Always on
This project successfully funded on 21st February 2026, you can still support them with a donation.
The Werewolf - Want To Let the Wolves Out?
London, Greater London, United Kingdom
Aim
Help us stage The Werewolf, a mask-led satirical folk-horror in response to the current relationship between The West and Russia
'The Werewolf: or How One Village Got Quite Ravaged by Some Wolves' is an original play about the way fear, propaganda and institutional corruption are used to control us. Drawing on the current affairs in Europe, Russia’s war in Ukraine and The West’s response to it, the piece offers a response through the lens of an émigré, staged as an expressionist piece of dark, satirical folk-horror.
Written, directed and produced by Ivantiy Novak, a Ukrainian-born English theatre maker, this is a story set in a medieval fairytale village on the brink of civil unrest, where whispers spread that wolves are out on the periphery. We follows a Young Priest who is desperate to keep people faithful to the Church. One day, as people start to disappear, the head Inquisitor seizes on the panic - not to protect the villagers, but to tighten his grip on power, line pockets, and sell the illusion of safety. What follows is a journey through the lies, deceit and double crossing that goes on behind closed doors, all the while that wolves are coming closer.
We have now secured showcase dates with Golden Goose Theatre and The Space, as well as a place at the FreshFest original new writing showcase, in February 2026.
And it is now that we require your support. With your help, we can:
- Cover rehearsal space costs. The piece requires at least 6-8 days in a studio space in order to orchestrate the movement, mask work and physical world of the play. Spaces tend to run at approx £200per/day to hire.
- Finance costume production, set materials, and stage-safe props. We will save costs by working with second-hand material, however even with budget purchases, the total price is quite a bit steeper than our pockets.
- Pay the musicians and design team to finalise the original score.
- Fund basic production costs: lighting, maintenance, travel, outreach, and marketing.
- Pay the actors, who are currently working on minimal funds and voluntary favours.
- Get the necessary public & employer's liability insurance.
- Cover venue hire costs.
With your backing, we’ll bring The Werewolf to life and create a theatre experience that’s not only visceral but also unforgettable.
Why are we doing this? - Director’s Statement
In a time when the world is teetering on the edges of war and civil strife, where everything’s in doubt, propaganda is rife and hypocrisy is embedded in the very institutions we espouse, the need for honesty and truth is now greater more than ever.
Satire serves as an important vessel to make the people’s voices heard; not only to counteract authoritarianism and rebel against the status quo, but to infuse a sense of hope - that lies won’t go unnoticed, unquestioned or unpunished.
The Werewolf is a story about the few that dare make a decision to resist. Resist the lies we’re often fed by those in power to perpetuate our state; resist the acceptable narratives designed to influence not only what, but how we think; and at its core, it is a story about the survival of the human spirit - about the courage it takes to question what we think we know and what could happen if we don’t.
What have we done off our own back?
- The play went through numerous drafts and re-drafts over the past 2 and a half years; with favours called in from numerous colleagues from Drama Centre London and Central School of Speech and Drama, who came aboard to offer readings throughout the story’s many iterations; from scrappy get-togethers on the benches outside National Theatre, to rough-’n-ready staging on the kitchen tables and living rooms floors of our flats.
- R&D at Baron’s Court Theatre in the Autumn of 2024, resulting in a rehearsed reading to an audience composed of industry professionals, Ukrainian diaspora, as well as representatives of Chatham House think tank and the UK Civil Service, all of which offered feedback.
- Professional writers’ feedback and advice, including ex-Bureau Chief of BBC News. .
- Sourced the first few authentic Venetian commedia dell’arte masks, including Pantalone, Arlecchino and Zanni. The rest were hand-made in-house using existing bases.
- Two Ukrainian composers attached to create an original soundtrack.
- First batch of costumes designed, sourced, and sewn in Germany. Arrived in the UK on the 1st January 2026.
- Movement consultation from dancer & choreographer Mohit Mathur as part of a private commedia dell’arte workshop at West Brompton.
- Marketing consultation from Head of Paid Media Marketing.
R&D at Baron's Court Theatre
Costumes Part I
Our Team
Ivantiy Novak is a Ukrainian-born English writer, actor and director trained at Drama Centre London. His plays have appeared at Riverside Studios, Baron’s Court Theatre and The Bridge House Theatre, while his film work has picked up awards at multiple international film festivals, including ‘Best Director’ at High Tatras. Recent acting credits include ‘Kohrra’ (Netflix) and ‘Rêves’ (Inshi Cirque).
