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| Belarus Free Theatre: Twitter night and post-show q&a – post your questions | Belarus Free Theatre: Twitter night and post-show q&a – post your questions |
| (4 months later) | |
| In the six years since they first burst on to the British theatre scene, working almost entirely in exile and facing regular death-threats, Belarus Free Theatre have not only campaigned with unflagging energy about the ongoing political situation in their homeland – they've produced some of the most potent drama I've ever seen. | In the six years since they first burst on to the British theatre scene, working almost entirely in exile and facing regular death-threats, Belarus Free Theatre have not only campaigned with unflagging energy about the ongoing political situation in their homeland – they've produced some of the most potent drama I've ever seen. |
| From their harrowing adaptation of Harold Pinter, which began life in Leeds in 2007 – later described by the New York Times as "a startling and shaming presence in these United States" – to Minsk, 2011, their sardonic, sexualised take on life in present-day Belarus, everything BFT have done has felt provocative, powerful and unpredictable. Last year, they trod the boards at the Globe, bringing a scything political edge – not to mention a dangerous eye for comedy – to Shakespeare's King Lear. | From their harrowing adaptation of Harold Pinter, which began life in Leeds in 2007 – later described by the New York Times as "a startling and shaming presence in these United States" – to Minsk, 2011, their sardonic, sexualised take on life in present-day Belarus, everything BFT have done has felt provocative, powerful and unpredictable. Last year, they trod the boards at the Globe, bringing a scything political edge – not to mention a dangerous eye for comedy – to Shakespeare's King Lear. |
| Their new show, Trash Cuisine (their first entirely in English, staged at London's Young Vic), tackles the thorny subject of the death penalty in Belarus, which, according to a piece we ran on the site yesterday, is "conducted with a barbarism that would horrify the electrocutioner in Louisiana". My colleague Michael Billington called the piece "a testament to [the company's] ability to invest indignant protest with artistic imagination". | Their new show, Trash Cuisine (their first entirely in English, staged at London's Young Vic), tackles the thorny subject of the death penalty in Belarus, which, according to a piece we ran on the site yesterday, is "conducted with a barbarism that would horrify the electrocutioner in Louisiana". My colleague Michael Billington called the piece "a testament to [the company's] ability to invest indignant protest with artistic imagination". |
| All of which means we're thrilled to be devoting the latest Guardian / Young Vic tweet night to the work of Belarus Free Theatre. As usual we'll be watching this evening's show together – if you're quick there are still tickets available here – then doing an on-stage discussion immediately afterwards. I'll be joined by BFT co-founder and artistic director Natalia Kaliada, leading human rights lawyer and founder of Reprieve, Clive Stafford Smith, and BFT supporter and Reprieve board member, Vivienne Westwood. | All of which means we're thrilled to be devoting the latest Guardian / Young Vic tweet night to the work of Belarus Free Theatre. As usual we'll be watching this evening's show together – if you're quick there are still tickets available here – then doing an on-stage discussion immediately afterwards. I'll be joined by BFT co-founder and artistic director Natalia Kaliada, leading human rights lawyer and founder of Reprieve, Clive Stafford Smith, and BFT supporter and Reprieve board member, Vivienne Westwood. |
| There's plenty on our plate: BFT's past and future, and the fate of their supporters back in Belarus; the current political situation there, under the autocratic rule of president Alexander Lukashenko; and the role of the death penalty and torture in this and other similarly undemocratic states. Theatrically, I'm fascinated by their process as a group, and how they bring such energetic visual flair to their shows. Politically, I'm sure we'll also be discussing the big one: whether art can really make a dent in dictatorship. | There's plenty on our plate: BFT's past and future, and the fate of their supporters back in Belarus; the current political situation there, under the autocratic rule of president Alexander Lukashenko; and the role of the death penalty and torture in this and other similarly undemocratic states. Theatrically, I'm fascinated by their process as a group, and how they bring such energetic visual flair to their shows. Politically, I'm sure we'll also be discussing the big one: whether art can really make a dent in dictatorship. |
| If you can make it tonight – please do say hello. If you can't, we'll be tweeting about the event using the Twitter hashtag #trashcuisine (you can follow me on @andydickson, and we're also on @GuardianStage). If you have any questions for Natalia, Clive or Vivienne, do post them below, or pop them on Twitter using that hashtag. They could find their way on stage ... | If you can make it tonight – please do say hello. If you can't, we'll be tweeting about the event using the Twitter hashtag #trashcuisine (you can follow me on @andydickson, and we're also on @GuardianStage). If you have any questions for Natalia, Clive or Vivienne, do post them below, or pop them on Twitter using that hashtag. They could find their way on stage ... |
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