Now playing

Back

Now playing

Back

IF I HAD A GUN,
I’D TAKE THEM
ALL DOWN

Created by Paul Bargetto & Michael Rubenfeld
Text and Video by Piotr Armianovski

Directed by Paul Bargetto

Performed by Michael Rubenfeld

Dramaturgy by Paul Bargetto & Michael Rubenfeld

IF I HAD A GUN,
I’D TAKE THEM
ALL DOWN

Tickets

Created by
Paul Bargetto & Michael Rubenfeld

Text and Video by
Piotr Armianovski

Directed by
Paul Bargetto

Performed by
Michael Rubenfeld

Dramaturgy by
Paul Bargetto & Michael Rubenfeld


Synopsis

If I Had a Gun, I’d Take Them All Down is a multidisciplinary monodrama that confronts the long history of Russian oppression in Ukraine through a powerful collision of personal testimony and political history. At the center of the performance is Ukrainian playwright and activist Piotr Armianovski, who grapples with a deeply personal question:

in the face of violence, war, and authoritarian power, can one individual truly make a difference?


The performance unfolds through the story of Dmitry Bogrov, the anarchist who assassinated Russian Prime Minister Piotr Stolypin in the Kyiv Opera House in 1911. As Bogrov moves through the streets of early twentieth-century Kyiv toward this fateful act, Armianovski mirrors his journey with his own experiences of protest, resistance, and survival in modern Ukraine.

triangles indicator
triangles indicator

Past and present collide as the piece moves fluidly between historical reenactment and contemporary reality.

The assassination of Stolypin echoes through a century

of political violence: the struggle for Ukrainian independence,

the Maidan revolution, the annexation of Crimea, political assassinations on Kyiv’s streets, and the ongoing full-scale Russian invasion.

triangles indicator
Synopsis

If I Had a Gun, I’d Take Them All Down is a multidisciplinary monodrama that confronts the long history of Russian oppression in Ukraine through a powerful collision of personal testimony and political history. At the center of the performance is Ukrainian playwright and activist Piotr Armianovski, who grapples with a deeply personal question:

in the face of violence, war, and authoritarian power, can one individual truly make a difference?

The performance unfolds through the story of Dmitry Bogrov, the anarchist who assassinated Russian Prime Minister Piotr Stolypin in the Kyiv Opera House in 1911. As Bogrov moves through the streets of early twentieth-century Kyiv toward this fateful act, Armianovski mirrors his journey with his own experiences of protest, resistance, and survival in modern Ukraine.

Past and present collide as the piece moves fluidly between historical reenactment and contemporary reality.

The assassination of Stolypin echoes through a century

of political violence: the struggle for Ukrainian independence,

the Maidan revolution, the annexation of Crimea, political assassinations on Kyiv’s streets, and the ongoing full-scale Russian invasion.

What price are you willing to pay for your dream?

Form and Aesthetic

Form and Aesthetic


What price are you willing to pay for your dream?

If I Had a Gun, I’d Take Them All Down is an intensely personal solo performance that unfolds as a journey through Kyiv—both a physical city and a landscape of memory, resistance, and political violence.

The piece is built from documentary material gathered by Ukrainian writer and activist Piotr Armianovski, whose experiences of protest, war, and exile form the emotional foundation of the work. Through personal testimony and historical research, Armianovski traces a lineage of resistance stretching from the revolutionary movements of the early twentieth century to Ukraine’s current struggle for survival.

On stage, Michael Rubenfeld retraces Armianovski’s walk through Kyiv, moving physically across the performance space as projected images of the city’s streets unfold behind him. Through this fusion of live performance and documentary video, the stage becomes a meeting point between two places and two realities: the safety of the theatre and a city living under the shadow of war.

The performance ultimately asks a deeply personal question: what does it mean to continue dreaming—and to act—when history demands a price for those dreams?

If I Had a Gun, I’d Take Them All Down is an intensely personal solo performance that unfolds as a journey through Kyiv—both a physical city and a landscape of memory, resistance, and political violence.

