Review of Belarusian Culture: Theatre (September-October '22)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: THEATRE (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER '22)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: THEATRE (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER '22)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: THEATRE (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER '22)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: THEATRE (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER '22)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: THEATRE (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER '22)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: THEATRE (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER '22)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: THEATRE (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER '22)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: THEATRE (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER '22)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: THEATRE (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER '22)
REVIEW OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE: THEATRE (SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER '22)
Belarusian theatre: “dark times”
The Main Trends of the Season:
Belarusian theatre: “dark times”
The Main Trends of the Season:
- The state cultural policy leads to narrowing of Belarusian theatrical space and displacement of managers with different views;
- Almost total annihilation of Belarusian theatrical critique has led to the impossibility of public expert assessment of performances and creation of even basic hierarchy built on the artistic principles that existed before 2020;
- Censoring of performances continues, hiring decisions are made on the Ministry of Culture level which further enhances state intervention in the theatrical sphere;
- Certain Belarusian artists continue successful integration into the Western European theatre system. Those who have experience of working abroad or work as a part of certain organizations have an advantage. Lack of experience when trying to sail freely makes it difficult for some artists.
A discount store in the place of an iconic venue
A discount store in the place of an iconic venue
In the new theatre season Belarusian theatrical space continues to shrink both figuratively and literally.
During the second part of the 2010s OK16 was one of the iconic venues - performances organized by “Art Corporation” were held there as well as OK16’s own productions. After the liquidation of both enterprises a private ballet school was based there. But now everything has “fallen into place”: a Russian chain discount store will open in the building. A symbolic event which demonstrates the city government’s attitude to theatre and culture.
Besides that Belarus has nearly lost one of the national theatre companies. As it became known, the actors of Minsk Regional Puppet Theatre “Batlejka” in Maladziečna were informed at a meeting that from January 1, 2023 they will be a branch of a local drama theatre. No one could clearly explain the reasons for this merger. We believe the desire to save money and to report about optimization was the reason for that.
There was no logic whatsoever in this decision. The specifics of a drama theatre and a puppet theatre are absolutely different. Football and hockey clubs in one town might have been merged just as well since both football and hockey are sports. On a more serious note, that kind of merger would in fact have led to the following: drama actors would continue to perform on the stage while “Batlejka” would be obliged to give offsite performances in schools which could have resulted in its sharp decline and possibly liquidation.
Fortunately, this idea was unexpectedly dropped because of a legal technicality: by law a prospective branch should be in a different locality. This saved “Batlejka”. To be fair, there is no certainty that similar plans for other regional theatres will not emerge in the future. Even though the number of state theatre companies is less than 30 - a tiny amount for a 10-million country.
Meanwhile professionals continue leaving these companies. Jaŭhien Klimakoŭ, who was the head of the Puppet Theatre in Minsk since 1985, resigned from the theatre. He and Alaksiej Lalaŭski were almost a perfect team of a head of a theatre and a chief director in Belarusian realities. It was Klimakoŭ who advanced organization and conducting of the Belarusian International Festival of Puppet Theatre which was held in Minsk since the 1990s (now it is on hold). Officially he resigned of his own accord but we could only guess at the independence of such a decision.
Incidentally, Klimakoŭ was one of the alumni of a famous course of directors in the Theatre and Art Institute (present-day the Academy of Arts) as far back as the Soviet period which was an obviously progressive event then.
Now such specialists are not prepared at universities and random people often hold managerial positions in theatres. At the time of this writing, Klimakoŭ’s replacement has not been appointed.
During the second part of the 2010s OK16 was one of the iconic venues - performances organized by “Art Corporation” were held there as well as OK16’s own productions. After the liquidation of both enterprises a private ballet school was based there. But now everything has “fallen into place”: a Russian chain discount store will open in the building. A symbolic event which demonstrates the city government’s attitude to theatre and culture.
Besides that Belarus has nearly lost one of the national theatre companies. As it became known, the actors of Minsk Regional Puppet Theatre “Batlejka” in Maladziečna were informed at a meeting that from January 1, 2023 they will be a branch of a local drama theatre. No one could clearly explain the reasons for this merger. We believe the desire to save money and to report about optimization was the reason for that.
There was no logic whatsoever in this decision. The specifics of a drama theatre and a puppet theatre are absolutely different. Football and hockey clubs in one town might have been merged just as well since both football and hockey are sports. On a more serious note, that kind of merger would in fact have led to the following: drama actors would continue to perform on the stage while “Batlejka” would be obliged to give offsite performances in schools which could have resulted in its sharp decline and possibly liquidation.
