Social performances with a facilitated dialog – “Women’s diary. War”

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The project “Women’s Diary. War” is a powerful transformative initiative designed to provide a platform for the stories of women who survived the occupation and suffered from the war in Ukraine. By combining live social performances and facilitated dialogue sessions, the project aims to highlight the war’s emotional, social, and psychological impact while promoting healing, understanding, and solidarity among refugees and the host communities.

More than 200 participants in 2 major cities of Lithuania participated in the performances, finding comfort in the shared experience and developing emotional resilience.

Key components of the methodology:

  1. Social performances: The initiative’s centerpiece is a series of live performances based on the stories of Ukrainian women who tell about their experiences during the occupation and their portraits. These frank, sincere stories cover many topics, including loss, displacement, motherhood, resilience, and hope. Each performance not only testifies to the personal strength of these women, but also sheds light on the broader human impact of war. The performances are real-time reflections, deeply personal and poignant.
  2. Facilitated dialog: Each performance is followed by facilitated dialogue sessions that bring together storytellers and audience members. These sessions create a space for open conversation and emotional exchange, allowing for a deeper understanding of the themes presented in the performances. The dialogues foster empathy and understanding, helping to bridge cultural and emotional gaps between participants from different backgrounds, including host country and displaced people.
  3. Intercultural exchange: The project’s main goal is to promote intercultural understanding between Ukrainian refugees and host communities. The performances and dialogues help build emotional bridges between these groups by sharing stories of survival, trauma, and hope. This promotes healing for the women telling their stories and raises awareness and empathy in the host society.

The “Women’s Diary. War” project is a testimony, storytelling, and dialog during the war. 

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I love seeing the moment someone’s shoulders drop — when the body feels safe enough to be itself. In our spaces, people find warmth, rhythm, and the kind of joy that doesn’t ignore pain, but makes space for it gently.

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Since 2022, I’ve been part of Open Nations, where I co-create spaces for connection, emotional safety, and shared experience — especially for communities affected by war and displacement. I design and facilitate camps, workshops, and rituals that bring together children, teenagers, and adults in moments of presence, laughter, reflection, and trust.

My work blends psychology, applied theatre, embodiment practices, and a deep attention to group dynamics and nature. I often use music, playback theatre, and somatic exercises to help people reconnect with themselves and each other. I care about creating moments that feel real — where people can breathe out, feel held, and remember what it means to belong.

Since 2022, I have joined the project. During a rather difficult period in my life and the life of my country, the project became a place where I could fulfill my need to be useful and help both myself and others. My role is to be a photographer, but I also often take an active part in events, supporting project participants and becoming part of their lived experiences. Direct involvement helps me better capture genuine human emotions and create a space of trust between the camera and the participants.

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Over these three years, I have become grounded in my values and have grown more confident in carrying my philosophy not only into the project but also into my life.
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The core values of the project for me are trust, openness, and readiness for change. In addition, all project participants are like a large family that share boundless love.

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I am a teacher, historian, museum educator, author of educational programs and games, and curator. Together with Open Nations, we launched family camps and created cultural evenings and events. Currently, I work as an education specialist with children aged 9-12. My key skills are event organization, creation, and development of educational and cultural programs, and games. With children, I practice non-violent communication and empathetic listening. I love watching how children gradually open up and become a team.

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Marichka Koreneva

Marichka is a theatre director, performer, and certified Gestalt therapist with a focus on shadow work.
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