Review: “Green Corridors”
| Location | 2525 Michigan Ave., Building T1, Santa Monica, CA 90404 |
| Theater | City Garage Theatre |
| Date of Performance | August 22, 2026 |
| Language | English (translated from the Ukrainian) |
| Photos by | Paul Rubenstein |
Review by Allie Rigby
What if the way out of a war-torn country is just as grim as staying?
This past weekend in Santa Monica, Green Corridors by Ukrainian playwright Natalka Vorozhbyt opened at City Garage Theatre, more than 6,000 miles away from Ukraine. The play, translated by John Freedman with Nataliia Bratus, cleverly switches between the struggles of four women fleeing Ukraine for Europe and a film shoot. Absurdity is never far from the stage, which is true for many productions at City Garage Theatre. Director Frédérique Michel and Producer Charles A. Duncombe often feature plays that stir conversations and ask viewers to listen.
On stage, the women (Martha Duncan, Alicia Ivanhoe, Georgia Orchid, and Angela Beyer) bicker in custom lines, shuffle back and forth, embrace the monotony of waiting, and struggle to find physical and emotional safety in their ever-changing surroundings. Some fixate on their abandoned cats back in Ukraine (Martha Duncan as Refugee from Chernihiv, Cat Lover) while others remain in shock from terrible violence inflicted upon them (Georgia Orchid as Refugee from Bucha, The Manicurist). Throughout the play, they also try to discern which men can be trusted: customs officers (Ricky Lee Grove, Dennis Kimmel)? a seemingly nice Austrian Citizen (Ricky Lee Grove)? A German man named Hans (Eric Trosch)? In the case of The Manicurist, they also deal with oblivious women who mean while, but rub their war-free privilege in their face (Cruz St. James as European Woman).
Green Corridors is a smart play that remains cognizant of itself. As in, it is a play that is aware of its play nature–of what stories are told and why. Dennis Kimmel, as Assistant Director, expresses this during Film Shoot #2.
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: It’s better to film about the victims of war. Only not about men. Better about women and children. It’s always good to talk about refugees. As long as they’re women. Women always evoke pity. Especially if they’re young and raped. The plot should be simple, concise, and consistent. God forbid it should contain any postmodernism or absurdism. Keep your focus firmly on the present.
And yet, Vorozhbyt’s play is rife with postmodernism and absurdism, where nothing is sacred, and everything deserves a healthy dose of skepticism.
Kudos to the final scene and the subtle breaking of the fourth wall, highlighted by Eric Trosch as Canadian Citizen, when it becomes clear that the Canadian Citizen’s story is less central because his tale is not a classic “war victim story” likely to evoke sympathy.
CANADIAN CITIZEN: You have no idea how much has happened to me! But no one is interested in my story because I am a man, and I’m liable to be drafted.
The Canadian–Ukrainian citizen (Trosch) is not a perfect victim, although he too is trying to survive the horrors of war and a landscape littered with ghosts.
Like all good documentary theater, this is not a comfortable “sit back and relax” production, but rather, a play that leaves you feeling uneasy and rattled.
The play will run until Sunday, September 27. Buy tickets for Fridays or Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., or Sundays at 4:00 p.m.
Meanwhile, the Russia-Ukraine war blares on and the death toll rises. As Taras Semchyshyn, President of the Ukrainian Cultural Center of Los Angeles, reminded viewers before the play, the bloodshed continues, whether or not the media covers it.
The Ukrainian Culture Center of Los Angeles lists ways you can help and stand with Ukraine.
Allie Rigby is a poet, editor, and reviewer with roots in Orange County, California. She is the author of Moonscape for a Child (Bored Wolves, 2024) and the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship to Romania, where she taught creative writing at Universitatea Ovidius din Constanța. She holds a master’s degree in English: Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. She enjoys connecting with people to develop and share stories that generate cross-cultural dialogue, solidarity, and change. For more of her work and upcoming events, visit www.allierigby.com or @allie.j.rigby.
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