Fortunately, this idea was unexpectedly dropped because of a legal technicality: by law a prospective branch should be in a different locality. This saved “Batlejka”. To be fair, there is no certainty that similar plans for other regional theatres will not emerge in the future. Even though the number of state theatre companies is less than 30 - a tiny amount for a 10-million country.
Meanwhile professionals continue leaving these companies. Jaŭhien Klimakoŭ, who was the head of the Puppet Theatre in Minsk since 1985, resigned from the theatre. He and Alaksiej Lalaŭski were almost a perfect team of a head of a theatre and a chief director in Belarusian realities. It was Klimakoŭ who advanced organization and conducting of the Belarusian International Festival of Puppet Theatre which was held in Minsk since the 1990s (now it is on hold). Officially he resigned of his own accord but we could only guess at the independence of such a decision.
Incidentally, Klimakoŭ was one of the alumni of a famous course of directors in the Theatre and Art Institute (present-day the Academy of Arts) as far back as the Soviet period which was an obviously progressive event then.
Now such specialists are not prepared at universities and random people often hold managerial positions in theatres. At the time of this writing, Klimakoŭ’s replacement has not been appointed.
Censorship and almost serfdom
Censorship and almost serfdom
The new season started with new fault-finding in performances. This time Emmerich Kálmán’s classical operetta “The Duchess of Chicago” fell victim to state officials. After the preview in September attended by officials from the department of culture of Minsk City Executive Committee, the Musical Theatre announced that the premiere was cancelled “due to technical reasons”.
It would appear that “The Duchess of Chicago” is a political satire on European and American realities of the 1920s. But apparently there were similarities with the current situation. According to the theatre employees, the officials did not like the jokes about the start of the war with Japan, homosexual characters and generally favourable depiction of America in the operetta.
The theatre management admitted having to get rid of some characters and certain mise-en-scènes which resulted in the performance being 20 minutes shorter. “Now the plot will not have any dual interpretations” said Adam Murzič, the art director of the theatre. After that the officials finally allowed the performance of “The Dutchess”.
Of course this was not the only new production this autumn - there were performances in other theatres. But years later future researchers will face huge problems trying to analyze them and will probably define them as “dark times”. One of their manifestations is almost total disappearance of public expert review of performances as a result of specialists fired, websites which were the platforms for publications closed, festivals stopped and finally emigration of numerous cultural figures.
Before that it manifested in sparse reviews and feedbacks in social networks, existence of selection for the Belarusian program of ТЕАРТ or “M@rt.кантакт”. But the latter festival has changed leadership and lost its reputation. ТЕАРТ has been closed. The number of reviews dropped sharply. The national theatrical critique has been almost completely wiped out.
There are small remnants of it but texts that are sometimes published in state-run media contain almost no negative reviews. At best the true state of things can be revealed in a paragraph in the middle of the text or even a couple of sentences well hidden in the author’s discourse. There one can briefly enumerate key flaws that call into question all above mentioned merits. At worst there is not even that.
So without direct viewing (only the Theatre of Belarusian Drama streams new productions on VOKA service, some performances are recorded and broadcast on the channel “Belarus 5”) it is impossible to form even an approximate impression about a performance. Positive public review of each and every production makes it impossible to create even a basic system of quality hierarchy based on the artistic principles (existed prior to 2020).
These years will be called “dark times” for a number of other reasons. One of them is backstage decision making and a so-called “phone law”. Officials took full control over the personnel policy: now to get a job in a theatre a person needs not only a letter of recommendation from a previous job. According to our information, an interview with Iryna Dryha, the “grey cardinal” of the Ministry of Culture, is required. A rejection on her part can put a stop to further employment and such practices remind of the “best” traditions of serf theatres.
It would appear that “The Duchess of Chicago” is a political satire on European and American realities of the 1920s. But apparently there were similarities with the current situation. According to the theatre employees, the officials did not like the jokes about the start of the war with Japan, homosexual characters and generally favourable depiction of America in the operetta.
The theatre management admitted having to get rid of some characters and certain mise-en-scènes which resulted in the performance being 20 minutes shorter. “Now the plot will not have any dual interpretations” said Adam Murzič, the art director of the theatre. After that the officials finally allowed the performance of “The Dutchess”.