His work has been principally focused on Russo-Ukrainian relations, USSR, imperialism and post-colonial identity, with publications in the Byline Supplement, The Salisbury Review and News Decoder, as well as multiple radio dramas for BBC Radio 4, BBC World Service, Pushkin House and The Guardian.
His approach to theatre stems from a background in Shakespeare, Vakhtangov Technique, Lecoq, clowning and the Laban–Malmgren system of movement psychology, with particular emphasis on satire, symbols and surrealism.
Maya Dairan is a German-born artist and costume designer living and working across Karlsruhe, Hamburg and London. Educated in Universität Landau and Pädagogische Hochschule Karlsruhe, her work is focused on female-led stories that challenge pre-existing narratives through the lens of the Renaissance and 19th century Impressionism. Recent credits include showcases at Orgelfabrik Alter Schlachthof and Majolika, as well as illustrations for Thalia publishing house.
Since she was 15 years old, Sandra has been sewing. Always with a great passion for details, she started her apprenticeship to become a tailor in Karlsruhe, Germany before moving to Hannover and graduating a few years ago. Her way of communicating has always been through the expression of creativity in clothing. She loves playing with colours, fabrics and the possibilities of styling every piece in a unique way.
Eliska is a lighting designer based in London.
Anastasia Kosisheva is a pianist and composer from Ukraine whose work focuses on atmospheric, emotionally rich music inspired by fantasy and cinematic storytelling. She creates original piano compositions and artistic projects that combine music, visuals, and narrative.
anastasia kosisheva work - link-tree
Akym Sytnyk is a media composer from Ukraine who explores the emotional and spatial potential of orchestral and cinematic music within contemporary art contexts.
David Igor Rumyantsev, born and raised in Lviv, Ukraine.
"I've always been fascinated by beauty," David says. "Cinema taught me that beauty can be captured - and that only film can reveal what beauty is.” Deeply inspired by the bold spirit and innovation of the French New Wave, David sees filmmaking as both an art and a way of understanding the world.
Our Players
Katherine Rodden trained at The Oxford School of Drama
Theatre credits include:
Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense at The English Theatre of Hamburg, Fuente Ovejuna at The Southwark Playhouse,
Breakfast? At The Pleasance, Hatch at Park Theatre,
Hound of the Baskervilee at The English Theatre of Hamburg, Noise at The Old Rep Birmingham, Goosebumps Alive at The Vaults, The Lionel Blair Sex Years at Park Theatre, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-moon Margolds at The Brockley Jack, Courtroom Play, A Courtroom Play at The Pleasance, Intercourse at The Arts Theatre.
Film and Television Credits include:
The Gold BBC, The Story Beast’s Astonishing Tales of Super Unexpectedness BEANO TV/SKY, Murder In Suburbia PARAMOUNT/CHANNEL 5, Life Goes on AUDACIOUS PRODUCTIONS, Penny Up THE UNIT PRODUCTIONS, Werewolf Santa THE HAUNTED CINEMA, 100 Faces BBC, The Outer Circle SUPERPLEX PICTURES, Blue Moon QUANTUM FILM PRODUCTIONS, Definitions WHAT THE DUCK PRODUCTIONS, Sourdough Assassins LOUD MINDS
https://www.katherinerodden.co.uk/
Lauren is an actor and writer hailing from Durham in the North East. After finishing her MA in Acting from the University of East London in 2015, she started her own theatre company, Featherweight Theatre, and performed her own works in fringe venues around London – most recently Pink Elephants at the Lion and Unicorn Theatre (2023) and Crusher at the Barons Court Theatre (2025).
She also trained at the Lee Strasberg Film and Theatre Institute in New York in 2022, focusing on The Method and screen acting. Outside of performing, she also enjoys training Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu.
Will is a Welsh actor based in London. He trained at Cours Florent in Paris and spent many years performing and touring in France and Spain. Since returning to the UK, Will can often be found doing improv comedy, hosting music and poetry events, and developing new work. Credits include: I’m a Philosopher, Why The F*** Am I Here? (Riverside Studios), The Crunch (Hotbox Chelmsford), The Work We Do (White Bear Theatre), Scenesaver’s Just Write! winner’s showcase and Cynefin (Bread and Roses Theatre). Will also wrote and starred in the short film, IMP.
Associate Creatives
Photographer - Daryna Mala
Set Builder - Dmytro Cheban
In case you're interested in more details, please view our Pitchdeck here.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made