Theatre503 opens its 2026 season with the world premiere of Donbas, the powerful and darkly funny debut by Ukrainian playwright Olga Braga. Winner of the 2025 Theatre503 International Playwriting Award, Donbas is a searing new play exploring how people keep living and dreaming, even in uncertain times.
Newly released from a Russian prison, Sashko comes home to a father determined to keep him safe as the world unravels. Ivan’s chasing Vera, Vera’s chasing the perfect Claudia Schiffer blonde – and overhead, in Ukrainian skies, the planes are getting closer.
The six-strong cast is announced as Jack Bandeira, Ksenia Devriendt, Liz Kettle, Philippe Spall, Sasha Syzonenko and Steve Watts. Alongside director Anthony Simpson-Pike, the production’s creative team includes Niall McKeever (Set / Costume Design), Chris Nairne (Lighting Design), Xana (Sound Design), Nevena Stojkov (Movement Director), Chandra Ruegg (Casting Director) and Hannah Danson (Costume Supervisor).
Olga Braga is a London-based Ukrainian playwright, screenwriter and stand-up comedian. A winner of the Off-West-End Adopt a Playwright Award, she has been shortlisted for the Verity Bargate, Phil Fox and Traverse Theatre awards, longlisted for the Bruntwood Prize, and is currently on attachment to the National Theatre and under commission by the RSC.
Olga says: “Donbas may look like a play about Ukraine, but for me it’s really about what happens when division takes root in the people and communities we love. In an increasingly polarised world – where trust is eroding and ‘us vs them’ thinking is on the rise – the play asks how people keep living side by side when they’re being pulled apart. Even in the darkest moments, people still joke, flirt, argue, and reach for ordinary life – and that humour becomes part of how they survive. Donbas is about resilience, fracture, and the struggle to hold on to empathy and hope in impossible circumstances. Although the story begins in Ukraine, it speaks to fractures across Europe and far beyond. It’s not just about my country – it’s about all of us.”
Anthony Simpson-Pike, Donbas director / Theatre503 Artistic Director: “Donbas is exactly the kind of bold and vital work I’m excited to introduce in my first season at Theatre503. Olga has written a play full of surprising warmth and razor-sharp humour set in the most challenging of times. This is an incredible play about hope and humanity and it’s a privilege to bring it to the stage with such a talented team.”
Venue: Theatre503, Above the Latchmere, 503 Battersea Park Road, SW11 3BW
Dates: 5 – 28 February 2026
Times: Mon – Sat at 19:30; + Saturday matinees on 14, 21, 28 November at 14:30.
Box office: www.theatre503.com
Tickets: £10-£24
Age guidance: 14+
