Oh, didn't you know? Wonder Woman is Ukrainian

Adventure is the word I use for what I'm taking on--an 8 week Canadian tour of my solo show The Ukrainian Dentist's Daughter. It's self-written, -produced, -directed, and -performed.

                                

(Clearly I like hyphens. And wearing a lot of different hats.)

I toured a shorter version of this show to the Victoria Fringe last August. I drove up from Seattle, took a ferry, and landed in a city I had never been to before and where I knew no one. When I approached the beer tent for the 80s themed welcome night, I actually felt shy. (You who know me scoff but YES, I can actually be shy!)

So I took a breath (a shallow one since I physically could not sit in the purple taffeta 80s Prom dress I was wearing) and decided to make some friends. And what friends they were. Not only were the next 2 weeks filled with spontaneous adventures like scooting about town on red Vespas and examining jellyfish off the breakwater (here's looking at you, Al Lafrance) but also with inspiring performances and epic dance nights (Victoria Laberge--you better get your dancing shoes on, sister!).

I knew I had really made it, though, when Rose Jang, who I thought didn't like me at all, said, "Yana, you're just the right amount of woman. I thought you'd be just be a pretty girl but you like Star Trek and tell dick jokes."

Young Maya from "The Ukrainian Dentist's Daughter"
Photo by Charlie Ainslie.

Oh, right, I also performed my show! I started calling it a "chick play" because the ladies, especially my mom's generation, just ate it up. My mother is actually the inspiration for my show. I'm the Ukrainian dentist's granddaughter. I got to chat with audience members after performing and I can't count the number of people who told me that my play resonated with them.

When Fringe was over I rode a giant wave of adrenaline and laughter home to Seattle and then...life hit me really hard. Nope, rephrase that: death hit me pretty hard. I lost my best friend 2 weeks after I got back.

Getting up in front of strangers and telling them a story seemed like the stupidest thing in the world in those first couple months. But then again, me just still being here seemed kinda ridiculous, too.

So I expanded my show. I added 15 minutes and what was left of my heart. And I remembered that I'm a storyteller and it's my job to tell the tales of what makes life...life.

And the Universe didn't forget me. I won the Montreal Fringe Lottery (a festival already full of the aforementioned friends) and the Winnipeg Fringe Lottery (where the largest population of Ukrainians in North America lives). And the sun began to break through the clouds.

My friends at home didn't forget me either--I am traveling simply dripping in talismen. There's the miniature cocoa pod from LC, a reminder of all my cherished friends at the job I left. The handmade turtle charm bracelet from LaChrista for good luck. The silver necklace from Carolyn and her mom for strength. The rose quartz necklace from Melinda for positive energy. And from Keira McDonald, the silver bracelet she wore when she toured her play The Bridesmaid across the Canadian Fringe in 2007.

I have magic jewelry. I am Wonder Woman.

I come to Montreal absolutely thrilled to explore the city, reunite with my friends, and tell the story that only I can tell. People have asked me, "Aren't you nervous to be doing this all alone?" And I tell them, "I'm not alone. I have an invisible jet full of my friends cheering me on."