Review of Belarusian Culture: Theatre (November-January '23)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: THEATRE (NOVEMBER-JANUARY '23)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: THEATRE (NOVEMBER-JANUARY '23)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: THEATRE (NOVEMBER-JANUARY '23)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: THEATRE (NOVEMBER-JANUARY '23)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: THEATRE (NOVEMBER-JANUARY '23)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: THEATRE (NOVEMBER-JANUARY '23)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: THEATRE (NOVEMBER-JANUARY '23)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: THEATRE (NOVEMBER-JANUARY '23)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: THEATRE (NOVEMBER-JANUARY '23)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: THEATRE (NOVEMBER-JANUARY '23)
Belarusian Theatre: Back to the Past
The Main Trends of the Season:
Belarusian Theatre: Back to the Past
The Main Trends of the Season:
- Repression continues in the Belarusian theatre space: dismissal of creators, closure of independent venues, change of directors. There is no public motivation in such decisions, even public loyalty does not guarantee the preservation of the workplace.
- In state policy, there is a steady return to the past - both in the literal sense (rewarding at the Babrujsk festival of performances staged several decades ago) and in the figurative sense. Among the latter is the disregard of copyright, which once was a distinctive feature of the USSR, and the showing of underground performances.
- Culture in general and theatre in particular continue to occupy secondary importance in the value system of the Belarusian state: for 2023, only 0.5% of the budget is spent on culture.
- One of the most debated and controversial issues in the Belarusian theatre space is the work of domestic creators in the Russian cultural industry during the war.
- Domestic groups are organizing new premieres abroad. "Team theatre" formed a repertoire of four performances. With their performance "Romanticism", "Kupałaŭcy" to a certain extent returned to the traditions of the old, "pre-revolutionary" Kupałaŭski theatre, which is perceived as part of the collective's retro-reboot.
Redundancies and Changes in the Board of Directors
Redundancies and Changes in the Board of Directors
"Layoffs continue in the theatre sector". A typical phrase, which, however, runs the risk of becoming a common thread in the coming reviews. This time, the head of the literary section of the Slonim Drama Theatre, Siarhiej Čyhryn, lost his position, having served there for 32 years.
Conductor Aleh Lasun was dismissed. He is already the fourth maestro who cannot conduct performances at the Opera Theatre. Until now, Viačasłaŭ Čarnucha-Volič had been dismissed, then Andrej Hałanaŭ and Ivan Kaściachin. By the way, the first of them, together with the team of the Odessa Opera and Ballet Theatre (Čarnucha-Volič is the chief conductor of this collective), received the opera "Oscar" – the International Opera Awards. The basis: the showing of performances and even the preparation of the premiere in conditions of war. This award best shows what level of professional the Belarusian theatre has lost.
Personnel changes also affected managers: in a number of collectives, directors changed. In the last review, we mentioned the departure of Jaŭhien Klimakoŭ, the charismatic head of the Belarusian State Puppet Theatre. In December, it became known that the director of the Homieĺ Youth Theatre Alena Mastavienka, who has been leading the team since 2017, will join his "company" – she was not offered a contract.
During this time, she made the theatre noticeable in Belarus, with directors Jura Dzivakoŭ and Vital Kraŭčanka in her company (the latter worked here for some time as an artistic director after being forced to leave the Kupałaŭski theatre). The repertoire was unusual and different from a number of other regional theaters: performances based on the plays of the famous Irish playwright Martin McDonagh and his colleague from Germany, Marius von Mayenburg, were presented in Homieĺ.
The director of the Minsk New Drama Theatre has also been changed. However, it is not possible to be bored. Since 1998, Vasil Marciecki has held this position. It was he who at one time banned Jura Dzivakoŭ's play "Bug". He fired actors and theatre employees (15 people in total) who tried to strike in 2020. But after his dismissal, his name instantly disappeared from the team's website: not a single mention remained.
Rusłan Safonaŭ, who until now headed the Rymski-Korsakaŭ Mahilioŭ Music College, became the new director.
Another change of director was forced. The reason is the death of the director of the Minsk Youth Theatre Viktar Staravojtaŭ. He has been in his position since 1999. During this time, the theatre turned into a platform for almost non-stop comedy shows, when it was difficult to distinguish between the state collective and the private enterprise.
