Podcasts about Belarus Free Theatre

Margaret Hoover sits down with three Belarusian dissidents–exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, athlete-turned-activist Katya Snytsina, and theater director Natalia Kaliada–to discuss their fight against Aleksandr Lukashenko's dictatorship. Kaliada is co-founder of the Belarus Free Theatre, which recently debuted the play KS6: Small Forward in New York, starring Snytsina and telling the story of her journey from Belarusian Olympic basketball player to political activist. In 2020, Tsikhanouskaya's husband Sergei Tikhanovsky was arrested shortly after announcing he would run against Lukashenko. He remains in custody today, but Tsikhanouskaya ran in his place, failing to unseat Lukashenko in an election widely seen as a sham. Snytsina recalls how the mass protests that followed that election inspired her to speak out and leave the national women's basketball team. Kaliada discusses the genesis of the play and explains why art can be a uniquely effective weapon against dictators. Tsikhanouskaya reflects on life in Belarus today, offers a warning for Americans about the urgency of defending democracy abroad, and looks ahead to the country's January 2025 presidential election, which she expects will be a “farce.” This interview was recorded in September after a performance of KS6: Small Forward at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York. Support for “Firing Line with Margaret Hoover” is provided by Robert Granieri, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, Peter and Mary Kalikow, Cliff and Laurel Asness, Charles R. Schwab, Damon Button, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, The Phillip I. Kent Foundation and Al and Kathy Hubbard. Corporate funding is provided by Stephens Inc.

Around 70 million pairs of denim jeans are sold every year in the UK. They come in a dizzying array of shapes and styles, but the essentials haven't changed since they were first conceived in the Californian gold rush 150 years ago. Charlotte Stavrou and Amit Katwala continue their exploration of our culture of consumption by unpicking our abiding love affair with denim. Mohsin Sajid, denim designer and lecturer at some of the UK's top fashion colleges, takes us through the history of denim which originated as tough workwear, to its golden age of 1950s American youth culture. Meanwhile, Bryan Szabo who runs an annual raw denim fade competition - the Indigo Invitational - explains how denim allows wearers to leave an imprint on their clothes and tell a unique story. Sir John Hegarty discusses his agency's relaunch of Levi's 501 jeans in the 1980s when an irresistible combination of visual and music references made this item so desirable it became a symbol of rebellion in the Cold War. We hear from Nicolai Khalezin of the Belarus Free Theatre about how denim was used in Belarus to bolster a protest movement. Produced by: Ruth Abrahams and Emily Uchida Finch A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4

The Belarus Free Theatre has been banned in its own country. Its artists now live in exile making powerful, political work like their latest play "Dogs of Europe". As that piece comes to the stage in Paris, the company's co-founder Natalia Kaliada speaks to FRANCE 24's Olivia Salazar-Winspear about the rise of authoritarianism in both Belarus and Russia.

durée : 00:59:38 - Tous en scène - par : Aurélie Charon - Le Belarus Free Theatre est en exil et présente à Paris "Dogs of Europe", fiction prophétique qui se passe en 2049 et oppose une Russie autoritaire à une Europe libre et faible. Christiane Jatahy dans "Après le silence" évoque le racisme post-colonial au Brésil envers les afro descendants. - invités : Christiane Jatahy

durée : 00:59:38 - Tous en scène - par : Aurélie Charon - Le Belarus Free Theatre est en exil et présente à Paris "Dogs of Europe", fiction prophétique qui se passe en 2049 et oppose une Russie autoritaire à une Europe libre et faible. Christiane Jatahy dans "Après le silence" évoque le racisme post-colonial au Brésil envers les afro descendants. - invités : Christiane Jatahy

His latest graphic novel sketches out the trajectory of a leader who has cast a shadow over geopolitics for two decades. Vladimir Putin's inscrutable features haunt the pages of Darryl Cunningham's book “Putin: The Rise of a Dictator”. The author and illustrator tells us more about capturing Putin's inscrutable expression, and we discuss how press crackdowns have affected Russian public opinion. We also hear from Natalia Kaliada of the Belarus Free Theatre, whose recent production “Dogs of Europe” is a warning shot in response to Russian authoritarianism, revealing the high price that Putin's critics have paid.

durée : 00:59:49 - Tous en scène - par : Aurélie Charon - Le Belarus Free Theatre est en exil à Londres. Ses deux fondateurs Natalia Koliada et Nicolai Khalezin le sont depuis 2011, l'ensemble de la compagnie vient de les rejoindre. Tiago Rodrigues a écrit un spectacle à partir des récits d'humanitaires de la Croix Rouge et de Médecins sans frontières. - invités : Tiago Rodrigues Dramaturge et metteur en scène, directeur du Théâtre National de Lisbonne

ARCHIVE EDITION: Belarus Free Theatre was founded by Natalia Koliada and Nikolai Khalezin in 2005. After falling foul of Belarus’s oppressive political regime, the company has been forced to hold performances in secret for 17 years. In 2021 the whole ensemble left their home country of Belarus and are now in exile. At a critical moment […]

