Play at Barons Court Theatre Marks Ukraine's Independence Day
Polina Polozhentseva’s Fan of War examines displacement and survival
Nathan Trochet and Bogdana Kalantay in Fan of War
August 25, 2025
Coinciding with Ukraine’s Independence Day, A Fan of War is a new play by Ukrainian playwright Polina Polozhentseva that examines the emotional contradictions of displacement and survival. Set in London, the story centres on a Ukrainian woman navigating daily life while her family remains in a war zone. The production explores how conflict reverberates across borders—interrupting relationships, reshaping identity, and challenging the boundaries of humour and grief.
The protagonist stands at a strange crossroads. Her mother remains in Ukraine, waking each day to the threat of bombs and the courage of survival. Meanwhile, her foreign boyfriend, blissfully indifferent to the world’s chaos, insists on living in the moment — as if the news is just a bad episode of a soap opera he can’t be bothered to watch. As she moves through daily life in relative safety, each ping of her phone from home stirs panic, guilt, or helplessness. Is it possible to feel joy while others suffer? To laugh and make love while war continues elsewhere?
A Fan of War tackles the absurdity of modern war’s reach: how it shapes our relationships, interrupts our pleasures, and tugs relentlessly at our conscience.
Written by Polozhentseva and directed by Anastazie Toros, the production stars Bogdana Kalantay and Nathan Trochet. It premiered at Camden People’s Theatre earlier this year and returns for a limited run at Barons Court Theatre.
Performances will take place from 26 to 30 August 2025, with evening shows beginning at 7:30pm.
More details are available on Barons Court Theatre’s website.
The Barons Court Theatre is below the Curtain's Up Pub at 28a Comeragh Road, W14 9HR.
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