(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC) and Ukrainian JC, together with Ukrainian and Jersey City artists, unite for #StandWithUkraine Charity Concert on Thursday, March 24, 6:00pm at JCTC Studios (165 Newark Avenue, Jersey City). Tickets are $50, and all proceeds support the people of Ukraine, children, refugees, and impacted artists living here and in Ukraine.
Featured artists include: Ukrainian Village Voices (Ukraine); Olena Jennings (Ukraine); Vasyl Makhno (Ukraine); Susan Justiniano / RescuePoetix (Jersey City Poet Laureate); Oksana Rosenblum (Ukraine); Fima Chupakhin and Acoustic Quartet (Ukraine); and Sylvana Joyce (Jersey City).
For JCTC’s Executive Producer Olga Levina, born in Ukraine and who later fled war-torn Belarus, the war hits especially close to home."We must never take for granted what freedom of expression can do for the world or how quickly things can change without that freedom. The events that have unfolded since February 24 have left us overcome with grief. And yet, we cannot let grief win," says Levina. "This war, fueled by propaganda, reinforces the ongoing importance of our mission and ongoing work. More than ever, we must continue telling the world’s stories and using our power as artists and thinkers to stand up to war."
Oksana Condon, President of Ukrainian JC and event co-producer, also echoes this sentiment. "We stand with Ukrainian families here and back home. The enemy can destroy our buildings but not our Ukrainian heritage."
Following the March 24 charity concert, JCTC will host 2 evenings of film screenings, also held at JCTC Studios. Tickets are $25 each, and, similarly, all proceeds will provide direct support to the people of Ukraine.
“The Power of One” - Friday, April 8 at 7:30pm. Thomas Edison Film Festival (TEFF) and JCTC will partner to present “The Power of One,” a program of 7 unique documentary shorts from Belarus, Chile, and the United States. Jane Steuerwald, TEFF director, will introduce the films and lead a discussion and Q&A.
“Julia Blue” - Thursday, April 14 at 7:30pm. JCTC will screen “Julia Blue,” a feature-length film written and directed by Roxy Toporowych, a first-generation Ukrainian American. “Julia Blue” follows Julia (Polina Snisarenko), a bright university student, who is preparing for a life abroad when an unexpected romance sparks between her and English (Dima Yaroshenko), a damaged soldier returning from the war zone in eastern Ukraine. Toporowych will lead a discussion and Q&A following the film.
Tickets are available for purchase at www.jctcenter.org and www.seetickets.us/jctcenter. Accessibility accommodations for all events are available upon request.
Founded in 2006, Jersey City Theater Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts organization committed to inspiring conversations about important issues of our times through the arts.