Sommaren 2020 började den belarusiska filmaren Aliaksei Paluyan följa Belarus Free Theatre i Minsk dokumentärprojektet kom snart att snarare handla om de protester som bröt ut efter presidentvalet. Som hamnat i ett nytt ljus efter invasionen av Ukraina. P1 Kultur har träffat regissören och Fredrik Wadström kommenterar. Programledare: Saman Bakhtiari Producent: Saman Bakhtiari

Sommaren 2020 började den belarusiska filmaren Aliaksei Paluyan följa Belarus Free Theatre i Minsk dokumentärprojektet kom snart att snarare handla om de protester som bröt ut efter presidentvalet. Nu visas filmen på dokumentärfilmfestivalen Tempo. P1 Kultur har träffat regissören. Kommentar av Fredrik Wadström. KULTURARVET RISKERAR ATT BLI MÅLTAVLA I IDENTITETSKRIG Kulturarvet konsten, byggnaderna, sångerna, monumenten som berättar om vilka vi är, vart vi ska och var vi kommer ifrån  löper särskilt stor risk att utsättas i de krig där nationell identitet har en viktig roll. Reportage av Mattias Berg om kulturarvets roll i kriget i Ukraina.VECKANS ORD: EKOLODDen här veckan har Katarina Wikars sjunkit ner i den tyska författaren Walter Kempowskis skildringar av krigets verkningar. Han samlade mängder av fragment i form av vittnesmål, bilder och berättelser från andra världskriget, som han sedan sammanställde i det gigantiska verket "Das Echolot". I ett försök att synliggöra vad som finns under ytan i det kollektiva medvetandet. Veckans ord är - "Ekolod"NY FILM: ROADMOVIE MED FAMILJ PÅ VÄG MOT UPPLÖSNINGEn ny stjärna har tänts på den iranska filmhimlen i och med regissören Panah Panahis debutfilm Hit The Road, om en familj som kör mot sin egen upplösning. Intervju med regissören Panah Panahi.ESSÄ: TÄNK OM DET ÄR MENINGSLÖSHETEN SOM ÄR GREJEN?När världen rasar och allting tycks osäkert och obegripligt: var hittar vi då de där rena svaren, den avklarnade blicken på världen? I dagens essä tar författaren Mattias Hagberg sig an just den frågan. Svaren tycks leda honom till en värld som består av brus, nonsens och trams.Programledare: Saman Bakhtiari Producent: Saman Bakhtiari

Igår fick Abdulrazak Gurnah ta emot sitt Nobelpris i litteratur men varför hade så få i Sverige läst honom? Vilken del av världens litteratur når oss i översatt form, och vad är det vi missar? RISKERAR VI ATT MISSA NÄSTA NOBELPRISTAGARE? Ungefär en femtedel av den litteratur som ges ut i Sverige är översatt från andra språk. Ett smalt nålsöga att passera för all världens böcker eller en rimlig andel? Vad avgör vilka böcker som översätts till svenska, och hur går processen till? Kritikern Ingrid Elam, förläggaren Dorotea Bromberg och översättaren och Augustprisade författaren Nils Håkansson gästar P1 Kultur för ett samtal om den översatta litteraturen.UNDERJORDISK TEATERGRUPP EVAKUERAR TILL LONDONEfter att ha verkat underjordiskt i diktaturen Belarus i mer än 15 år har teatergruppen Belarus Free Theatre nu evakuerat hela sin ensemble ur landet. Hör kulturredaktionens Fredrik Wadström.FADERSUPPGÖRELSE I KINESISK MEMOARBOKGöran Sommardal har läst kinesiske Yan Liankes memoarbok "Tre bröder" och ser i sin recension paralleller till fadersuppgörelser i den svenska arbetarlitteraturen.ESSÄ: VAD HADE HÄNT OM HISTORIEN TAGIT EN ANNAN VÄNDNING?I Dagens OBS-essä hör vi om romaner som ställer frågan: Vad hade hänt om den europeiska koloniseringen av Amerika fått ett helt annat, motsatt förlopp? Dan Jönsson reflekterar kring kontrafaktisk historieskrivning och vad den kan lära oss. Programledare: Eskil Larsson Producent: Karin Arbsjö

Britain's foremost writer of political drama, James Graham, has written a new play ‘Best of Enemies', about the television debates in the US in 1968 between the right wing thinker William Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal, the left wing writer. When they began yelling at each other ratings soared - and political coverage changed. Graham talks to presenter Tom Sutcliffe about his play and the striking parallels between what happened in 1968 and what's going on today, in politics and on social media. Lamb is a new Icelandic movie about a farming couple, María and Ingvar, who are shocked to learn that one of their pregnant sheep has given birth to a bizarre human/sheep hybrid. The film is directed by Valdimar Jóhannsson, who also co-wrote the screenplay with author, Sjón. Lamb, which stars Noomi Rapace, was selected Iceland's entry for the Best International Feature Film at this year's Oscars. Briony Hanson reviews. Earlier this year Front Row covered the imprisonment of members of the Belarus Free Theatre. Now, the entire company has left the country. As the ensemble works on a play that will be staged at the Barbican in the spring, Front Row visits their rehearsal room to hear the experiences of some of the cast. Svetlana Sugako, the theatre's managing director, joins us live in the studio to discuss why they are determined to carry on making theatre. Front Row remembers the actor Antony Sher, who has died aged 72. Sher was best known for his Shakespearian roles, including Richard III for which he won an Oliver award. In an interview from Front Row's archives, Antony Sher discusses why playing a New York drag queen in Torch Song Trilogy by Harvey Fierstein meant so much to him. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Olivia Skinner Photo: James Graham

