Maria Pohrebnyak — set designer, theatre costume designer and puppet theatre artist

Maria Pohrebnyak (born in 1984)  — set designer, theatre costume designer and puppet theatre artist, member of UNIMA-Ukraine. Her creative work includes set designs for leading theatres in Kyiv and Ukraine, as well as participation in art exhibitions and projects. In particular, at the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design in 2023 (Ukrainian Pavilion  "Garden of Living Things").

She graduated from the Karpenko-Karyi Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television, where she received a master's degree in puppet theatre directing. She began her professional career at the Kyiv Academic Municipal Puppet Theatre as a designer of puppets (2003–2006).

She currently holds the position of chief artist at the Kyiv Academic Drama Theatre in Podil and teaches at the Department of Puppet Theatre Arts at her alma mater, teaching courses on "Fundamentals of Theatre Space Composition" and "Puppet Theatre Scenography".

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At the Lviv Quadrennial of Scenography 2025 Maria Prohrebnyak presents a marionette doll from the play "The Imp from the Box"  based on the work by Ray Bradbury, which was staged by young director Alisa Gladkova at the Arlek_inn training theatre of the I. K. Karpenko-Karyi Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television in 2024.

The play explores the theme of a child growing up and the problem of overprotectiveness, which prevents the child from being free and adapting to their environment. 

Also presented are the layout and installation for the play "Parajanov. The Balcony of Childhood" at the Viktor Afanasyev Puppet Theatre in Kharkiv. The production is dedicated to the childhood of film director Sergei Parajanov. The set design uses the motif of knitted napkins, which are an attribute of comfort and childhood memories.