James Verini on the Defining Atrocity of the Ukraine War

James Verini on the Defining Atrocity of the Ukraine War

From Make More Pie by Make More Pie

May 11, 2026 · 36 min

About this episode

Nancy speaks with war correspondent James Verini about the bombing of a theater in Mariupol during the Ukraine war and the stories of its survivors.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit nancyrommelmann.substack.com Nancy speaks with war correspondent James Verini, who reported from Ukraine about the devastating 2022 bombing of a theater in Mariupol housing 1500 refugees. James (and photographer Paolo Pellgrin ) made his way to survivors of the bombing, and later tracked down every survivor he could find. The result is The Theater: Courage and Survival in the Defining Atrocity of the Ukraine War , a new book that tells stories of ordinary people—students, actors, metal workers, a doctor, a cook—called upon to do extraordinary things. The Theater is cinematic (calling Christopher Nolan!) and horrifying, beautiful and essential, a battle between freedom and authoritarianism that Russia is determined to win—and Ukraine more determined not to lose. “You had the fact that this theater represented Ukrainian culture and the dream of an independent Ukraine,” says James. “On the dark opposite side of that, it represented what Putin and Russia were trying to wipe out, the idea that there is such a thing as Ukrainian culture, that there is such thing as a Ukrainian language... The theater was, if not exactly a…

People in this episode

Host: Nancy Rommelmann

Guest: James Verini

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Ukraine, Russia

Books & works: The Theater: Courage and Survival in the Defining Atrocity of the Ukraine War

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