Grandma and Grandpa Do Have Sex is a sharp, darkly comic contemporary drama that explores the invisible pressures placed on women by family, society, and patriarchal expectations.
Through the voice of Lesya, a 32-year-old woman trapped in a controlling marriage, the play examines reproductive rights, female sexuality, emotional abuse, motherhood, and the social expectations imposed on women in post-Soviet society. Balancing painful honesty with biting humour, the play follows Lesya and her friend Varya as they navigate relationships, unwanted pregnancies, loneliness, and the impossible standards they are expected to meet.
Written as a powerful monologue interwoven with multiple perspectives, the play gives voice to experiences that are often silenced. Its intimate storytelling reveals how personal choices become political, and how social systems continue to shape women’s lives and bodies.
The play has been presented more than 20 times in various Ukrainian cities as part of theatre festivals and independent theatre programmes. In 2023, it was staged at the Kyiv Playwrights’ Theatre by director Rob Feldman.
The English-language translation is available, and the UK premiere is scheduled for September 2026 at the Lion & Unicorn Theatre in London.
Combining humour, vulnerability, and social critique, Grandma and Grandpa Do Have Sex speaks to audiences far beyond Ukraine, addressing universal questions of autonomy, love, family, and the right to make decisions about one’s own life.