the opportunity to perceive theatre as a living space of dialogue, memory, and empathy.

This lecture is part of Dr. Nataliia Yuhan’s systematic educational and outreach activity as a lecturer and stakeholder and confirms the academic partnership between the Department of Philology and Translation at the Kyiv National University of Technologies and Design and the Department of Romance and Germanic Philology at Luhansk Taras Shevchenko National University.