In this episode we will talk about two media organizations that overcame geographical distances to report on their homes from abroad. They are also doing much more than that: they have created a synthesis of different art forms and journalism and became critical voices and sources of information for their public. The story of Belarus Free Theatre, an underground theatre company and Al-Hudood a satirical news site show how journalism can transform critical art forms and political activism. This special episode was split in two parts in order to allow for the stories to be told in their own terms. Original music for the series was composed by András Simongáti-Farquhar.

Author Robert Jones Jr. talks about his new novel The Prophets and the influence James Baldwin had on his life and career. Natalia Kaliada is the co-founder of Belarus Free Theatre, she talks about the radical art coming out of Belarus and Russia. Canada Reads is just over a month a way, so Kim's Convenience star Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, who is defending Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots, drops by to talk about the book.

This week’s podcast episode is a very important one, so let’s get straight to it. Katherine and Paul speak to writer, human rights campaigner, political refugee, theatre-maker and ‘public enemy’ to Alexander Lukashenko’s regime in Belarus, Natalia Kaliada.Natalia is a founding Co-Artistic Director of Belarus Free Theatre, a collective of artists who use the power of theatre to fight for democracy in Belarus and oppose what’s known as ‘the last dictatorship in Europe’.We hear about Natalia’s own experiences living a not-so-censored life under an oppressive regime. Including her exile to London and how she continues to fight the same fight her ancestors did (her grandfather survived German concentration camps and Soviet gulags before ever Alexander Lukashenko came to dictatorial rule in his beloved Belarus). Resistance is seemingly in her DNA.Natalia shares the stories of the Belarus protesters, 15,000 of whom have been imprisoned, raped or killed by the Belarus government this year. We hear how theatre has helped some of them through their imprisonment and how Belarus Free Theatre continues to use art as a tool to take down the dictatorship.Katherine and Paul reflect on the importance of this conversation and how now, more than ever, we need to stand with the people of Belarus; not just to demand democracy for them, but to actively protect democracy around the world for everyone.Links, resources and episode timestamps (for all you skippers out there) below.____ABOUT NATALIANatalia Kaliada is a founding Co-Artistic Director of Belarus Free Theatre as well as a writer, human rights campaigner and producer and is one of the most outspoken critics of Belarus’s repressive regime.Belarus Free Theatre was founded in 2005 in Europe's last surviving dictatorship, by Natalia Kaliada and Nicolai Khalezin. BFT’s performances take place in selected secret venues around Minsk with audiences alerted to their existence by text message or e-mail. Although forced to operate under cover within Belarus, the Theatre has travelled widely and has gained a growing international reputation. They continue to create exceptional theatre under near impossible conditions underground in Belarus. The company has found a home as associate artists of the Young Vic, London.Natalia Kaliada has been detained, arrested without access to counsel and threatened with rape for her participation in peaceful rallies that were called “subversive” activities and “unstable elements” by the Belarusian authorities. After the tragic events in Belarus in 2010, she and her husband were smuggled out of Belarus and now live in exile in London.Website: https://www.belarusfreetheatre.com/ Instagram: @belarusfreetheatreFacebook: @belarusfreetheatreTwitter: @BFreeTheatre____TAKE ACTIONSupport Belarus Free Theatre http://www.belarusfreetheatre.com/ I’m with the Banned http://www.belarusfreetheatre.com/en/bft/imwiththebanned/#Banned Ask your local MP to add “major scumbags” who support Lukashenko’s regime to a sanctions list so their assets will be frozen.____LINKS AND RESOURCESBelarus Free Theatre https://www.belarusfreetheatre.com/ Ministry Of Counterculture https://moc.media/Who is long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko? https://www.euronews.com/2020/08/07/belarus-presidential-election-who-is-long-time-leader-alexander-lukashenko Who is Svetlana Tikhanovskaya? https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/13/world/europe/belarus-opposition-svetlana-tikhanovskaya.htmlAlexander Lukashenko on Coronavirus https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/coronavirus-belarus-alexander-lukashenko-vodka-sauna-countryside-tractors-a9434426.html Natalia on Bruatility https://euobserver.com/opinion/149384 Brutality in Belarus https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-53776461 Belarus bans two opposition candidates https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/14/belarus-bans-two-opposition-candidates-from-running-in-elections Balaklava Blues http://www.balaklavablues.com/ Balaklava Blues at Greenbelt https://www.greenbelt.org.uk/artists/balaklava-blues-presented-by-belarus-free-theatre/ Generation Jeans https://theconversation.com/denim-and-revolution-belarus-free-theatres-generation-jeans-resonates-101442 Being Harold Pinter https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03bcpyk Red Forest http://totaltheatre.org.uk/belarus-free-theatre-red-forest/ Discover Love https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p038x587 Trash Cuisine https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p038x5sq Burning Doors https://www.vulture.com/2017/10/theater-review-burning-doors-is-a-fiery-anti-putin-scream.html Dogs of Europe https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2020/event/belarus-free-theatre-dogs-of-europe Belarus: thousands protest against death of teacher in police custody https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/15/belarus-thousands-protest-against-death-of-teacher-in-police-custody Is Protest Art Just Propaganda? Or is All Art a Form of Protest? https://www.greenbelt.org.uk/talks/is-protest-art-just-propaganda-or-is-all-art-a-form-of-protest/ ____00:00 - Welcome to Somewhere To Believe In01:00 - Introducing Natalia and the work do Belarus Free Theatre05:36 - Natalia joins the conversation06:44 - Natalia on Belarus Free Theatre11:20 - Natalia on generations of resistance16:12 - Natalia on a lifetime of fighting for democracy21:50 - Natalia on western democracy and dictatorship29:24 - Natalia on 2020 in Belarus41:11 - Natalia on theatre as protest49:07 - How to support Belarus Free Theatre51:36 - Katherine and Paul reflect on the conversation with Natalia1:05:40 - Coming up next week 1:06:09 - How to get in touch with us1:06:56 - Thank you’s1:07:29 - Hidden track____A huge thanks to the Greenbelt Volunteer Talks Team for all their hard work on editing this episode. Our podcast music is ‘I Can Change’ by Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires.____https://www.greenbelt.org.uk/#SomewhereToBelieveIn See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Often called “Europe’s last dictator”, Aleksandr Lukashenko has been President of Belarus since 1994, frequently holding dubious elections and referenda to give his regime the veneer of democracy. Protests after the most recent contest in August, in which writers and artists were prominent, brought international attention back to Lukashenko’s governance, but the Belarus Free Theatre have been making work at home and abroad about oppression and censorship in the country for the last fifteen years. This month on Resonance 104.4fm, Juliet spoke to the Theatre’s co-founder Natalia Kaliada, in exile in London, and Svetlana Sugako, the Theatre’s co-manager in Minsk, about their work, the regime and the recent protests. Please note: this episode was recorded via Skype, with Svetlana in Belarus, so apologies for the occasional lapses in sound quality. A full list of references for the programme can be found via our Patreon at www.patreon.com/suite212, and is available to $3 subscribers – our theme music is 'Aus' by Fennesz.

