Theatre Calgary is kicking off its new season with First Metis Man of Odesa, a play ripped from the actual lives of the people who perform it. it tells the love story of playwright Matt MacKenzie and Ukrainian actress Mariya Khomutova, who met in 2018 when MacKenzie found himself in Ukraine workshopping a play with some Alberta theatre artists and some local actors, among them Khomutova. The two met, hung out, became friends and fell in love -- and that’s already a pretty good plotline for a play, but then history intervened and the love story was just half of it. Khomutova went to Canada to be with MacKenzie, only to have the pandemic break out, forcing her return to Ukraine as the world locked down in 2020. Only then, MacKenzie told CTV News’ Adriana Zhang, it turned out Khomutova was pregnant with their child. “We were separated,” he said. “Masha was in Ukraine and I was in Canada [in a global lockdown], so we had to figure out how we could in essence sneak [me] into Ukraine so we could get married and come back to Canada to welcome our son.” Then a war happened Somehow, MacKenzie got into Ukraine, the duo got married and made it back to Canada, where they started a family. The pandemic eventually ended -- only for Russia to invade Ukraine in 2022, forcing Khomutova’s mother to emigrate to Canada to live with them. It’s almost like a Mission Impossible script meets the Ukrainian Fockers only instead of Tom Cruise, the hero is a Metis playwright from Alberta playing himself. “It’s a true story that captures our love story and the birth of our son Ivan and my mother-in-law coming to live with us,” MacKenzie said. “I am not an actor,” he added. “Masha is a brilliant actor so she kind of carries things -- but I think people kind of enjoy watching me, a fish out of water, onstage trying not to make a fool of myself.” First Metis Man of Odesa -- directed by Lianna Makuch, who was with them when they met back in 2018 -- has been produced at numerous theatres across the country, including Western Canadian Theatre, The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. In 2024, it won three Dora Mavor Moore Awards including Outstanding Production, Outstanding New Work and Outstanding Direction. Makuch said that was a thrill, but the biggest thrill was finding a way to transform an unbelievable love story into a play that has touched audiences across Canada. “We came into this just wanting to tell the story – and that was what propelled us through. We also had very little time to put it together from the beginning of development to when we actually premiered, so thinking about awards and recognition was not top of mind,” she said. “It was an honour for us personally and artistically but also just to have a platform for this Ukrainian story to be recognized at that level.” First Metis Man of Odesa at the Martha Cohen Theatre in Werklund Centre through Sept. 27. For more information, go here. With files from CTV News’ Adriana Zhang
