Two Estonian productions performed at Boska Komedia festival in Poland

This year’s program for the Boska Komedia (or Divine Comedy Festival) theatre festival in Poland includes two Estonian productions: Spy Girls (directed by Magda Szpecht), produced by Vaba Lava, and I Didn’t Leave Ukraine (directed by Merle Karusoo), a collaborative project between the Rivne Academic Ukrainian Music and Drama Theater and R.A.A.A.M., which premiered in August at the Freedom Festival in Narva, Estonia. The performances will take place in Krakow on December 7th and 12th, 2025, respectively.

The story of Spy Girls begins on the day the dating app Tinder stops working in Russia. Three cyber-activists from Ukraine and Estonia exploit the situation of the Russian soldiers in occupied territories. They use fake profiles to discover the motives and personal stories of the enemy – but most of all to identify military targets and positions. The production is a combination of investigative journalism, cyber-activism and performance art.

In the unique project I Didn’t Leave Ukraine (which is part of the broader project Who Am I?), Estonian director Merle Karusoo – known for her biographical theatre works – gives voice to veterans of the war that still rages just beyond the border of Poland, even as people increasingly try to look away. This performance does not allow its audience such comfort.

“Boska Komedia has become a symbol of the protection of artistic freedom, and Vaba Lava is honoured to represent Estonia at this festival. Boska Komedia, the largest theatre festival in Poland, also presents awards to Polish theatre makers, and we are delighted that this year, one of the five members of the jury is Märt Meos, the artistic director of Vaba Lava,” writes Vaba Lava. This year’s Boska Komedia features over 30 productions and more than 40 performances from Poland and abroad.

This is the seventh festival for Vaba Lava’s production Spy Girls, which will also be performed this week at another Polish festival, the New Art Forms theatre festival in Lublin.

Photo from the performance Spy Girls. Photo: Ilja Smirnov