Of course this was not the only new production this autumn - there were performances in other theatres. But years later future researchers will face huge problems trying to analyze them and will probably define them as “dark times”. One of their manifestations is almost total disappearance of public expert review of performances as a result of specialists fired, websites which were the platforms for publications closed, festivals stopped and finally emigration of numerous cultural figures.
Before that it manifested in sparse reviews and feedbacks in social networks, existence of selection for the Belarusian program of ТЕАРТ or “M@rt.кантакт”. But the latter festival has changed leadership and lost its reputation. ТЕАРТ has been closed. The number of reviews dropped sharply. The national theatrical critique has been almost completely wiped out.
There are small remnants of it but texts that are sometimes published in state-run media contain almost no negative reviews. At best the true state of things can be revealed in a paragraph in the middle of the text or even a couple of sentences well hidden in the author’s discourse. There one can briefly enumerate key flaws that call into question all above mentioned merits. At worst there is not even that.
So without direct viewing (only the Theatre of Belarusian Drama streams new productions on VOKA service, some performances are recorded and broadcast on the channel “Belarus 5”) it is impossible to form even an approximate impression about a performance. Positive public review of each and every production makes it impossible to create even a basic system of quality hierarchy based on the artistic principles (existed prior to 2020).
These years will be called “dark times” for a number of other reasons. One of them is backstage decision making and a so-called “phone law”. Officials took full control over the personnel policy: now to get a job in a theatre a person needs not only a letter of recommendation from a previous job. According to our information, an interview with Iryna Dryha, the “grey cardinal” of the Ministry of Culture, is required. A rejection on her part can put a stop to further employment and such practices remind of the “best” traditions of serf theatres.
Europe is waiting: La Scala, Warsaw, Berlin
Europe is waiting: La Scala, Warsaw, Berlin
The national theatre continued developing outside Belarus as well. The biggest sensation occurred in Italy: Vital Aleksijonak from Belarus became the music director and conductor of “The Little Prince” opera, which premiered in the famous La Scala Theatre in Milan.
Belarusian singers had performed on the world’s best stages before, although their number was low. For example, over the years only 4 Belarusians have sung in the Metropolitan Opera in New York: Kaciaryna Siemiančuk and Iryna Hardziej, lead singers in the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Aksana Vołkava, a star of the Opera Theatre in Minsk, and Alaksandr Rasłaviec, a lead singer in the Hamburg State Opera. So every invitation like that is a major event. It was the first time a company of such a scale had taken an interest in a Belarusian conductor. In fact, after the premiere in Milan Aleksijonak took a job in the German Opera on the Rhine in Dusseldorf. This opens new opportunities for him.
Director Jura Dzivakoŭ, well-known mainly in Belarus until now, continues gaining reputation in Poland. His production “Naścia” became a part of the repertoire of the Powszechny Theatre in Warsaw. Initially there was a draft based on a novella by a Russian writer Vladimir Sorokin. It was shown in December, 2021 and after that the management had to decide whether to keep “Naścia” in the repertoire. As a result a fully fledged premiere took place in April, 2022. The production is shown often. The tickets for January, 2023 are already on sale. The production cast includes actors from Poland, Ukraine and Belarus (among the Belarusians - Kaciaryna Jermałovič, Darja Novik, Volha Kałakolcava and Mikałaj Stońka).
Among the previous successful projects we should mention the premiere of a performance / techno rave party “P for Pischevsky”. It also took place in April, 2022 only not in Warsaw but in Berlin, in the venue of HAU2 Hebbel am Ufer. Later, in October, a 15-minute video about working on the project was released.
“P for Pischevsky” is a joint project between the HUNCHtheatre Belarus (Minsk) and CHEAP (Berlin). It is based on the story of Michaił Piščeŭski, who was attacked after a gay-party in Minsk in 2014, and the court case of his murderer. The production was directed by Uładzimir Ščerbań from Belarus. Among the cast there were representatives from four countries - the USA, Great Britain, Germany and Belarus. The latter was represented by Hleb Kavalski, a DJ and an actor, and Rusia (Maryna Šukiurava), a musician and a singer.
Belarusian singers had performed on the world’s best stages before, although their number was low. For example, over the years only 4 Belarusians have sung in the Metropolitan Opera in New York: Kaciaryna Siemiančuk and Iryna Hardziej, lead singers in the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Aksana Vołkava, a star of the Opera Theatre in Minsk, and Alaksandr Rasłaviec, a lead singer in the Hamburg State Opera. So every invitation like that is a major event. It was the first time a company of such a scale had taken an interest in a Belarusian conductor. In fact, after the premiere in Milan Aleksijonak took a job in the German Opera on the Rhine in Dusseldorf. This opens new opportunities for him.
