Sasha Denisova’s My Mama and the Full-Scale Invasion Will Livestream

Philadelphia-based theater company the Wilma Theater and the League of Live Stream Theater (LOLST) are partnering to present four worldwide livestream performances of My Mama and the Full-Scale Invasion by Ukrainian playwright Sasha Denisova. The play is a world premiere co-production between the Wilma and Washington, DC-based Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company that looks at the current war in Ukraine told through Denisova’s family story. The global livestream will be available for $49 (including a $9 service fee) February 9-11.

LOLST is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing live performances to audiences around the world via livestream. Partnering with LOLST is part of the Wilma’s ongoing efforts to extend the life and reach of its productions through digital content.

The cast features Holly Twyford, Wilma HotHouse company member Suli Holum, and Wilma co-artistic director Lindsay Smiling. The in-person presentation of the play runs January 30-February 18 in the Wilma’s 300-seat theater.

Centered on Denisova’s 82-year-old mama, Olga (Twyford), who has lived in Kyiv her whole life, My Mama and the Full-Scale Invasion was inspired by Denisova’s online chats with her mother. When Russia invades Ukraine in 2022, Sasha (Holum) copes with her fears by imagining her mother in increasingly fantastical situations: strategizing with President Zelenskyy, meeting with world leaders, taking out Russian drones with jars of pickles, and even debating with God.

My Mama and the Full-Scale Invasion is directed by the Wilma’s co-artistic director Yury Urnov. Urnov leads a production team featuring scenic designer Misha Kachman, costume designer Ivania Stack, lighting designer Venus Gulbranson, sound designer and composer Michael Kiley, projection designer Kelly Colburn, and co-dramaturgs Sonia Fernandez and Kellie Mecleary. The play is translated by Misha Kachman and adapted by Kellie Mecleary.