The piece is built from documentary material gathered by Ukrainian writer and activist Piotr Armianovski, whose experiences of protest, war, and exile form the emotional foundation of the work. Through personal testimony and historical research, Armianovski traces a lineage of resistance stretching from the revolutionary movements of the early twentieth century to Ukraine’s current struggle for survival.

On stage, Michael Rubenfeld retraces Armianovski’s walk through Kyiv, moving physically across the performance space as projected images of the city’s streets unfold behind him. Through this fusion of live performance and documentary video, the stage becomes a meeting point between two places and two realities: the safety of the theatre and a city living under the shadow of war.

The performance ultimately asks a deeply personal question: what does it mean to continue dreaming—and to act—when history demands a price for those dreams?

Structure & Visualization

Structure & Visualization


The performance is structured around a single continuous walk.

Onstage, Rubenfeld walks, stops, reacts, and engages with the projected city as if physically present inside it.

This creates an embodied documentary form in which:

The performance is structured around a single continuous walk.

Onstage, Rubenfeld walks, stops, reacts, and engages with the projected city as if physically present inside it.

This creates an embodied documentary form in which:

The audience visits Kyiv witnessing everyday life in a time of war

The audience visits Kyiv witnessing everyday life in a time of war

The performer, sound,
and video, merge into
a completely immersive experience

The performer, sound,
and video, merge into
a completely immersive experience

the personal is truly political.

the personal is truly political.

The visual world is created through large-scale video projection, filmed by Armianovski in Kyiv in June 2025. The walk begins at Bogrov’s home (which is still standing) to the Kyiv Opera House where Bogrov assassinated the prime minister.

During the walk, the piece highlights how on every corner, there are remnants of Russian influenced violence, and ultimately paints a portrait of Ukraine’s hundreds year old fight to free itself from under Russia’s thumb. The performer is always in dialogue with the projected image — sometimes following its rhythm, sometimes resisting it, sometimes overwhelmed by it.

The visual world is created through large-scale video projection, filmed by Armianovski in Kyiv in June 2025. The walk begins at Bogrov’s home (which is still standing) to the Kyiv Opera House where Bogrov assassinated the prime minister.

During the walk, the piece highlights how on every corner, there are remnants of Russian influenced violence, and ultimately paints a portrait of Ukraine’s hundreds year old fight to free itself from under Russia’s thumb. The performer is always in dialogue with the projected image — sometimes following its rhythm, sometimes resisting it, sometimes overwhelmed by it.

The text moves between:

If I Had a Gun, I’d Take Them All Down is a multidisciplinary monodrama that confronts the long history of Russian oppression in Ukraine through a powerful collision of personal testimony and political history. At the center of the performance is Ukrainian playwright and activist Piotr Armianovski, who grapples with a deeply personal question:

in the face of violence, war, and authoritarian power, can one individual truly make a difference?


The performance unfolds through the story of Dmitry Bogrov, the anarchist who assassinated Russian Prime Minister Piotr Stolypin in the Kyiv Opera House in 1911. As Bogrov moves through the streets of early twentieth-century Kyiv toward this fateful act, Armianovski mirrors his journey with his own experiences of protest, resistance, and survival in modern Ukraine.

The text moves between:

If I Had a Gun, I’d Take Them All Down is a multidisciplinary monodrama that confronts the long history of Russian oppression in Ukraine through a powerful collision of personal testimony and political history. At the center of the performance is Ukrainian playwright and activist Piotr Armianovski, who grapples with a deeply personal question:

in the face of violence, war, and authoritarian power, can one individual truly make a difference?


The performance unfolds through the story of Dmitry Bogrov, the anarchist who assassinated Russian Prime Minister Piotr Stolypin in the Kyiv Opera House in 1911. As Bogrov moves through the streets of early twentieth-century Kyiv toward this fateful act, Armianovski mirrors his journey with his own experiences of protest, resistance, and survival in modern Ukraine.

Previous praise for If I Had A Gun, I’d Take Them All Down

Press & Responses

Full reviews and press materials available upon request.

"

“A rare intellectual attempt to jolt the audience into a deeper understanding of the current realities of power.”


— Dziennik Teatralny, Poland

"

"

“A disturbing and unexpected staging that brings history, memory, and the present into sharp theatrical focus.”


