'The cultural front': Ukraine theatre goes underground

The tiny underground stage and the minimalist set provides a form of 'art therapy' for the people who have stayed in Mykolaiv and need something other than the grinding fear of war. Photo: AFP

It's an opening night like no other at Mykolaiv's theatre, with the audience ushered down into an underground shelter this week for the first performance since war broke out.

"We need this place to fight on the cultural front too," says artistic director Artiom Svytsoun.