At the same time, there were even fewer venues in Minsk. At the end of the year, Hide closed, where independent performances were shown until 2020 (for example, "You can't stay, you can't leave" by director Dźmitryj Bahasłaŭski). The epic story with the cult site OK16 continues. It was put up for sale – the previous information about the opening of the supermarket in that building did not come true. But the bidding did not take place, so the future of OK16, as well as the independent theatre in Belarus itself, remains unknown.
Conductor Aleh Lasun was dismissed. He is already the fourth maestro who cannot conduct performances at the Opera Theatre. Until now, Viačasłaŭ Čarnucha-Volič had been dismissed, then Andrej Hałanaŭ and Ivan Kaściachin. By the way, the first of them, together with the team of the Odessa Opera and Ballet Theatre (Čarnucha-Volič is the chief conductor of this collective), received the opera "Oscar" – the International Opera Awards. The basis: the showing of performances and even the preparation of the premiere in conditions of war. This award best shows what level of professional the Belarusian theatre has lost.
Personnel changes also affected managers: in a number of collectives, directors changed. In the last review, we mentioned the departure of Jaŭhien Klimakoŭ, the charismatic head of the Belarusian State Puppet Theatre. In December, it became known that the director of the Homieĺ Youth Theatre Alena Mastavienka, who has been leading the team since 2017, will join his "company" – she was not offered a contract.
During this time, she made the theatre noticeable in Belarus, with directors Jura Dzivakoŭ and Vital Kraŭčanka in her company (the latter worked here for some time as an artistic director after being forced to leave the Kupałaŭski theatre). The repertoire was unusual and different from a number of other regional theaters: performances based on the plays of the famous Irish playwright Martin McDonagh and his colleague from Germany, Marius von Mayenburg, were presented in Homieĺ.
The director of the Minsk New Drama Theatre has also been changed. However, it is not possible to be bored. Since 1998, Vasil Marciecki has held this position. It was he who at one time banned Jura Dzivakoŭ's play "Bug". He fired actors and theatre employees (15 people in total) who tried to strike in 2020. But after his dismissal, his name instantly disappeared from the team's website: not a single mention remained.
Rusłan Safonaŭ, who until now headed the Rymski-Korsakaŭ Mahilioŭ Music College, became the new director.
Another change of director was forced. The reason is the death of the director of the Minsk Youth Theatre Viktar Staravojtaŭ. He has been in his position since 1999. During this time, the theatre turned into a platform for almost non-stop comedy shows, when it was difficult to distinguish between the state collective and the private enterprise.
At the same time, there were even fewer venues in Minsk. At the end of the year, Hide closed, where independent performances were shown until 2020 (for example, "You can't stay, you can't leave" by director Dźmitryj Bahasłaŭski). The epic story with the cult site OK16 continues. It was put up for sale – the previous information about the opening of the supermarket in that building did not come true. But the bidding did not take place, so the future of OK16, as well as the independent theatre in Belarus itself, remains unknown.
A Return to the Past - to the Nineties and the USSR
A Return to the Past - to the Nineties and the USSR
The place of the Belarusian theatre in time is clearly defined by the results of another festival of Belarusian drama, which was held in Babrujsk. The winner in the nomination "Best Scenography" was Barys Hierłavan for the production "The Black Maiden of Niasviž". The work of the famous artist is, of course, worthy of attention but the play was just staged in 2000. At the same festival, actor Alaksandr Kašpieraŭ received a special diploma for the role of the merchant Japiškin. However, the premiere of the production "Japiškin's Merchant's Theatre" at the Cinema Actor's Studio Theatre took place even earlier, in 1993.
Such official results clearly indicate a general focus on the past.
Other prizes turned out to be predetermined. In one of the past reviews, we wrote: "We can predict with confidence that productions based on Bykaŭ's works will be among the favourites of the next National Theatre Award. This will be one of the manifestations of the devaluation of rewards, which is rapidly happening now". The performance "The Alps. Forty-first" based on "Alpine Ballad" by Vasil Bykaŭ was given as an example. It was staged at the Theatre of the Young Spectator by Taćciana Sambuk. There was no need to wait for the National Award, which had not yet started: Sambuk won the prize for the best director in Babrujsk.
The return to the past – not even to the nineties, but to the USSR – was also manifested in the approach to copyright. On January 6, the law "On limitation of exclusive rights to objects of intellectual property" appeared. It allowed the use of films, music, TV and radio programmes, software from "unfriendly" countries without the permission of the right holder (in effect, in a pirated way). But ignoring copyright in the field of theatre has worked before. Before the New Year, the Chamber Drama Theatre under the direction of Natalla Bašava showed the play "Harry Potter and the Ice Horcrux". In Europe, it would have been sued for using the name and images in the poster without permission, and would have been forced to pay a fine. This cannot be expected in Belarus.