Director Jura Dzivakoŭ, well-known mainly in Belarus until now, continues gaining reputation in Poland. His production “Naścia” became a part of the repertoire of the Powszechny Theatre in Warsaw. Initially there was a draft based on a novella by a Russian writer Vladimir Sorokin. It was shown in December, 2021 and after that the management had to decide whether to keep “Naścia” in the repertoire. As a result a fully fledged premiere took place in April, 2022. The production is shown often. The tickets for January, 2023 are already on sale. The production cast includes actors from Poland, Ukraine and Belarus (among the Belarusians - Kaciaryna Jermałovič, Darja Novik, Volha Kałakolcava and Mikałaj Stońka).
Among the previous successful projects we should mention the premiere of a performance / techno rave party “P for Pischevsky”. It also took place in April, 2022 only not in Warsaw but in Berlin, in the venue of HAU2 Hebbel am Ufer. Later, in October, a 15-minute video about working on the project was released.
“P for Pischevsky” is a joint project between the HUNCHtheatre Belarus (Minsk) and CHEAP (Berlin). It is based on the story of Michaił Piščeŭski, who was attacked after a gay-party in Minsk in 2014, and the court case of his murderer. The production was directed by Uładzimir Ščerbań from Belarus. Among the cast there were representatives from four countries - the USA, Great Britain, Germany and Belarus. The latter was represented by Hleb Kavalski, a DJ and an actor, and Rusia (Maryna Šukiurava), a musician and a singer.
Theatre outside the country: new war, old repression
Theatre outside the country: new war, old repression
Belarusian theatre companies abroad released a couple of new productions.
The Belarus Free Theatre presented a documentary production “Afterchildhood” (“Паслядзяцінства”) in Warsaw in September. This is 8 stories of teenagers who moved to Poland with their parents fleeing political repression in Belarus and/or the war in Ukraine. The characters who were deprived of home and to a certain extent of childhood were played by the teenagers themselves. “They wrote the texts themselves, drew the poster themselves and acted themselves - my job as a director was just to unite them and direct them to avoid offending adults and parents. To my mind, it is Turgenev’s “Fathers and Sons”, only in real life. It is a conversation between an older and a younger generations” - said the director Pavieł Haradnicki.
The August Theatre - actors from Hrodna who united around the director Andrius Darela under the roof of the Old Theatre of Vilnius - released a documentary production “A Performance That Never Took Place” in September. It is based on the documentary accounts about life in Mariupol occupied by Russia. These accounts were posted daily on Facebook by Nadzieja Sucharukava, a local journalist.
The play starts in the theatre’s basement, continues in the corridors and only then actually goes on the stage. The building has long been in need of major repair but this actually worked out great for the general idea: within the old walls it was possible to fully submerge into the material, viewers could really feel themselves in Mariupol. Thanks to the “journey” along the corridors with their sharp turns there was a feeling of a bomb shelter. And also a labyrinth one should find a way out of.
The actresses (among others Nateła Białuhina and Natalla Lavonava from Belarus) took turns talking to the viewers (there were only about 20 of them, as many as physically possible), stopped in certain places and spoke about another act of aggression and on the walls nearby one could read excerpts from the posts written by people from Mariupol, such as “I felt more comfortable in the basement among the dead than among the living”, or “Silence. Rehearsal in progress” - in Mariupol only those who were in the basement survived the first bombing, everyone on the stage died.
One of the earlier projects of the August Theatre “What for?” was dedicated to the “night of the shot poets” (mass execution of Belarusians in 1937 when more than 100 intellectuals were shot). This - and to be more exact, the poetry in times of repression in general - is the basis of the poetic performance “37-22” (directed by Andrej Saŭčanka) presented in Białystok by “Kupalaŭcy” theatre company.
The “What for?” project came out educational and moving. But due to the lack of high-quality dramatic composition there was an impression that each of the participants tried to express their own pain, which led to everything coming out jumbled. Nevertheless the production had the drive, rhythm and nerve, so it looked well.
