Creative Mentor · Acting Teacher · Immersive Theatre Director

PolinaBaranichenko

Polli

I help people discover their voice, creative freedom and presence through acting, theatre and immersive experiences.

I am a theatre director, acting teacher and creative mentor with more than 15 years of experience in theatre education and directing. I co-founded UZAHVATI, a Ukrainian immersive theatre team, and have created immersive performances in Ukraine, the Czech Republic, France, Croatia and Portugal.

Acting & Mentoring

I teach acting to children, teenagers and adults, with a special focus on people from non-creative professional backgrounds.

Discover the practice

Immersive Theatre

I create performances where the audience becomes an active participant rather than a passive observer.

Enter the work

Creative Education

I help people develop confidence, presence, imagination, emotional expression and creative freedom.

See the approach

THE TIMEDIALOGYDAY / SHADOWSTEREOMONOSVOIRIZNI / DIFFERENT PEOPLEPOMITNATIME TO DRINK TEAWOMAN. WAITING. LUGGAGECURRENT PRODUCTION

02 / ABOUT

From Theatre Education
to Immersive Theatre

I am an immersive theatre director, acting teacher, creative mentor and educator.

My professional journey began in education. From 2002 to 2007, I studied Theatre Arts at Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, specializing in Directing for Variety Arts and Mass Celebrations.

In 2008, I began teaching at the Directing Department alongside my mentor, working with students in acting, scriptwriting and directing. From 2009 to 2016, I also taught the same disciplines at the Kyiv Municipal Academy of Variety and Circus Arts, while continuing my teaching practice at Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts.

These years of working closely with students became the foundation of my later directing methodology: exploring people, their behaviour, emotions, freedom and relationships.

A black and white portrait of me in a theatre environment — I see theatre as a space for attention, encounter and human experience.

In 2016, I became a co-founder of UZAHVATI, a Ukrainian team specializing in immersive and interactive theatre. Within the team I work as a theatre director and author.

I directed and scripted THE TIME, our first landmark production at UZAHVATI. Instead of a traditional stage, the audience moves through the city, interacts with the environment and becomes part of the story.

Over the following years, I created and directed UZAHVATI projects including DIALOGY, STEREO, MONO, DAY / SHADOW, SVOI, RIZNI / DIFFERENT PEOPLE and POMITNA.

My work has travelled beyond Ukraine: THE TIME was presented in Zagreb and Lisbon, STEREO in Lisbon and Porto, while RIZNI / DIFFERENT PEOPLE was created in Prague and later presented in Paris.

“Her work sits at the intersection of theatre and personal development, helping people become more free, confident and alive through acting and creativity.”

RIZNI / DIFFERENT PEOPLE became particularly significant within my international work. Created from 23 hours of interviews with Ukrainians experiencing the war, it transformed Prague’s Central Railway Station into a space for exploring memory, fear, hope and the human experience.

In 2023, I continued developing my immersive theatre practice in Portugal, coordinating the Portuguese presentation of STEREO in Lisbon and Porto. Portuguese media reported that more than 500 people experienced the project that year.

Today, I live and work in Portugal, combining directing, education and creative mentoring. At ArtHome, I teach acting to children, teenagers and adults, including people from non-creative professional backgrounds.

I create performances together with my adult students. We move through the entire creative journey together, from our first explorations to a real immersive production.

Me outdoors in a black leather jacket, eyes closed in sunlight — My new chapter in Portugal: teaching, directing and creative mentoring.

My story, shortly

I have built my practice through teaching, making and moving across borders.

2002–2007Theatre Education
I studied at Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts.
2008–2016Teaching
I taught acting, scriptwriting and directing in Kyiv.
2016–presentUZAHVATI
I co-founded UZAHVATI, where I work as a theatre director and author.
InternationalTheatre Across Borders
I have brought my work from Ukraine to Prague, Paris, Zagreb, Lisbon and Porto.
NowPortugal
I combine acting education, creative mentoring and immersive theatre.

MY APPROACH

PresenceFreedomCuriosityConnectionImaginationHuman Experience

03 / ACTING & MENTORING

I see acting as more than becoming someone else.
It is a way to discover more of ourselves.

6–9

Children

I help children explore imagination, play, body awareness and emotional expression while building confidence and communication skills.

10–13

Teenagers

I work with teenagers on self-expression, improvisation, confidence, emotions, interaction and stage presence.

17–64+

Adults

I offer adults from creative and non-creative professions room to experiment without needing to “be an actor”.

Me smiling with one hand covering part of my face

Acting for non-actors

I help people use acting to feel more confident, expressive and present in everyday life.

confidencecommunicationpresencespontaneityemotional expressioncreativityworking with othersfreedom of self-expression

From class to performance

Learn→Explore→Create→Perform

I give my students the opportunity to put acting techniques into practice by creating real theatre together.

Time to Drink Tea

I directed this immersive documentary performance.

Woman. Waiting. Luggage

I created this immersive performance with my adult students.

Third Production

I am currently developing this production.

Creative Mentoring

I help you move from an idea toward a creative direction that feels like yours.

Discover your creative direction
Overcome creative blocks
Develop an artistic project
Find your own voice
Gain confidence in creative expression
Move from idea to finished project

04 / IMMERSIVE THEATRE

I create theatrical experiences where the audience doesn’t simply watch the story.
They enter it.

A portrait of me with a finger to my lips

The Audience

I invite the spectator to become a participant.

The Space

I make the environment part of the dramaturgy.

The Story

I build the experience through direct interaction.

The Human Being

I leave room for each participant’s emotions, memories and interpretation.

05 / PROJECTS

My work across cities, formats and communities.

UZAHVATI · immersive city experience

THE TIME

I directed and scripted this landmark production, making the city our stage and inviting the audience to move through the story.

UkraineZagrebLisbon

Explore the play Watch video

RIZNI / DIFFERENT PEOPLE

I created and directed this work from 23 hours of interviews with Ukrainians experiencing the war. We developed it in Prague and later presented it in Paris.

PragueParis

Explore the play

STEREO

I directed this immersive UZAHVATI work and coordinated its presentation in Lisbon and Porto.

LisbonPorto

Explore the play Watch video

Time to Drink Tea

I directed this immersive documentary performance in partnership with ArtHome.

PortugalArtHome

Woman. Waiting. Luggage

I created this immersive performance together with my adult ArtHome group.

PortugalStudent production

07 / PORTUGAL

A New Chapter in Portugal

In Portugal, I am bringing my years of theatre practice into a new phase of teaching, mentoring, community and international collaboration.

STEREOArtHomeTime to Drink TeaWoman. Waiting. Luggagecurrent productionacting classescultural collaborationsfuture projects

ArtHome

Teaching · Directing · Creating

06 / UZAHVATI

Immersive Theatre
from Ukraine

I am a Co-founder · Theatre Director · Author

Together with my UZAHVATI team, I create immersive experiences that dissolve the border between performance and life. We invite the audience to participate, choose, notice and feel.

Visit UZAHVATI

A close portrait of me wearing a grey jacket and pearl jewellery

08 / PRESS & PUBLICATIONS

My work in the press, on stage and in publications.

UZAHVATI

09 / CONTACT

Let’s Create
Something Together

Whether you are looking for an acting teacher, creative mentor, theatre director or collaborator, I’d love to hear from you.

Acting ClassesCreative MentoringTheatre ProjectsWorkshopsCollaborations