The untimely death of the critic Alaksiej Strelnikaŭ became a tragedy for Belarusian culture. Theatrical Don Quixote, one of the knights of the Belarusian theatre, he was not a classical theatre scholar who, as a rule, is more interested in the final result such as the play, its artistic value and place in the coordinate system. Strelnikaŭ was a critic, as well as a teacher, motivator, manager who liked to promote performances and projects, bringing people together in a common space. Without him, the national theatre would be different.
Staying until his last days in Minsk, Strelnikaŭ participated in "apartment plays". They were not publicly announced, as performances without obtaining tour certificates are prohibited in Belarus. It remains only to guess how many such shows are being organized nowadays. And we should also hope that one of their participants or creators will somehow record their impressions. Otherwise, they risk remaining unknown forever.
In general, the attitude of the state to culture is most evident in the following figure: only 0.5% of the budget for the next year will be expenses for culture. It is obvious that Belarusian theaters – with the possible exception of the Opera House – will be financed according to the residual principle, as in previous years.
Such official results clearly indicate a general focus on the past.
Other prizes turned out to be predetermined. In one of the past reviews, we wrote: "We can predict with confidence that productions based on Bykaŭ's works will be among the favourites of the next National Theatre Award. This will be one of the manifestations of the devaluation of rewards, which is rapidly happening now". The performance "The Alps. Forty-first" based on "Alpine Ballad" by Vasil Bykaŭ was given as an example. It was staged at the Theatre of the Young Spectator by Taćciana Sambuk. There was no need to wait for the National Award, which had not yet started: Sambuk won the prize for the best director in Babrujsk.
The return to the past – not even to the nineties, but to the USSR – was also manifested in the approach to copyright. On January 6, the law "On limitation of exclusive rights to objects of intellectual property" appeared. It allowed the use of films, music, TV and radio programmes, software from "unfriendly" countries without the permission of the right holder (in effect, in a pirated way). But ignoring copyright in the field of theatre has worked before. Before the New Year, the Chamber Drama Theatre under the direction of Natalla Bašava showed the play "Harry Potter and the Ice Horcrux". In Europe, it would have been sued for using the name and images in the poster without permission, and would have been forced to pay a fine. This cannot be expected in Belarus.
The untimely death of the critic Alaksiej Strelnikaŭ became a tragedy for Belarusian culture. Theatrical Don Quixote, one of the knights of the Belarusian theatre, he was not a classical theatre scholar who, as a rule, is more interested in the final result such as the play, its artistic value and place in the coordinate system. Strelnikaŭ was a critic, as well as a teacher, motivator, manager who liked to promote performances and projects, bringing people together in a common space. Without him, the national theatre would be different.
Staying until his last days in Minsk, Strelnikaŭ participated in "apartment plays". They were not publicly announced, as performances without obtaining tour certificates are prohibited in Belarus. It remains only to guess how many such shows are being organized nowadays. And we should also hope that one of their participants or creators will somehow record their impressions. Otherwise, they risk remaining unknown forever.
In general, the attitude of the state to culture is most evident in the following figure: only 0.5% of the budget for the next year will be expenses for culture. It is obvious that Belarusian theaters – with the possible exception of the Opera House – will be financed according to the residual principle, as in previous years.
"Kupałaŭcy" "Retro Reboot"
"Kupałaŭcy" "Retro Reboot"
Belarusian troupes abroad continued their work in November and December. "Kupałaŭcy" pleased with readings of three plays, as well as two premieres.
One of them was the gangster comedy "Sphagnum", based on the novel of the same name by Viktar Marcinovič. Based on the story of three young gangsters who are forced "to lie low" in one of the Belarusian villages, the director Alaksandr Harcujeŭ stages a play in the vein of psychological theatre (with light mystical overtones). In this production, actor Alaksandr Kazieła, who became the main star of "Sphagnum", returned to "Kupałaŭcy" after a certain break. The image of Siery created by him is the supreme mastery. It is a pleasure to watch how the actor plays the lines of his partners and conveys the changing personality of his character with his flexible plastic.
But the first premiere was "Romanticism", which was first shown offline in Warsaw in October 2022 (online – next month). It was a kind of return to the old Kupałaŭski Theatre: this production would fit perfectly into its usual repertoire. The basis is a national classic, which is updated and returned to the mass audience with this production (we are talking about the work of Adam Mickievič). The stylish and – in contrast to previous productions – not poor scenography rhymes with the productions of the late 2010s. Director Mikałaj Pinihin creates a stylistically sophisticated, light educational play.