For more than 20 years, people in Belarus have been protesting against the authoritarian rule of President Alexander Lukashenko - who's been dubbed Europe's last dictator. Lukashenko came to power in a landslide election victory in 1994 but he soon changed the constitution to give himself sweeping new powers. He has remained in office ever since, winning elections which observers say are rigged. Opponents of the regime have faced harassment, violence and arrest. Some are believed to have been kidnapped and murdered by the state. Alex Last has been speaking to the exiled dissident and co-founder of the Belarus Free Theatre, Nikolai Khalezin, about the origins of the protest movement in Belarus. Photo: A banner compares Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to Stalin and Hitler, during a protest march in Minsk, Belarus, March 15, 2000 (Getty Images)

His people have turned against him in the streets but Belarus's dictator Alexander Lukashenko is still in power and his security forces are still following his orders. So where do the anti-Lukashenko activists go from here? Stephen Sackur speaks to Natalia Kaliada, one of the founders of the Belarus Free Theatre, an artist dissident in exile. Will Belarus's summer rebellion be blown away with the autumn leaves?

Lovecraft Country is a new 10-episode HBO series, based on the 2016 novel by Matt Ruff, set in 1950s Jim Crow America. The story is about a young African American man whose search for his missing father begins a struggle to survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and also terrifying monsters that could be pulled from the pages of horror fiction writer H.P Lovecraft’s weird tales. Writer and broadcaster Ekow Eshun reviews the series. We continue our interviews with the writers shortlisted for the 2020 Women’s Prize for Fiction. American author Jenny Offill discusses her acclaimed novel, Weather, about a female librarian struggling to cope with a domestic life haunted by the growing awareness of catastrophic climate change. National Prison Radio is run by a British prison-based charity, broadcasting programmes made by and for prisoners in over 100 prisons in the UK, and is the world's first national radio station of its kind. Next week they broadcast an ambitious radio drama – a 29 minute sci–fi adventure called Project Zed, conceived and produced by artist Ruth Beale, working with prisoners at HMP Lincoln. It was commissioned by Mansions of the Future - an arts and cultural hub in Lincoln City Centre. Samira is joined by Ruth and facilitator Sonia Rossington, who worked together with the prisoners to put the drama together. On Monday’s Front Row we heard from Natalia Kaliada, co-founder of the Belarus Free Theatre - the only company in Europe to be banned by their country’s government – who told us three of their members have been arrested in Minsk following the election. Their whereabouts and condition were unknown. Natalia returns to Front Row with an update. Main image: Jonathan majors as Atticus Freeman in Sky Atlantic's series Lovecraft Country Image credit: (c) Elizabeth Morris/2020 Home Box Office Inc Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Emma Wallace

