Kyïv, UAsince 2022

Mariia&Magdalyna

music · performance · theatre

Mariia&Magdalyna — two performers reclining together

Mariia&Magdalyna — two performers seated, one embracing the other from behind

Mariia&Magdalyna is an independent theatre and music project. Working across theatre, music and performance, the duo creates interdisciplinary works exploring the human experience, identity, compassion and fragility.

(01) — abouta duo, an open group

Two actresses, one shared voice

Mariia&Magdalyna is a theatrical and musical project by two actresses — Marusia Ionova and Nadiia Golubtsova — who have been creating art together for over 10 years. In 2020, the duo launched their own series of theatrical masses, exploring themes of human relationships, self-discovery, compassion, and fragility.

Previously, they were members of the social-rave band TseSho and actresses at Dakh Theater (Kyiv).

Since the time of the Revolution of Dignity, Marusia and Nadiia have been actively developing artistic projects and performances that raise the painful issues of Ukrainian society. Their work draws attention to crucial topics — from human rights violations to the ongoing tragedies of war in Ukraine.

(02) — work2022 — 2026

Room of Expectations

a performative music piece · with Nick Acorne

A generation raised on Disney cartoons once dreamed of beautiful princesses and princes, great love and a happy future in a castle. Now two heroines find themselves in a pink room where childhood dreams collide with the reality of war. They wait for something wonderful or terrible, talk about love and loss, sing, cry, embrace and play. They try to fill the silence and figure out what to do next. Is it possible to dream at a time like this? How can we be happy? What remains of our dreams when the future we imagined as children is no longer in sight?.. The partially immersive format invites the audience to take part: they can sing, play, laugh and experience the different stages of waiting. The performance features texts by Samuel Beckett and documentary texts. The music is a sound journey in its own right, created by Austrian-Ukrainian composer Nick Acorne.

Earth Is a Beautiful Place

with Bunht

A music trip — a journey of a modern human who runs, suffocates in an endless flow of information, loses themselves and becomes disconnected, following trends instead of their own truth. The central question is: is it still possible not to lose yourself in the modern world? Is it still possible to love, to truly see another person, and to see yourself as real? Created in collaboration with electronic musician Bunht.

[tran•scen•dance]

2026 · with Parking Spot & Obert

A collaboration between mariia&magdalyna, Parking Spot and dancers from Obert — a dance and music performance exploring the cyclical nature of human experience, otherness and the constant attempt to transcend oneself. Contemporary dance, pole dance, electronic music and poetic performance come together in a journey through different states — from the physical to the spiritual, from the individual to the collective, from destruction to creation.

Dance on the Edge of the World

2025 · with Parking Spot

A theatre and music performance following a heroine in a process of self-exploration beyond masks and fixed identities. The work explores vulnerability and honesty as a conscious choice — moving through different states without escape, allowing experience to unfold. At its core, the performance is a search for connection and love: within oneself, with another, and within a fragile and uncertain world.

Sonyachnyi Narod

People of the Sun

A sincere attempt to come to terms with the violent, war-stricken present through a reinterpretation of Ukraine's past — a history of people fighting for freedom — and imagining a future of peace and love. The basis for the research is the poetry of 1960s Ukrainian poet Mykola Vinhranovskiy.

human?..

A musical journey

A compilation of daily diaries written during the war alongside texts from the Bible. With these texts in hand, over the span of two weeks, the artists explored love, acceptance, forgiveness, anger, sin and hatred.

(03) — datesselected performances

On stage

26 Jun 2026Earth Is a Beautiful Place with BunhtTheater Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
1 Nov 2025Earth Is a Beautiful Place with BunhtBlack! Factory Festival, Kyiv, Ukraine
24 Aug 2025Dance on the Edge of the WorldBrave! Factory Festival, Kyiv, Ukraine
18 May 2025Dance on the Edge of the World (premiere)Dovzhenko Centre, Kyiv, Ukraine
29 Dec 2023Sonyachnyi NarodDakh Theatre, Kyiv
10 Dec 2023Sonyachnyi NarodArt Space in Exile, Berlin
22 Sep 2023Sonyachnyi NarodVolksbühne Berlin (Roter Salon)
19 Sep 2023Sonyachnyi NarodSchauspiel Hannover
14 Sep 2023Sonyachnyi NarodTheater Magdeburg (Kasino)
08–12 Mar 2023human?..Deutsches Theater, Berlin
10 Sep 2022human?..Cologne
27 Aug 2022human?..Oslo
21 May 2022human?..Dakh Acting School, Kyiv
10 May 2022human?..Turbina Kulturális Központ, Budapest
07 May 2022human?..Staatstheater, Hannover