— Thomas Irmer, Theater der Zeit

"

"

“Rubenfeld’s performance is extraordinary… a compelling journey through space and time that is dynamic, personal, and highly moving.”

— European Stages

"

"

“A raw and unflinching meditation on Ukraine’s struggle with cyclical violence and Russian aggression.”



— FestivALT Program Description, Kraków

"

Structure & Visualization

The performance is structured around a single continuous walk.

Onstage, Rubenfeld walks, stops, reacts, and engages with the projected city as if physically present inside it.

This creates an embodied documentary form in which:

The performance is structured around a single continuous walk.

Onstage, Rubenfeld walks, stops, reacts, and engages with the projected city as if physically present inside it.

This creates an embodied documentary form in which:

Tickets

triangles indicator
triangles indicator

Edinburgh
186/ Playground 2 at
ZOO Playground

Edinburgh,
Scotland, UK

August 2026

triangles indicator
triangles indicator
triangles indicator
triangles indicator

Artistic Biographies

Artistic Biographies


Piotr Armianovski

is a Ukrainian multidisciplinary artist working across documentary film, performance, and video art. Trained in both computer science and contemporary performance, Armianovski brings a precise, observational sensibility to deeply human subjects — memory, displacement, and the social fabric of everyday life in Ukraine.


Raised in Donetsk and later based in Kyiv, Armianovski’s work is shaped by the rupture of war and the loss of his home city. His films and performances examine how individuals navigate political upheaval, trauma, and the shifting meanings of “home.” His acclaimed works, including Me and Mariupol and A Balance of Sadness and Joy, blend personal testimony with documentary realism, creating intimate portraits of places and people caught between destruction and resilience.

Armianovski has exhibited widely, including a 2023 solo exhibition History of Relations at the PinchukArtCentre, and has participated in major performance and video art programs across Ukraine and Europe. He is a recipient of the MUHi Special Prize for emerging Ukrainian artists and the Gaude Polonia scholarship from Poland’s Ministry of Culture.

Today, Armianovski continues to explore the intersections of memory, political reality, and human vulnerability, using the body, the camera, and immersive forms to ask how personal stories survive in times of collective crisis.

Piotr Armianovski

is a Ukrainian multidisciplinary artist working across documentary film, performance, and video art. Trained in both computer science and contemporary performance, Armianovski brings a precise, observational sensibility to deeply human subjects — memory, displacement, and the social fabric of everyday life in Ukraine.

Raised in Donetsk and later based in Kyiv, Armianovski’s work is shaped by the rupture of war and the loss of his home city. His films and performances examine how individuals navigate political upheaval, trauma, and the shifting meanings of “home.” His acclaimed works, including Me and Mariupol and A Balance of Sadness and Joy, blend personal testimony with documentary realism, creating intimate portraits of places and people caught between destruction and resilience.

Paul Bargetto

is an American theater and film director and dramaturg based in Warsaw, whose contemporary practice is defined by an urgent response to the war in Ukraine and the shifting political realities of Central Europe. His work is characterized by a blend of rigorous research, documentary material, and a commitment to exploring the human consequences of historical trauma and collective memory.

Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Bargetto has emerged as an important voice in the international artistic response to the conflict.

He is the director of "If I Had a Gun, I’d Take Them All Down," a multidisciplinary monodrama and immersive video installation that traces the lineage of political violence from the 1911 Kyiv Opera House assassination to the present day.

His work with Ukrainian artists on the performative installation "International Agency for Ukraine" and the documentary-based project dance piece "Every Minute Motherland" made with Ukrainian refugee dancers further underscores his dedication to transnational collaboration and using performance as a form of immediate cultural inquiry in times of crisis.


Bargetto is also a prominent figure in the field of contemporary dance, working extensively as a dramaturg and collaborator with renowned choreographer Maciej Kuźmiński. Their partnership has produced critically acclaimed works across Europe, including "Cantos" at the Hessisches Staatsballett in Wiesbaden and "Memoryhouse" at the Landestheater Linz, projects that utilize intense physicality to examine the architecture of memory, existential themes, and historical reality.