Xiaolu Guo was named as one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists 2013. She talks about her latest book A Lover’s Discourse, which is a story of love and language – and the meaning of home set at the time of the European referendum. With a nod to Roland Barthes’ book of the same name, Guo’s novel is told through conversations between a Chinese woman newly arrived in the UK and her Anglo-German boyfriend. It is 100 years since Bernard Leach, with his Japanese colleague Hamada Shojie, established his pottery in St Ives. Since then his influence as a studio potter, making vessels that are both beautiful and functional, by hand, has spread around the globe. Roelof Uys, the lead potter at the studio today, discusses Leach's ideas and work, and the projects marking the centenary. Last night three members of the Belarus Free Theatre - Nadia Brodskaya, Sveta Sugako and Dasha Andreyanova - were arrested in Minsk, during protests against the results - widely believed to be fabricated - of the election there. Their colleagues in the company do not know where they are being held. We hear from Natalia Kaliada, one of the founding directors of the Belarus Free Theatre, the only theatre company in Europe banned by its government on political grounds. London's Donmar Warehouse is re-opening temporarily from 3 to 22 August with a socially-distanced sound installation, Blindness, which is based on the dystopian novel by Nobel prize-winning José Saramago, adapted by Simon Stephens and starring the voice of Juliet Stevenson. Susannah Clapp reviews. Main image above: Xiaolu Guo Image credit: Stephen Barker Presenter Tom Sutcliffe Producer Jerome Weatherald

The award-winning Belarus Free Theatre was founded 15 years ago to create drama around issues of human rights and creative freedom in a country which has been called Europe’s last surviving dictatorship. It creates provocative physical shows attended by audiences in secret locations around Minsk and has achieved international recognition and support. BFT’s founding artistic directors Natalia Kaliada and Nicolai Khalezin cannot rehearse the actors face to face because they are now political refugees living in the United Kingdom. So, for the past nine years they have been using a Skype line to connect with the performers hundreds of miles away. Natalia and Nicolai have been rehearsing the actors in a new play called Dogs of Europe, based on the novel by the contemporary Belarusian author Alhierd Bacharevic, which depicts life in a dystopian super state where individual freedoms are taken away. As well as performing in Minsk, the actors were also set to come to London and perform at the Barbican Theatre. But Covid-19 has put an end to that plan. So what will the company do instead? The BBC’s Olga Smirnova follows Natalia and Nikolai during the process of rehearsal and performance and hears from them and the actors about the techniques of directing from a distance. She also talks to the British actor and writer Stephen Fry who is taking part in BFT’s newest venture.

In this episode, we meet artists and performers who are passionate about changing the world in this series, The Art of Change. Today, Chris Gunness heads into rehearsal with underground political theatre company, Belarus Free Theatre, to speak to Natalia Kaliada and Nikolai Khalezin to learn more about creating theatre in exile. Subscribe to Nothing Concrete on Acast, Spotify, iTunes or wherever you find your podcasts. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Gabrielle Wang's novel A Ghost in My Suitcase has been adapted for the stage by Barking Gecko Theatre, Opera Queensland reinterpret Mozart's womanising anti-hero in a new production directed by Lindy Hume, Tasdance premiere a new site-specific work at Queenstown's The Unconformity arts festival, and Fiona Gruber reviews Trustees by the Belarus Free Theatre.

Bridget Fiske is a dancer, choreographer and dance facilitator. Originating from Australia and now based in Manchester, UK, her work takes place across different locations and spaces. Studying at WAAPA, Bridget went on to dance with Buzz Dance Theatre. Bridget has worked with Belarus Free Theatre on a range of projects as choreographic, movement and rehearsal director including Burning Doors (winner ‘Best Ensemble’ Off West End Awards and listed in the New York Times Best Theatre of 2017), Trash Cuisine (winner 2013 Impacto Totale Award) and Red Forest. Bridget has just finished working as Movement Director on Trustees, a Malthouse Theatre and Melbourne International Arts Festival production by the directors of Belarus Free Theatre. Bridget facilitates works at the Lowry Centre for Advanced Training in Dance, giving young people an opportunity to develop their own voice in dance. This interview covers so much territory exploring three strands of Bridget’s practice.

