The Last Babushka

The Last Babushka is a musical play set in Chernobyl’s Exclusion Zone, a post-nuclear radioactive territory and a thriving green world. Inspired by Holly Morris’ award winning documentary film The Babushkas of Chernobyl, this cross-generational matriarchal story is about an imagined encounter between three elder women living illegally in villages in the Zone, the last of their kind, and a young woman who is venturing in, also illegally, to search for artifacts and reconcile her past. The piece brings to life the courage and resilience of these real-life elder women and their deep connection to their homeland, and a young person’s struggle to find belonging in a place that has taken so much from them.

Cast: 
Featured in Theatre Latte Da's 2022 NEXT Festival (Minneapolis)
Authors: 
Amy Wheeler (book & lyrics), Natalie Nowytski (music & lyrics), RK Buzard (additional lyrics & participating writer)