A graduate of Columbia University and a long-time contributor to New York’s downtown theater scene, Bargetto founded East River Commedia—known for its focus on Central European dramaturgy—and the undergroundzero festival, an international site-specific festival of independent live arts. Since relocating to Warsaw, he has become a fixture in the city’s independent arts landscape, fostering collaborations that bridge American and European traditions through Fundacja Teatru Trans Atlantyk.

Whether working with archival sources, interviews, or devised movement, Bargetto’s practice remains grounded in the personal and the intimate. He continues to develop new theater and film projects that challenge audiences to encounter contemporary conflicts and the forgotten stories of the past on a human scale.

Paul Bargetto

is an American theater and film director and dramaturg based in Warsaw, whose contemporary practice is defined by an urgent response to the war in Ukraine and the shifting political realities of Central Europe. His work is characterized by a blend of rigorous research, documentary material, and a commitment to exploring the human consequences of historical trauma and collective memory.

Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Bargetto has emerged as an important voice in the international artistic response to the conflict.

He is the director of "If I Had a Gun, I’d Take Them All Down," a multidisciplinary monodrama and immersive video installation that traces the lineage of political violence from the 1911 Kyiv Opera House assassination to the present day.

His work with Ukrainian artists on the performative installation "International Agency for Ukraine" and the documentary-based project dance piece "Every Minute Motherland" made with Ukrainian refugee dancers further underscores his dedication to transnational collaboration and using performance as a form of immediate cultural inquiry in times of crisis.

Bargetto is also a prominent figure in the field of contemporary dance, working extensively as a dramaturg and collaborator with renowned choreographer Maciej Kuźmiński. Their partnership has produced critically acclaimed works across Europe, including "Cantos" at the Hessisches Staatsballett in Wiesbaden and "Memoryhouse" at the Landestheater Linz, projects that utilize intense physicality to examine the architecture of memory, existential themes, and historical reality.

A graduate of Columbia University and a long-time contributor to New York’s downtown theater scene, Bargetto founded East River Commedia—known for its focus on Central European dramaturgy—and the undergroundzero festival, an international site-specific festival of independent live arts. Since relocating to Warsaw, he has become a fixture in the city’s independent arts landscape, fostering collaborations that bridge American and European traditions through Fundacja Teatru Trans Atlantyk.

Whether working with archival sources, interviews, or devised movement, Bargetto’s practice remains grounded in the personal and the intimate. He continues to develop new theater and film projects that challenge audiences to encounter contemporary conflicts and the forgotten stories of the past on a human scale.

Michael Rubenfed

is a Canadian-Polish theatre maker, director, performer, and cultural producer based in Warsaw, whose work investigates memory, identity,

and the complexities of intergenerational narrative. Known for blending documentary practice with theatrical innovation, Rubenfeld creates intimate, emotionally resonant performances that challenge audiences

to confront history and its living echoes.


Born in Winnipeg and trained at the National Theatre School of Canada, Rubenfeld began his career in Toronto’s independent theatre movement, where he quickly became a central figure in the development of contemporary performance. As co-artistic director of SummerWorks, Canada’s largest juried performance festival, he helped shape a new generation of artists by fostering experimental, political, and cross-disciplinary work. His leadership expanded the festival’s profile both nationally and internationally, firmly establishing him as a key cultural curator and advocate for emerging voices.


Since relocating to Warsaw, Rubenfeld has increasingly focused on projects that explore Jewish-Polish history, diasporic memory, trauma, and the lingering legacies of the 20th century. His performances combine personal storytelling with broader socio-historical inquiry, often drawing from archival materials, family histories, and on-the-ground research. Works such as We Keep Coming Back reflect Rubenfeld’s uniquely hybrid approach — part theatre, part documentary investigation — that examines how individuals navigate collective pasts.

In Poland, Rubenfeld has become a significant connector between artistic communities, developing partnerships between Canadian, Polish, and European institutions. His projects frequently center around themes of belonging,

the construction of identity, and the negotiation of cultural inheritance. Through performance, writing, and producing, he builds spaces where difficult histories can be engaged with empathy, nuance, and a commitment to dialogue.