“37-22” in comparison lacked energy. The declared storyline (the confrontation between poets and officials) at some point got lost. Because of the very similar style of the pieces recited in the finest tradition of the Kupalaŭski Theatre by actors-officials and actors-poets, the division between “good” and “bad” characters lost meaning and later utterly disappeared. The extremely poor lighting did no justice to the scenography and instead of a good picture showed non-existent bags under the actors’ eyes. As a result the best part of “37-22” was the music by Eryk Arłoŭ-Šymkus.
In one of the interviews actress Valancina Harcujeva said that “Kupalaŭcy” theatre company would try to establish a permanent theatre in Warsaw. Hopefully “37-22” will eventually meet the high standard of the company.
The Belarus Free Theatre presented a documentary production “Afterchildhood” (“Паслядзяцінства”) in Warsaw in September. This is 8 stories of teenagers who moved to Poland with their parents fleeing political repression in Belarus and/or the war in Ukraine. The characters who were deprived of home and to a certain extent of childhood were played by the teenagers themselves. “They wrote the texts themselves, drew the poster themselves and acted themselves - my job as a director was just to unite them and direct them to avoid offending adults and parents. To my mind, it is Turgenev’s “Fathers and Sons”, only in real life. It is a conversation between an older and a younger generations” - said the director Pavieł Haradnicki.
The August Theatre - actors from Hrodna who united around the director Andrius Darela under the roof of the Old Theatre of Vilnius - released a documentary production “A Performance That Never Took Place” in September. It is based on the documentary accounts about life in Mariupol occupied by Russia. These accounts were posted daily on Facebook by Nadzieja Sucharukava, a local journalist.
The play starts in the theatre’s basement, continues in the corridors and only then actually goes on the stage. The building has long been in need of major repair but this actually worked out great for the general idea: within the old walls it was possible to fully submerge into the material, viewers could really feel themselves in Mariupol. Thanks to the “journey” along the corridors with their sharp turns there was a feeling of a bomb shelter. And also a labyrinth one should find a way out of.
The actresses (among others Nateła Białuhina and Natalla Lavonava from Belarus) took turns talking to the viewers (there were only about 20 of them, as many as physically possible), stopped in certain places and spoke about another act of aggression and on the walls nearby one could read excerpts from the posts written by people from Mariupol, such as “I felt more comfortable in the basement among the dead than among the living”, or “Silence. Rehearsal in progress” - in Mariupol only those who were in the basement survived the first bombing, everyone on the stage died.
One of the earlier projects of the August Theatre “What for?” was dedicated to the “night of the shot poets” (mass execution of Belarusians in 1937 when more than 100 intellectuals were shot). This - and to be more exact, the poetry in times of repression in general - is the basis of the poetic performance “37-22” (directed by Andrej Saŭčanka) presented in Białystok by “Kupalaŭcy” theatre company.
The “What for?” project came out educational and moving. But due to the lack of high-quality dramatic composition there was an impression that each of the participants tried to express their own pain, which led to everything coming out jumbled. Nevertheless the production had the drive, rhythm and nerve, so it looked well.
“37-22” in comparison lacked energy. The declared storyline (the confrontation between poets and officials) at some point got lost. Because of the very similar style of the pieces recited in the finest tradition of the Kupalaŭski Theatre by actors-officials and actors-poets, the division between “good” and “bad” characters lost meaning and later utterly disappeared. The extremely poor lighting did no justice to the scenography and instead of a good picture showed non-existent bags under the actors’ eyes. As a result the best part of “37-22” was the music by Eryk Arłoŭ-Šymkus.
In one of the interviews actress Valancina Harcujeva said that “Kupalaŭcy” theatre company would try to establish a permanent theatre in Warsaw. Hopefully “37-22” will eventually meet the high standard of the company.
Conclusions and predictions
Conclusions and predictions
- The division inside the Belarusian theatre deepens.
- Theatre companies in Belarus still live in the Soviet frame of reference characterized by state interference and censorship in almost every area - from hiring personnel and choosing a title for a show to final (dis)approval of a production and its always positive review in mass media. In such circumstances high-quality productions are possible: most of the staff continue working and the degree of interference depends on every individual official. But any success is achieved in spite of, not thanks to the described circumstances.
- Theatre companies in exile gradually expand their activities. By learning from their own mistakes they adapt to a new and unfamiliar system and create a further development strategy. With the exception of the August Theatre, which works with a repertory theatre, they mostly work as project theatres. How long and successful will their activities be? It will depend on a number of factors - importance of their work for Belarusian exiles and local public, funding (culture supporting grants or their own earnings) and, of course, the artistic quality of productions.