Stream podcast episodes on demand from www.bitesz.com (mobile friendly).TrusteesIn a major policy shift, the government has announced a moratorium on funding for performing arts organisations Australia-wide. The Trustees of Melbourne’s fictional Lone Pine Theatre Company gather to assess the damage—but what dark clouds might rise from the ashes?Amid the chatter and outrage and belligerence of public conversation lies a void: the Great Australian Silence. What are we afraid of hearing? Who are we afraid will say it? Political theatre outlaws Natalia Kaliada and Nicolai Khalezin of Belarus Free Theatre have conceived an explosive new work with some extraordinary Australian performers: Tammy Anderson, Natasha Herbert, Niharika Senapati, Hazem Shammas, and Daniel Schlusser.Who is meant to have an opinion in modern Australia? Maybe it’s best you don’t answer that.For more information visit  https://malthousetheatre.com.au/whats-on/trustees Theatre First RSS feed:   https://feeds.megaphone.fm/ivetheatrereviews Subscribe, rate and review Theatre First at all good podcatcher apps, including Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes), Stitcher, Pocket Casts, audioBoom, CastBox.FM, Podbean etc.If you're enjoying Theatre First podcast, please share and tell your friends. Your support would be appreciated...thank you.#theatre #stage #reviews #melbourne #australia #trustees Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Exiled co-founders of Belarus Free Theatre return to Australia to stage their play Generation Jeans — a look at the political power of jeans in Soviet-era Belarus, memories of Horsham's battle for a modern theatre vindicated by The Australian Ballet's return with Coppélia, Shakespeare's Julius Caesar set in a dystopia of populist leaders and fake news by director James Evans for Bell Shakespeare, and Sydney's theatre community wonder about the fate of the still shuttered Theatre Royal.

Ian chatted to the cast of Tomorrow I Was A Lion, first ever production from Belarus Free Theatre with a British cast. Duo act Bourgeois & Maurice stopped by the studio – they chat about their Soho Theatre show and performed live. Plus, this episode featured glory holes, arseholes, carbonara and much more!

The Belarus Free Theatre has long been a monument to democracy and human rights—and the target of one of the world’s worst dictatorships. Cofounder Natalia Kaliada explains why, despite the persecution, the show goes on. (Published: October 23, 2017)

Dissident Island Radio presents episode 180 featuring:   – Belarus Free Theatre – the only theatre in Europe banned by its government on political grounds – discussing their production of “Tomorrow I Was Always a Lion”, alongside a member of Antiuniversity Now who are organising a series of after-show workshops address the issues raised by it (00:01:28 – 00:23:15)   –  Dr. Tom Cawkwell discusses his book investigating how the Afghan war was sold to the British public and how Britain's transnational foreign and defence policy impacted the UK's strategy in Afghanistan (00:28:37 – 00:52:42)   – LDMG's Andy discussing the ongoing East Street trial (00:58:06 – 01:08:59)   – DJs Deadly Buzz and Squeaky Grinder on the wheels of steel (01:12:06 – 02:14:06)   Plus the usual nonsense and tunes from Cheap Jazz, and Strobes.

Ian chatted to the cast of Tomorrow I Was A Lion, first ever production from Belarus Free Theatre with a British cast. Duo act Bourgeois & Maurice stopped by the studio – they chat about their Soho Theatre show and performed live. Plus, this episode featured glory holes, arseholes, carbonara and much more!

Belarus is Europe's last old-fashioned dictatorship - a country where political dissent gets you beaten up and locked up. Hardtalk speaks to one Belarussian who has refused to be cowed by President Lukashenko's iron fist. Natalia Kaliada co-founded the Belarus Free Theatre almost a decade ago. Directors, actors, even the audience have all faced arrest and imprisonment, but still their shows go on. Is drama an effective tool of resistance?(Photo: Natalia Kaliada)

Nature Theater of Oklahoma talks with Natalia Koliada of the Belarus Free Theatre about the challenges of making art in a police state where people are regularly kidnapped, killed and tortured. We’ve blabbed a lot in this podcast about the difficulties of making theater even working in the best possible circumstances – so how does this ambitious company company manage to keep itself going in the face of real physical threat and displacement? (The leadership of the company, including Natalia, are currently in London living in exile, while the majority of their actors and collaborators remain in Belarus). How does it work when rehearsals are conducted over skype and performances are streamed live via internet from London for audiences in Belarus? Can we learn anything from their resourcefulness and perseverance? (Yes.)

Fredrik Wadström om en världsberömd teatergrupp från Minsk, ett program om förföljelse, motstånd och exil. Belarus Free Theatre bildades 2005 när en grupp skådespelare, regissörer, dramatiker och producenter i Minsk tröttnat på att inte kunna spela politisk samtidsdramatik på vitryska teaterscener. Medlemmarna blev snabbt av med sina jobb på statliga teatrar i Minsk men fick lika snabbt internationellt rykte som en av de viktigaste europeiska nya teatergrupperna. Numera lever en handfull av gruppens konstnärliga ledning i exil i Storbritannien och hotas av fängelsestraff om de återvänder till Vitryssland. Kulturradions Fredrik Wadström har regelbundet träffat Belarus Free Theatre från de underjordiska repetitionerna i lägenheter i Minsk 2006 till den hyllade uppsättningen av Shakespeares "Kung Lear" på Globe Theatre i London 2012.