Rubenfeld’s work has been presented internationally across Europe and North America, earning recognition for its honesty, formal innovation, and political sensitivity. Whether directing, performing, or producing, he remains dedicated to using theatre as a tool for cultural inquiry — a place where personal story meets collective memory, and where art becomes a bridge between fractured pasts and contested presents.

Michael Rubenfeld

is a Canadian-Polish theatre maker, director, performer, and cultural producer based in Warsaw, whose work investigates memory, identity,

and the complexities of intergenerational narrative. Known for blending documentary practice with theatrical innovation, Rubenfeld creates intimate, emotionally resonant performances that challenge audiences

to confront history and its living echoes.

Born in Winnipeg and trained at the National Theatre School of Canada, Rubenfeld began his career in Toronto’s independent theatre movement, where he quickly became a central figure in the development of contemporary performance. As co-artistic director of SummerWorks, Canada’s largest juried performance festival, he helped shape a new generation of artists by fostering experimental, political, and cross-disciplinary work. His leadership expanded the festival’s profile both nationally and internationally, firmly establishing him as a key cultural curator and advocate for emerging voices.

Since relocating to Warsaw, Rubenfeld has increasingly focused on projects that explore Jewish-Polish history, diasporic memory, trauma, and the lingering legacies of the 20th century. His performances combine personal storytelling with broader socio-historical inquiry, often drawing from archival materials, family histories, and on-the-ground research. Works such as We Keep Coming Back reflect Rubenfeld’s uniquely hybrid approach — part theatre, part documentary investigation — that examines how individuals navigate collective pasts.

In Poland, Rubenfeld has become a significant connector between artistic communities, developing partnerships between Canadian, Polish, and European institutions. His projects frequently center around themes of belonging,

the construction of identity, and the negotiation of cultural inheritance. Through performance, writing, and producing, he builds spaces where difficult histories can be engaged with empathy, nuance, and a commitment to dialogue.

Rubenfeld’s work has been presented internationally across Europe and North America, earning recognition for its honesty, formal innovation, and political sensitivity. Whether directing, performing, or producing, he remains dedicated to using theatre as a tool for cultural inquiry — a place where personal story meets collective memory, and where art becomes a bridge between fractured pasts and contested presents.

Natan Kryszk

is a Warsaw-based musician and visual artist whose work moves fluidly between sound, image, and narrative atmosphere. Drawing on traditions of experimental music, ambient composition, and conceptual visual art, Kryszk creates immersive environments that operate at the edges of perception — spaces where sound functions like memory, and images unfold with the rhythm of inner experience.

Raised in Poland and working across Europe, Kryszk began as a guitarist and composer before expanding into electronic music, sound design, and visual production. His practice is driven by a fascination with texture — sonic and material — weaving field recordings, analog instrumentation, and digital synthesis into layered, emotionally charged soundscapes. Whether performing live or composing for theatre, film, and installation, Kryszk’s music is marked by a sensitivity to atmosphere, place, and the unspoken emotional currents that run beneath any story.


As a visual artist, Kryszk works with photography, projection, digital media, and scenographic installations. His visual language often mirrors the qualities of his music: subdued, contemplative, and quietly evocative. His images explore themes of time, disappearance, transformation, and the fragile relationship between the human body and its environment. The interplay between light and shadow — between what is seen and what is withheld — forms a central metaphor in his work.

Kryszk collaborates widely with directors, choreographers, theatre companies, and interdisciplinary ensembles. His compositions have been featured in contemporary performance projects in Warsaw and beyond, where his ability to translate emotional and dramaturgical ideas into sound has made him a sought-after collaborator. In his own concerts and audiovisual pieces, he combines live performance with projected imagery, creating multi-sensory events that blur the boundaries between concert, installation, and cinematic experience.

At the core of Kryszk’s practice is a commitment to exploring how sound and image can shape perception, memory, and the emotional architecture of a moment. Rooted in Warsaw but creatively open to the world, he continues to develop work that invites audiences into subtle, intimate, and deeply atmospheric encounters.

is a Warsaw-based musician and visual artist whose work moves fluidly between sound, image, and narrative atmosphere. Drawing on traditions of experimental music, ambient composition, and conceptual visual art, Kryszk creates immersive environments that operate at the edges of perception — spaces where sound functions like memory, and images unfold with the rhythm of inner experience.

