Abstract
This article examines the entire corpus of periodicals and specialised newspaper publications covering theatrical arts in Soviet Ukraine from 1917 to 1934. Having reviewed the research of theatre scholars, journalists, historians, and cultural scholars, the authors, for the first time in Ukrainian theatre and media studies, have determined the number of these publications, significantly expanded their geographic coverage, and refined the existing typology. The typological division is based not on the formal or genre characteristics of the publications, but on their functionality. The authors note the quantitative and qualitative advances in Ukrainian theatre media during this period, driven by the development of statehood, first as the Ukrainian People’s Republic, the Ukrainian State, and then the Ukrainian SSR, with the latter entity’s characteristic development and governmentalisation of the theatre network in Soviet Ukraine.
Keywords: theatrical media, theatrical culture of Ukraine, USSR, theatrical journalism, typology of publications, media functions
Abstract
This article examines the entire corpus of periodicals and specialised newspaper publications covering theatrical arts in Soviet Ukraine from 1917 to 1934. Having reviewed the research of theatre scholars, journalists, historians, and cultural scholars, the authors, for the first time in Ukrainian theatre and media studies, have determined the number of these publications, significantly expanded their geographic coverage, and refined the existing typology. The typological division is based not on the formal or genre characteristics of the publications, but on their functionality. The authors note the quantitative and qualitative advances in Ukrainian theatre media during this period, driven by the development of statehood, first as the Ukrainian People’s Republic, the Ukrainian State, and then the Ukrainian SSR, with the latter entity’s characteristic development and governmentalisation of the theatre network in Soviet Ukraine.
Keywords: theatrical media, theatrical culture of Ukraine, USSR, theatrical journalism, typology of publications, media functions
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How to cite:
Yulia Shchukina, Olha Kalenichenko, Yaroslav Bilyk. Theatrical Media in Soviet Ukraine, 1917-1934: Geographical Centers, Typology and Functions. Revista Cultura Científica, 2026 Issue 24. pg. 1243-1251.
Publication History
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Received: 21/07/2026
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Accepted: 12/09/2026
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Published: 17/09/2026
Copyright © 2026, Yulia Shchukina, Olha Kalenichenko, Yaroslav Bilyk. Published by Revista Cultura Científica. This article is published as open access under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license (
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).