Listen HEREWhat are we afraid of? It's not like we are being arrested by the KGB:BBC outlook: Belarus Free Theatrehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus_Free_TheatreAnd if people stopped doing violent things and stupid things we won't have to worry about anything like that, now would we? Please promote veganism!  Peacefully! more to come....

Kosmo har varit i Lettland där ryskans status har blivit ett politiskt slagträ, sett Belarus Free Theatre spela Shakespeare på vitryska i London och varit i Rwanda där kineserna exploaterar språk och kultur. När sovjetunionen föll uppstod 15 nya länder och språkfrågan kom snabbt att bli politiskt laddad när de nya nationerna skulle byggas upp. Ryskan status som maktspråkt har ifrågasatts på de flesta håll - men med ett tydligt undantag  - Vitryssland. I Belarus, eller Vitryssland som landet kallas på svenska, är ryskan fortfarande förknippat med makten och vitryskan med den oppositionen som motsätters sig Lukasjenkos diktatur. När den numera världskända vitryska teatern Belarus Free Theatre uppträdde på den pågående internationella teaterfestivalen Globe To Globe i London så var det en stor sak att just vitryskan, som kommit att förknippas med oppositionen, hördes från scenen på the Globe Theatre. Sedan ett och ett halvt år tillbaka lever den konstnärliga ledningsgruppen, som består av Nikolaj Chalezin och Nalia Koliada, i exil och hotas av fängelse om de återvänder till Vitryssland. Men de flesta av skådespelarna bor fortfarande kvar i den vitryska huvudstaden Minsk och åker därifrån ut på gästspel i världen. Fredrik Wadström har mött dem i London. I februari i år var det folkomröstning i Lettland där man röstade om huruvida ryskan skulle bli ett officiellt språk eller ej. Svaret blev ett rungande nej och har förstås sin historiska förklaring. Lettland ingick i Sovjetunionen mellan 1944 och 1991 och ryskans ses av månnga som "ockupantspråket". Idag är över 30 procent av befolkningen ryskspråkiga. Den lettiske TV-profilen och komikerna Viesturs Dulle, som initierade en bojkott av folkomröstningen, säger att det  uppstått två parallella informationssamhällen, med separata tidningar, tv-program och andra medier, där man pratar om varandra men inte med varandra. Lite som ett dysfunktionellt äktenskap.  Frilansjournalisten Per Shapiro som har lång erfarenhet från landet har varit i Lettland för att ta reda på varför språkfrågan dök upp just nu. Och så har Kosmo varit Rwanda. I Afrika har kinesiskan blir ett vanligare inslag i många länder i takt med att kinesiska företag etablerar sig på kontinenten. Men det är inte bara inom näringslivet som Kina försöker slå sig fram utan man vill även exportera den kinesiska kulturen. Idag har man öppnat 25 Konfuciusinstitut öppnas runt om i Afrika. Där får man lära sig allt från Kung Fu, kinesisk historia och till det kinesiska språket. Marcus Hansson och Peter Bjurbo besökte ett Konfuciusinstitut i Rwandas huvudstad Kigali. Programledare: Fredrik Wadström Producent: Marie Liljedahl

Kosmo har reportage från Vitryssland eller Belarus som är den inhemska benämningen på landet. I huvudstaden Minsk med två miljoner invånare finns det en europeisk urban kultur som många gånger tvingas leva i under jorden. Sedan presidentvalet i december har landets säkerhetstjänst trappat upp förföljelsen av oberoende krafter. Mer än någonsin har saker ställts på sin spets i det vitryska samhället och därför också i kulturlivet. Sveriges Radios korrespondent i forna Sovjetunionen, Fredrik Wadström, har regelbundet besökt Minsk under mer än tio års tid. Hör hans rapport om den oberoende vitryska kulturen i skuggan av de pågående rättegångarna mot oppositionella. Belarus Free Theatre har blivit något av internationella teatervärldens älsklingar och skyddslingar och det internationella uppbådet av kulturpersonligheter som stödjer dem bara växer: Tom Stoppard är en sorts fadersfigur för dem, Kevin Spacey har gett dem en stående inbjudan till Old Vic i London, Laurie Andersson och Lou Reed stödjer dem. Till det kan man lägga till alla mer eller mindre kända teaterarbetare världen över som upplåter scener, replokaler och ställen att bo på för denna unika teatergrupp som lyckas kombinera en stark och intressant konstnärlig estetik med en uppenbar och plågsamt synlig politisk teater. Den fria teatern från Minsk leds av paret Natalia Koliada och Nikolai Khalezin som sedan i januari befinner sig i exil efter att öppet stött oppositionen i landet. Just nu spelar man tre pjäser i New York och Sveriges Radios kulturkorrespondent Gunnar Bolin var där i veckan och passade på att se föreställningen Beeing Harold Pinter tala med Natalia Koliada om tillvaron i exil. Vladimir Nekljajev var den kände poeten som gjorde politisk kometkarriär i Vitryssland under 2010 som ledarfigur för den nystartade rörelsen Tala sanning!. I veckan inleddes rättegången mot Nekljajev för att han uppmanat sina väljare att komma till torget och protestera mot regimen på valnatten. Men själv kom han aldrig dit eftersom han misshandlades svårt på vägen av vad som tycks ha varit ett specialkommando från vitryska säkerhetstjänsten. Senare på valnatten hämtades Nekljajev av okända personer från sin sjukhussäng och först efter en vecka fick hans anhöriga veta att han satt i häkte hos KGB. Under de senaste månaderna har den före detta presidentkandidaten suttit i husarrest och Fredrik Wadström träffade i Minsk hans fru Olga Nekljajeva. Och Kosmo tar också upp ett av landets och regionens stora problem – trafficking  - något som skildrats både i litteraturen och på bioduken. Programledare: Anneli Dufva Producent: Marie Liljedahl