In 2019, "Romanticism" would perhaps be perceived as a somewhat predictable project, as experimental productions abounded nearby. Now this whole sphere is destroyed. Therefore, the performance looks like a touching greeting from the 2010s and a kind of psychotherapy session. This is exactly what the mass audience, as well as regular Kupałaŭski viewers, are waiting for. The problem may arise in the long term, because "Kupałaŭcy" return to the usual coordinate system, which they will not want to change. And therefore the chance for a reboot that arose in 2020 will probably be lost.
Such a production looked like the first brick for a retro reboot of the theatre and a possible creation of a stable platform for performances in Warsaw. The latter, however, has not yet happened. As actor Aleh Harbuz later admitted in an interview at the beginning of February 2023, their team played "Sphagnum" only once (as well as "Dziady" /"Forefathers' Eve", one of last year's performances), and after the premiere, there were no showings or new rehearsals for the last month and a half. One of the reasons, perhaps, is that the "Kupałaŭcy" are not legally registered in Poland. As a result, we get a paradox: having a formed repertoire and the interest of the audience, "Kupałaŭcy" do not have a poster or show dates.
One of them was the gangster comedy "Sphagnum", based on the novel of the same name by Viktar Marcinovič. Based on the story of three young gangsters who are forced "to lie low" in one of the Belarusian villages, the director Alaksandr Harcujeŭ stages a play in the vein of psychological theatre (with light mystical overtones). In this production, actor Alaksandr Kazieła, who became the main star of "Sphagnum", returned to "Kupałaŭcy" after a certain break. The image of Siery created by him is the supreme mastery. It is a pleasure to watch how the actor plays the lines of his partners and conveys the changing personality of his character with his flexible plastic.
But the first premiere was "Romanticism", which was first shown offline in Warsaw in October 2022 (online – next month). It was a kind of return to the old Kupałaŭski Theatre: this production would fit perfectly into its usual repertoire. The basis is a national classic, which is updated and returned to the mass audience with this production (we are talking about the work of Adam Mickievič). The stylish and – in contrast to previous productions – not poor scenography rhymes with the productions of the late 2010s. Director Mikałaj Pinihin creates a stylistically sophisticated, light educational play.
In 2019, "Romanticism" would perhaps be perceived as a somewhat predictable project, as experimental productions abounded nearby. Now this whole sphere is destroyed. Therefore, the performance looks like a touching greeting from the 2010s and a kind of psychotherapy session. This is exactly what the mass audience, as well as regular Kupałaŭski viewers, are waiting for. The problem may arise in the long term, because "Kupałaŭcy" return to the usual coordinate system, which they will not want to change. And therefore the chance for a reboot that arose in 2020 will probably be lost.
Such a production looked like the first brick for a retro reboot of the theatre and a possible creation of a stable platform for performances in Warsaw. The latter, however, has not yet happened. As actor Aleh Harbuz later admitted in an interview at the beginning of February 2023, their team played "Sphagnum" only once (as well as "Dziady" /"Forefathers' Eve", one of last year's performances), and after the premiere, there were no showings or new rehearsals for the last month and a half. One of the reasons, perhaps, is that the "Kupałaŭcy" are not legally registered in Poland. As a result, we get a paradox: having a formed repertoire and the interest of the audience, "Kupałaŭcy" do not have a poster or show dates.
From "How are You?" to "Incantation"
From "How are You?" to "Incantation"
The "Team theatre", which moved from Homieĺ to Warsaw and strives to continue work with immersive theatre, took its niche in the domestic theatre space. It was founded by three married couples: the founders of the collective, Andrej and Alesia Barduchajeva-Aroł from Homieĺ, were joined by actors from Minsk who were forced to leave the state theatres: Darja and Andrej Novik, Maryja Piatrovič and Maksim Šyško (the last three are former actors of the Republican Theatre of Belarusian Drama, Darja sang in the choir of the Opera Theatre). Not having such informational support as "Kupałaŭcy", they nevertheless created both their own repertoire and a tour poster.
During 2022, they had four premieres: "How are you?" (in May), "Heather Honey" (in June), "Incantation" (in November) and the children's play "The Museum of Magical Belarus, or we are looking for Ziuzia together" (in December). Performances take place at the site of the local TR Warszawa collective and at the aforementioned Museum of Free Belarus. The troupe has a website, which, unfortunately, for some reason has not yet been developed by "Kupałaŭcy".
