While some people are thinking about school, college, or returning to work after their summer break in September, others are already poring over the theater listings. After all, Kyiv’s theaters are kicking off the new season with several high-profile premieres at once, each of which promises to be a highlight for art lovers—both Kyiv residents and visitors to the capital.
Given that Kyiv residents simply love going to the theater—as tickets sometimes sell out in a matter of minutes, even a month and a half before the performance—it’s best to plan your cultural evenings in advance.
To make your choice easier and help you navigate the options, UA.News has compiled a selection of five highly anticipated premieres that are definitely worth attending to fully enjoy the theatrical arts this September 2026. Read more in our article.
“Donizetti Variations”
Address: T. G. Shevchenko National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet of Ukraine, Kyiv, 50 Volodymyrska St.
Choreographer: Oleksiy Ratmansky
Premiere date: September 10, 2026
An exquisite neoclassical tribute to the golden age of Italian opera and romantic ballet. In his day, the legendary George Balanchine created this luminous, virtuosic production set to Gaetano Donizetti’s dance music from the opera *Don Sebastian*. Now, the outstanding contemporary Ukrainian choreographer Oleksiy Ratmansky brings this masterpiece to the stage in Kyiv.
Departing from the usual plotlines, the creators have set the fast-paced Italian music to pure delight, allowing the audience to experience the aesthetics of the human body and classical dance. Audiences are promised unforgettable emotions and a refined visual experience.
“Jesus Christ Superstar”
Address: Kyiv Opera, Kyiv, 2 Mezhigirska St.
Director: Vitaliy Palchikov
Premiere Date: September 11, 2026
The legendary rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice will be performed in Ukrainian for the first time, translated by Dmytro Todoriuk, offering audiences a completely different perspective on the well-known story.
This is not a traditional religious drama or a depiction of the Savior’s earthly life. Here, the story of Christ has been transformed into a philosophical exploration of the world’s duality, and above all, the authors sought to portray Jesus not as the Son of God, but as an ordinary human being. Here, Jesus and Judas are not classic enemies, but rather partners in a grand design where light cannot manifest without darkness.
An unexpected choice in the production is the introduction of a new character, Adui—a mystical entity and the embodiment of Eve after the Fall, who invisibly manipulates this conflict. We are presented with a sweeping, two-hour narrative about the cyclical nature of human mistakes, a cycle that can only be broken by absolute, unconditional love. By the way, UA.News is an information partner for this event.
“KASS_ANDRA” (ΚΑΣΣ_ΑΝΔΡΑ)
Address: Lesya Ukrainka National Academic Drama Theater, Kyiv, 5 Bohdan Khmelnytsky St.
Director: Grzegorz Jazyna
Premiere Date: September 12, 2026
Renowned Polish director Grzegorz Jazyna, together with playwright Roman Pawlowski-Felberg, reinterprets the ancient myth of Cassandra through the sharp, timely lens of women’s wartime experiences. The action balances between the mythological past and a contemporary conflict zone, where the protagonist, Cass—who suffers from amnesia—attempts to reclaim her identity, despite the manipulations of her influential partner Agam and her psychotherapist, Dr. Apollo.
Drawing on texts by Homer, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Lesya Ukrainka, the creators have moved away from the conventional “masculine” military epic. The play gives a voice to women whose pain usually goes unheard and transforms the ancient prophetess into a guardian of memory who seeks to break the cycle of historical violence.
“Therapies”
Address: Kyiv Academic Theater of Drama and Comedy on the Left Bank of the Dnipro, Kyiv, 25 Brovarsky Avenue
Director: Artem Myaus
Premiere Date: September 12, 2026
The theater on the capital’s left bank kicks off its 49th theater season with the winning production from last year’s “Mytnytsia. New Directions.” The dramedy *Therapies*, based on a play by Birutė Kapuścinskaitė, restores the right to speak about personal pain and fears that often seem out of place or untimely against the backdrop of a global war.
For an hour and forty minutes, the audience watches six women who find themselves face-to-face with difficult trials. Yet instead of unmitigated tragedy, we are offered a vivid, human mix of uncomfortable questions, silly jokes, anger, and sudden tenderness. This is a heartfelt story about how a person is always greater than the events that befall them, and how life doesn’t stop even when we have absolutely no idea how to go on.
“Lord of the
Flies”
Address: Kyiv Academic Theater for Young Audiences on Lypky, Kyiv, 15/17 Lypka St.
Director: Serhii Masloboyshchikov
Premiere Date: September 23, 2026
The Kyiv Academic Theater for Young Audiences is taking on a major challenge—a stage adaptation of the iconic novel by Nobel Prize laureate William Golding. Director Serhiy Masloboyshchikov, who also oversaw the set design and musical concept for this production, has brought to the stage a stark parable about the fragility of human civilization.
According to the plot, following a nuclear disaster, a group of children finds itself on a deserted island without any adult supervision. The one-and-a-half-hour, one-act play explores how quickly the veneer of civilization crumbles and the destructive, animalistic forces of nature awaken when society loses control.
The visual atmosphere of inevitable collapse is aptly complemented by costumes designed by Danyila Kolot, thereby helping to transform the story into a tense crash test of human dignity.