Raised in Poland and working across Europe, Kryszk began as a guitarist and composer before expanding into electronic music, sound design, and visual production. His practice is driven by a fascination with texture — sonic and material — weaving field recordings, analog instrumentation, and digital synthesis into layered, emotionally charged soundscapes. Whether performing live or composing for theatre, film, and installation, Kryszk’s music is marked by a sensitivity to atmosphere, place, and the unspoken emotional currents that run beneath any story.

Natan Kryszk

As a visual artist, Kryszk works with photography, projection, digital media, and scenographic installations. His visual language often mirrors the qualities of his music: subdued, contemplative, and quietly evocative. His images explore themes of time, disappearance, transformation, and the fragile relationship between the human body and its environment. The interplay between light and shadow — between what is seen and what is withheld — forms a central metaphor in his work.

Kryszk collaborates widely with directors, choreographers, theatre companies, and interdisciplinary ensembles. His compositions have been featured in contemporary performance projects in Warsaw and beyond, where his ability to translate emotional and dramaturgical ideas into sound has made him a sought-after collaborator. In his own concerts and audiovisual pieces, he combines live performance with projected imagery, creating multi-sensory events that blur the boundaries between concert, installation, and cinematic experience.

At the core of Kryszk’s practice is a commitment to exploring how sound and image can shape perception, memory, and the emotional architecture of a moment. Rooted in Warsaw but creatively open to the world, he continues to develop work that invites audiences into subtle, intimate, and deeply atmospheric encounters.

Producing Companies

Producing Companies

Fundacja Teatru Trans-Atlantyk is a Warsaw-based independent arts foundation dedicated to creating innovative, socially engaged theatre, performance, and interdisciplinary projects. Founded and developed by international artists and producers from Poland, the United States, New Zealand, Ukraine, and Europe, the foundation develops work that bridges cultures, explores complex histories, and amplifies underrepresented voices. Through collaborations with local and international partners, Teatr Trans-Atlantyk supports new writing, experimental forms, and documentary-based performance, with a commitment to using art as a space for dialogue, reflection, and cultural exchange.

Fundacja Teatru Trans-Atlantyk is a Warsaw-based independent arts foundation dedicated to creating innovative, socially engaged theatre, performance, and interdisciplinary projects. Founded and developed by international artists and producers from Poland, the United States, New Zealand, Ukraine, and Europe, the foundation develops work that bridges cultures, explores complex histories, and amplifies underrepresented voices. Through collaborations with local and international partners, Teatr Trans-Atlantyk supports new writing, experimental forms, and documentary-based performance, with a commitment to using art as a space for dialogue, reflection, and cultural exchange.

FestivALT is a Kraków-based independent arts organization and cultural platform focused on contemporary Jewish art, critical memory work, and socially engaged performance. Founded by artists and activists, FestivALT operates at the intersection of art, research, and public intervention, examining how Jewish history, heritage, and identity function in today’s Poland. Through performances, installations, guided actions, and community-based projects, FestivALT challenges dominant narratives, confronts difficult histories, and fosters dialogue around Jewish life, representation, and cultural responsibility. Their work has gained international recognition for its innovative approach to heritage, ethics, and the politics of memory.

FestivALT is a Kraków-based independent arts organization and cultural platform focused on contemporary Jewish art, critical memory work, and socially engaged performance. Founded by artists and activists, FestivALT operates at the intersection of art, research, and public intervention, examining how Jewish history, heritage, and identity function in today’s Poland. Through performances, installations, guided actions, and community-based projects, FestivALT challenges dominant narratives, confronts difficult histories, and fosters dialogue around Jewish life, representation, and cultural responsibility. Their work has gained international recognition for its innovative approach to heritage, ethics, and the politics of memory.

Statut

Copyright - © 2025 Fundacja Teatru Trans-Atlantyk

Statut

Copyright - © 2025 Fundacja Teatru Trans-Atlantyk