She stands in the Middle of The Battlefield

A striking exploration of war, ethics, responsibility and gender where theatre meets journalism and investigative practice.

Why does a Ukrainian artist decide to become a soldier? In “She Stands in the Middle of a Battlefield”, Polish theatre director Magda Szpecht searches for words and images to describe the feeling of seeing a friend and sister go to war – and yet still wanting to support her. The play tells of friendship, idealism, commitment and the challenges faced by women in the military; of the bitter realisation of being trapped as a woman in a hyper-patriarchal system, and the irrevocability of this decision. Based on letters, voice messages, chats, videos and research material, what emerges is a multi-layered portrait of the everyday life of a Ukrainian theatre-maker at war. At the heart of this solo performance is the female perspective: eschewing heroization, the work shows a concrete, often painful, personal experience somewhere between contradiction, conviction and exhaustion. And it asks questions about who is allowed to claim the body for what purposes, and how one’s own values can be defended in extreme situations. In “She Stands in the Middle of the Battlefield”, Magda Szpecht continues her artistic exploration of the war against Ukraine that she began in 2022. Following “Cyber Elf” (2022), which dealt with digital activism against Russian disinformation, and “Spy Girls” (2024), which used dating apps to obtain information from Russian soldiers, this project also circulates around the intersection between theatre, journalism and investigative practice.