The three first, "adult" performances are of greatest interest.
"How are you?" is a reading of a verbatim play by Vital Karabań, dedicated to the war in Ukraine (directed by Andrej Novik). There are four heroes in the work: a Belarusian who fled here from repression; a local resident moving with a girl to the west of Ukraine; a refugee woman who leaves her grandmother in Vinnica and moves to her sister in Germany; a Russian, a supporter of Putin and the "Russian world". The first two characters periodically talk to each other, but in general there are almost no connections between the other "speakers", in fact we have monologues that go through "breakdowns".
Technologically, switching takes place through lamps, which are turned on by the characters on their tables in turn - they stand behind the last ones for the whole performance. True, at the beginning the actors interact with the audience: they let the audience into the room of the supposed refugees, offering them water. The reading fulfills its main task: it helps to record the events, as well as the mood and outlook of typical participants and victims of the conflict.
The original "Heather Honey" is a ballad written at the end of the 19th century by Robert Lewis Stevenson (directed by Andrej Barduchajeŭ-Aroł). The small work consisting of 11 eight-line parts was transformed into the Belarusian language by Usievaład Scieburaka and becomes the basis for an immersive performance. Its viewers receive special masks that cover their eyes. This stimulates their perception of sounds, smells, as well as physical contact – here there is water and smoke, and the feeling of the ropes that bind the heroes – residents of Britain of the 10th century, who keep the secret of heather honey at the cost of their own lives.
From a temporal distance, the two mentioned performances are perceived as the first building blocks for building its own repertoire. Compared to them, the production of "Incantation" (author and director – Maksim Šyško, music – Mikita Załatar) seems more technically complex. Previous performances had linear plots that were easier to understand.
It would seem that the plot of "Incantation" is quite traditional, in some ways it is a typical folk performance, the basis of which is a rite. But at the same time, it is a visually beautiful production with a stylishly selected video sequence, which is also characterized by the bright singing of Darja Novik - the strong vocals of the actress are fully used in all three performances. Individual episodes (for example, elements of the ceremony with marriage mats, as well as with LED rings) look stylish and non-trivial. There is a clear attempt by Maksim Šyško to reinterpret the rite as a director.
During 2022, they had four premieres: "How are you?" (in May), "Heather Honey" (in June), "Incantation" (in November) and the children's play "The Museum of Magical Belarus, or we are looking for Ziuzia together" (in December). Performances take place at the site of the local TR Warszawa collective and at the aforementioned Museum of Free Belarus. The troupe has a website, which, unfortunately, for some reason has not yet been developed by "Kupałaŭcy".
The three first, "adult" performances are of greatest interest.
"How are you?" is a reading of a verbatim play by Vital Karabań, dedicated to the war in Ukraine (directed by Andrej Novik). There are four heroes in the work: a Belarusian who fled here from repression; a local resident moving with a girl to the west of Ukraine; a refugee woman who leaves her grandmother in Vinnica and moves to her sister in Germany; a Russian, a supporter of Putin and the "Russian world". The first two characters periodically talk to each other, but in general there are almost no connections between the other "speakers", in fact we have monologues that go through "breakdowns".
Technologically, switching takes place through lamps, which are turned on by the characters on their tables in turn - they stand behind the last ones for the whole performance. True, at the beginning the actors interact with the audience: they let the audience into the room of the supposed refugees, offering them water. The reading fulfills its main task: it helps to record the events, as well as the mood and outlook of typical participants and victims of the conflict.
The original "Heather Honey" is a ballad written at the end of the 19th century by Robert Lewis Stevenson (directed by Andrej Barduchajeŭ-Aroł). The small work consisting of 11 eight-line parts was transformed into the Belarusian language by Usievaład Scieburaka and becomes the basis for an immersive performance. Its viewers receive special masks that cover their eyes. This stimulates their perception of sounds, smells, as well as physical contact – here there is water and smoke, and the feeling of the ropes that bind the heroes – residents of Britain of the 10th century, who keep the secret of heather honey at the cost of their own lives.
From a temporal distance, the two mentioned performances are perceived as the first building blocks for building its own repertoire. Compared to them, the production of "Incantation" (author and director – Maksim Šyško, music – Mikita Załatar) seems more technically complex. Previous performances had linear plots that were easier to understand.
