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Pussy Riot's Masha Alyokhina brings play to UK Pussy Riot's Masha Alyokhina brings play to UK
(8 days later)
The horrific experiences of being imprisoned, tortured and vilified as a political artist in Russia are to be brought to the UK stage in a debut play written by a member of Pussy Riot. The horrific experiences of being imprisoned, tortured and vilified as a political artist in Russia are to be brought to the UK stage in a debut play co-written by a member of Pussy Riot.
Burning Doors, which will be put on by Belarus Free Theatre, will be created by Masha Alyokhina, one of the members of Russian feminist punk band who were imprisoned by Putin for speaking out against him. Burning Doors will be performed and jointly created by Belarus Free Theatre and Masha Alyokhina, one of the members of Russian feminist punk band who were imprisoned by Putin for speaking out against him.
The play will draw on the experiences not just of Pussy Riot but other imprisoned and censored Russian artists, including Petr Pavlensky, who is currently in jail awaiting trial after he set fire to the door of the Federal Security Service building in an act of artistic rebellion, and Crimean film-maker Oleg Sentsov, who was recently sentenced to 20 years in a Siberian jail.The play will draw on the experiences not just of Pussy Riot but other imprisoned and censored Russian artists, including Petr Pavlensky, who is currently in jail awaiting trial after he set fire to the door of the Federal Security Service building in an act of artistic rebellion, and Crimean film-maker Oleg Sentsov, who was recently sentenced to 20 years in a Siberian jail.
The play is Alyokhina’s first foray into theatre, but said she had been driven to help create the work after Pavlensky was arrested last year.The play is Alyokhina’s first foray into theatre, but said she had been driven to help create the work after Pavlensky was arrested last year.
She said: “Petr is the most important artist working in Russia now, and I really want his message to be spread out to the world. Also I think it is important to prove that artists, particularly political artists, can make more powerful gestures, braver gestures and more uncommon gestures than politicians.”She said: “Petr is the most important artist working in Russia now, and I really want his message to be spread out to the world. Also I think it is important to prove that artists, particularly political artists, can make more powerful gestures, braver gestures and more uncommon gestures than politicians.”
Over the next few months, Alyokhina will travel to Belarus to develop the production with the Belarus Free Theatre ensemble who have to rehearse their theatre in secret in Belarus, after the government banned them on political grounds.Over the next few months, Alyokhina will travel to Belarus to develop the production with the Belarus Free Theatre ensemble who have to rehearse their theatre in secret in Belarus, after the government banned them on political grounds.
She said that while the work would tell both her personal stories, and those of Pavlensky and Sentsov, it would not simply re-enact their lives and she would not just play herself on stage.She said that while the work would tell both her personal stories, and those of Pavlensky and Sentsov, it would not simply re-enact their lives and she would not just play herself on stage.
“I want to use this chance to show moments and situations that we have not spoken about, and which people don’t know about Pussy Riot – both while we were in prison but also afterwards,” she added.“I want to use this chance to show moments and situations that we have not spoken about, and which people don’t know about Pussy Riot – both while we were in prison but also afterwards,” she added.
While both Sentsov and Pavlensky are in jail, their family members are helping Belarus Free Theatre with the production, smuggling out answers to questions to help build up a narrative. As part of the material Pavlensky has written a new essay explaining why he is not a hero but a political artist – and the difference between those things.While both Sentsov and Pavlensky are in jail, their family members are helping Belarus Free Theatre with the production, smuggling out answers to questions to help build up a narrative. As part of the material Pavlensky has written a new essay explaining why he is not a hero but a political artist – and the difference between those things.
“I want this to speak about the place of political artists and political art in the world, and about the difference between radical gestures and art. The message here is the same as in our music and in our political acts. We are fighting against our oppressive governments, just now we are using theatre,” said Alyokhina.“I want this to speak about the place of political artists and political art in the world, and about the difference between radical gestures and art. The message here is the same as in our music and in our political acts. We are fighting against our oppressive governments, just now we are using theatre,” said Alyokhina.
The theatre company, which has been running for more than a decade, has launched an online kickstarter campaign to fund the production and the costs of bringing its ensemble of 29 actors over from Belarus to perform Burning Doors across the UK in cities such as London, Leicester and Manchester in October.The theatre company, which has been running for more than a decade, has launched an online kickstarter campaign to fund the production and the costs of bringing its ensemble of 29 actors over from Belarus to perform Burning Doors across the UK in cities such as London, Leicester and Manchester in October.
Natalia Kolaida, co-founder of Belarus Free Theatre, said they wanted to use the experiences and harrowing stories of Pussy Riot, Sentsov and Pavlensky to make a wider point about freedom of expression, both under dictatorships but also in democracies.Natalia Kolaida, co-founder of Belarus Free Theatre, said they wanted to use the experiences and harrowing stories of Pussy Riot, Sentsov and Pavlensky to make a wider point about freedom of expression, both under dictatorships but also in democracies.
“To be a contemporary artist in Russia today means you are an artist in jail,” she said. “But for a contemporary artist it is not a problem to go to jail because it means you have revealed the weakness of a dictator.“To be a contemporary artist in Russia today means you are an artist in jail,” she said. “But for a contemporary artist it is not a problem to go to jail because it means you have revealed the weakness of a dictator.
“By taking the stories of these three artists, we can use this play to talk about artistic freedom in a broader sense, both under dictatorships but also under democracy, and tackle the idea that a jail is a continuation of their art.”“By taking the stories of these three artists, we can use this play to talk about artistic freedom in a broader sense, both under dictatorships but also under democracy, and tackle the idea that a jail is a continuation of their art.”
Kolaida said the play, which is under development, was an important landmark in Belarus Free Theatre’s campaign against the suppression of artistic freedom.Kolaida said the play, which is under development, was an important landmark in Belarus Free Theatre’s campaign against the suppression of artistic freedom.
She added: “I think those who have lived under a dictatorship, and under censorship, we have very high sensitivity to any form of control which is why we want to share the stories of those particular people. We need to show clearly that it is a mistake to think that when the Soviet Union collapsed, everything became free in that part of the world and that every day artists are suffering just to be able to express themselves.”She added: “I think those who have lived under a dictatorship, and under censorship, we have very high sensitivity to any form of control which is why we want to share the stories of those particular people. We need to show clearly that it is a mistake to think that when the Soviet Union collapsed, everything became free in that part of the world and that every day artists are suffering just to be able to express themselves.”