Mariya Khomutova
Mariya Khomutova (born March 9, 1987) is a Ukrainian actress and playwright currently based in Canada.[1] She is most noted for the stage play The First Métis Man of Odesa, a collaboration with her husband Matthew MacKenzie, for which they won the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play, Independent Theatre in 2023.[2]
A native of Odesa, she had a number of stage and film acting roles in Ukraine, most notably a supporting part as Kursantka in the film Battle for Sevastopol, before meeting MacKenzie when he was in the country on a cultural exchange.[3] The First Métis Man of Odesa, a dramatization of their relationship and the impact of outside events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine on their family, premiered at The Theatre Centre in Toronto, Ontario in March 2023, before embarking on a national tour of Canada with engagements in Edmonton, Vancouver, Saskatoon and Winnipeg.[4] Mackenzie and Khomutova were jointly credited as co-writers of the play even though Khomutova had no prior experience as a playwright, and starred in the production together even though MacKenzie had only limited prior experience as an actor.[5]
She also participated in an online reading of Lianna Makuch's stage play Barvinok (Blood of Our Soil), which was staged by the Blyth Festival in 2022 as a special fundraiser for humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ Aisling Murphy, "How this Ukrainian-Métis Toronto couple is using theatre to tell their improbable love story". CP24, April 6, 2023.
- ^ J. Kelly Nestruck, "Crow’s Theatre and Soulpepper share the spotlight at Dora Mavor Moore Awards". The Globe and Mail, June 28, 2023.
- ^ Matthew MacKenzie, "Visits to Odesa bring the promise love — and fear of war". Toronto Star, April 6, 2023.
- ^ J. Kelly Nestruck, "First Métis Man of Odesa, an up-to-the-second play now touring across Canada, is a romantic comedy that gets invaded by the war in Ukraine". The Globe and Mail, April 5, 2023.
- ^ Janet Smith, "First Métis Man of Odesa draws from real-life Canada-Ukraine love story, amid COVID and war". Stir, May 24, 2023.
- ^ Liane Faulder, "Stage Notes: Ukrainian playwright pitches in, new works supported and celebrated". Vancouver Sun, March 9, 2022.
External links[edit]
- 1987 births
- Living people
- 21st-century Ukrainian actresses
- 21st-century Ukrainian women writers
- 21st-century Canadian actresses
- 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights
- 21st-century Canadian women writers
- Ukrainian film actresses
- Ukrainian stage actresses
- Ukrainian women dramatists and playwrights
- Ukrainian emigrants to Canada
- Canadian stage actresses
- Canadian women dramatists and playwrights
- Actors from Odesa
- Writers from Odesa
- Dora Mavor Moore Award winners