It would seem that the plot of "Incantation" is quite traditional, in some ways it is a typical folk performance, the basis of which is a rite. But at the same time, it is a visually beautiful production with a stylishly selected video sequence, which is also characterized by the bright singing of Darja Novik - the strong vocals of the actress are fully used in all three performances. Individual episodes (for example, elements of the ceremony with marriage mats, as well as with LED rings) look stylish and non-trivial. There is a clear attempt by Maksim Šyško to reinterpret the rite as a director.
The Controversial Case of the "Golden Mask"
The Controversial Case of the "Golden Mask"
In November 2022, the list of nominees for the "Golden Mask", Russia's most prestigious theatre award, became known to the public. Despite the cancellation of performances that were nominated for the award, and generally "black lists" that appeared in this country following the example of Belarus, there is no alternative to it.
Belarusian directors Ihar Kazakoŭ and Alaksandr Januškievič, artists Taćciana Niersisian and Zinovij Marholin were among the nominees this year. The "Golden Mask" has attracted Belarusians before, among its laureates were distinguished persons, stars of the national theatre and their projects, as well as other creators (for example, the famous director Alaksiej Lalaŭski). But that was before the war. Now the nomination for the Russian prize has divided the theatre community. Naturally, the noted performances were created and released even before the invasion of Ukraine, and the collectives did not ask for consent from the creators of the productions. However, there is no definitive answer to the question of whether it is worth working for Russian collectives.
Naturally, the main blow was rightly taken by the representatives of pop culture – we are talking about the band "Biełaruskija pieśniary" who "lit up" on New Year's Eve in the "Blue light" show with the participation of local propagandists. Belarusian theatre creators – we are talking about both those listed and the actors working in local theatres (for example, former the Kupałaŭski theatre actors Ivan Trus and Pavieł Charłančuk) – did not allow themselves a single public statement in support of the war. That is why they should be perceived not as guilty, but as hostages of the situation.
In Belarus, they cannot work (because they are on "black lists") or fundamentally do not want to work. The Ukrainian vector became impossible after the start of the war. With the exception of Marholin, they had no experience of long-term relations with Western European collectives. And emigrant theatres are just getting back on their feet and don't have the necessary number of vacancies to satisfy everyone who wants to join them. Russia remains as a forced platform for gathering forces before the future return to Belarus.
Belarusian directors Ihar Kazakoŭ and Alaksandr Januškievič, artists Taćciana Niersisian and Zinovij Marholin were among the nominees this year. The "Golden Mask" has attracted Belarusians before, among its laureates were distinguished persons, stars of the national theatre and their projects, as well as other creators (for example, the famous director Alaksiej Lalaŭski). But that was before the war. Now the nomination for the Russian prize has divided the theatre community. Naturally, the noted performances were created and released even before the invasion of Ukraine, and the collectives did not ask for consent from the creators of the productions. However, there is no definitive answer to the question of whether it is worth working for Russian collectives.
Naturally, the main blow was rightly taken by the representatives of pop culture – we are talking about the band "Biełaruskija pieśniary" who "lit up" on New Year's Eve in the "Blue light" show with the participation of local propagandists. Belarusian theatre creators – we are talking about both those listed and the actors working in local theatres (for example, former the Kupałaŭski theatre actors Ivan Trus and Pavieł Charłančuk) – did not allow themselves a single public statement in support of the war. That is why they should be perceived not as guilty, but as hostages of the situation.
In Belarus, they cannot work (because they are on "black lists") or fundamentally do not want to work. The Ukrainian vector became impossible after the start of the war. With the exception of Marholin, they had no experience of long-term relations with Western European collectives. And emigrant theatres are just getting back on their feet and don't have the necessary number of vacancies to satisfy everyone who wants to join them. Russia remains as a forced platform for gathering forces before the future return to Belarus.
Conclusions
Conclusions
Belarusian theatre is used to being hostage to internal and external factors. Over the past decades, there has been minimal financial support from the state, lack of conditions for support from private business, and manifestations of censorship and self-censorship. In 2022, the war was added to the list of these factors.
The story of the Belarusian "legionaires" in Russia is symbolic, because in miniature it reflects a kind of theatrical zugzwang – a situation where any move leads to worsening the situation. The national theatre has found itself hostage to political realities and geopolitics against its will. Its survival is now on the agenda.
The story of the Belarusian "legionaires" in Russia is symbolic, because in miniature it reflects a kind of theatrical zugzwang – a situation where any move leads to worsening the situation. The national theatre has found itself hostage to political realities and geopolitics against its will. Its survival is now on the agenda.