An online course about Yevhen Chykalenko has been created in Ukraine

The Kyiv School of Economics, in collaboration with the MUR creative collective, has launched a free online course about the patron and publisher Yevhen Chykalenko. The educational project was created ahead of the premiere of the musical “Play, [Mark]” to help audiences better understand the historical context and the figure’s contribution to Ukrainian culture.

The course lasts 90 minutes and is structured chronologically—from Chikalenko’s childhood and his time in Kharkiv to the events that led to the creation of the Ukrainian People’s Republic. The course also explores Chikalenko as an innovator and includes stories about his wife and daughter. 

The lectures are based on research materials by historian Maksym Honchar. While working with the sources, the team also used optical character recognition (OCR) technology, which allows for the digitization of scanned documents and simplifies the processing of historical materials.

The MUR emphasized that the course contains no spoilers and does not replace the play, but serves as a contextual supplement that helps viewers better understand the historical details and the motivations of the characters on stage.

“After taking it, you’ll recognize historical details more easily and follow what’s happening on stage with even greater interest. We’ve said it many times: our goal is to spark your interest and encourage you to explore further. Because history doesn’t end after the final scene. You’re the ones who write the rest of this story,” the creative collective explained.

Anyone interested can take the course on the KSE platform. The course lasts about an hour. Participants can complete it online at their own pace, without a final exam.

Юлія Калабайда