Soulpepper presents Punctuate! Theatre’s multi-Dora Award-winning production of First Métis Man Of Odesa. This celebrated production was the top touring show in the country in 2023, playing in seven cities for over 15,000 people.

Based on actual events, this captivating real-life love story is set against the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Award-winning playwright Matthew MacKenzie joins forces with his wife and celebrated Ukrainian actress Mariya Khomutova and director Lianna Makuch to tell the story of a COVID-19 courtship and share intimate perspectives on the impacts of the war in Ukraine.

Matt and Masha’s love spans continents, but distance can’t tame their passionate connection. After meeting on a theatre research trip in Kyiv, a Métis playwright, and Ukrainian actress spark up a romance that takes them from the beaches of the Black Sea to the banks of the North Saskatchewan River through the onset of a global pandemic and the eruption of a brutal war, plus many moments of joy, including marriage and the birth of their son.

To give you a preview of the show, here are Matthew and Mariya sharing details about the production and its journey across Canada over the past year.

First Métis Man Of Odesa will be onstage at Soulpepper Theatre, May 8 – May 19, 2024. For performance schedule and tickets, please visit soulpepper.ca.

First Métis Man Of Odesa Credits
Writers and Performers – Matthew Mackenzie and Mariya Khomutova
Director –  Lianna Makuch
Set Designer – Daniela Masellis
Projection Designer – Amelia Scott
Composer – Daraba
Sound Designer – Aaron Macri
Design Consultation and Scenic Artwork – Dawn Marie Marchand
Choreographer – Krista Lin
Dramaturg – Matt McGeachy
Beadwork – Krista Leddy and Maria Nelson
Stage Manager – Lore Green
Production Manager and Technical Director – Trent Crosby
Associate Designer – Cameron Fraser