A Fan of War is a contemporary Ukrainian play by Polina Polozhentseva, exploring the emotional contradictions of living through war from a distance. Combining dark comedy with psychological drama, the play examines guilt, love, displacement, and the impossible search for normality while one’s homeland remains under attack.

The story follows a young Ukrainian woman living in London while her family remains in Ukraine. As she navigates relationships, work, and everyday routines, every phone call and message from home becomes a reminder of the war she has escaped but cannot leave behind. Torn between two realities, she struggles with questions familiar to millions of displaced Ukrainians: Is it possible to be happy while others suffer? How does one build a future when the past and present remain consumed by war? Through sharp humour and emotional honesty, the play captures the absurdity of attempting to live an ordinary life during extraordinary times.

While rooted in the Ukrainian experience, A Fan of War addresses themes that resonate across contemporary Europe: migration, identity, survivor’s guilt, media narratives, personal responsibility, and the long-term psychological impact of armed conflict. The play offers a perspective rarely seen on stage — not from the battlefield itself, but from the lives of those forced to witness war from afar while carrying its consequences every day.
The play received its UK premiere at Camden People’s Theatre in London in February 2024 as part of an event marking the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The presentation was organised in collaboration with cultural and academic partners including the Ukrainian Institute London and was followed by a public discussion on the role of Ukrainian theatre today.
Following its successful premiere, A Fan of War was presented at Barons Court Theatre in London. The production was praised for its balance of humour and heartbreak and for its sensitive portrayal of the emotional realities experienced by Ukrainians living abroad during wartime.
The play has also received recognition within Ukraine. It was shortlisted for the prestigious Week of Contemporary Play (Тиждень актуальної п’єси) and was presented at the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theatre by theatre director Oleksii Hladushevskyi.
In 2026, the project was selected for participation in the internationally renowned Voila! Theatre Festival in London, a major platform for multilingual and intercultural performance that brings together artists from across Europe and beyond. Participation in the festival confirms the work’s international appeal and its ability to engage diverse audiences through a distinctly Ukrainian story.
A Fan of War is currently available in Ukrainian and English and offers strong potential for further international development. Its themes are particularly relevant within the Polish context, where the consequences of the war in Ukraine continue to shape cultural, social, and political discussions. The play creates opportunities for dialogue between Ukrainian and Polish audiences around shared questions of solidarity, displacement, memory, and European identity.
We are currently seeking Polish theatre partners, producers, festivals, and cultural institutions interested in developing the next stage of the project. Potential forms of collaboration include translation, staged readings, artistic residencies, co-productions, festival presentations, and a future Polish premiere.
By combining humour with emotional depth, A Fan of War offers a compelling theatrical experience that speaks to one of the defining realities of contemporary Europe. It is a story about war, but also about love, responsibility, and the challenge of remaining human in a world shaped by conflict.