Goodman Theatre Artistic Director Bob Falls and Exective Director Roche Schulfer join Anne Nicholson Weber to talk about the Belarus Free Theatre - a theatre company "on the run." How did Chicago become a temporary refuge for the company? What is their future? What did we in Chicago learn from them as artists and activists?

"World leaders need to answer to artists." This was the rallying cry of Natalia Kaliada, artistic director of the Belarus Free Theatre, at a benefit for the embattled dissident troupe organized by the PEN American Center that was held at Le Poisson Rouge on Wednesday. She added “politicians do not have steps; they have just words.” Belarus Free Theatre is the little theater company that could, and the media have been quick to pick up on its story. A few weeks ago the members of the company were either in jail or in hiding, the targets of a crackdown by Belarus’ government after recent election protests. Last week, they were in town for the Under the Radar festival at the Public Theater, but have used the trip as an opportunity to carry their battle into the public eye. The company spearheaded (not a lightly chosen verb) a protest rally at the U.N. Wednesday morning, and the PEN event was originally intended to celebrate the willingness of artists to join together to protest injustice, said Kaliada. But early that day, the group had received word, in the form of a terse text message, that the husband of one of the actors had been arrested. So it was a taut, tearful, and defiant face that they turned to an audience of supporters at Le Poisson Rouge’s cozy downstairs space. In times of trouble, we are counseled to find something to cheer about, noted Sir Tom Stoppard, the Czech-born playwright who hosted the evening’s event. For Stoppard, it was clearly the simple, unbelievable fact of the company’s existence. For the company, it may have been the warm support of the literary and theatrical community. For the event, put on at short notice (a more elaborate affair had been staged at The Public earlier in the week), resembled nothing so much as an old-fashioned jazz rent party, like the kind musicians used to put together when one of their number needed help meeting the bills.  In this case, the “session” started with some heartrending music by violinist and vocalist Iva Bittova, followed by readings of poems by imprisoned Belarussian poet Vladimir Neklyaev. Then, a scene from Stoppard’s disturbing “Cries From The Heart,” read by Billy Crudup and Margaret Colin, showed a government official training a lawyer in the delicate art of replacing all the words we recognize as dealing with torture, intimidation, cruelty, or repression with words for foods.  (“I want you to say,” taunts the chillingly reasonable official, “it’s not torture, it’s pizza.”)  Authors E.L. Doctorow and Don DeLillo read passages from books ("City of God," "Mao II") that touched on cruelty, war, or degradation. The evening concluded with a fierce performance by the Free Theater of the third part of a trilogy on life in Belarus called “Numbers.” Five actors moved through a rapid succession of scenes that enacted a range of damning statistics. The three cheerful men muttering hesitantly and throwing their arms up in confusion?  “70% of Belarussians have trouble expressing the idea of democracy.” The woman who gives birth to, and then pops, a balloon? The country has a high rate of abortion, stillbirths, and childhood diseases. The buckets full of empty shoes: “over 1,200 people vanish in Belarus each year.” As the demoralizing, often shocking, statistics succeeded one another on the video screen, the audience ought to have been left numb with despair on behalf of a country so defined by pain, loss, violence, and neglect. Instead, the performance—filled with a fierce energy and supple beauty—brought catharsis and epiphany, if the cheers and wild applause were anything to go by.  In Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot,” the work’s underlying nihilism is subverted by the sheer beauty of the language and the poignant souls of its characters. If you can write of the human condition, “Astride the grave and a difficult birth,” then you have already triumphed over death. In the case of the Belarus Free Theater, if your company’s brilliant work inspires others to stand for you and with you, in some sense no dictatorship can ever fully succeed. Click the link above to hear for selections from the benefit. (Unfortunately, much of “Numbers” was mimed and so is not featured here). Bon mots "We truly believe that the world leaders need to answer to artists...politicians do not have steps; they just have words."—Natalia Kaliada "If you believe in God's Judgement...then certain bacteria living in the anus of a particularly ancient hatchet fish at the bottom of the ocean are the recycled and fully sentient souls of Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Pol Pot."—E.L. Doctorow in "City of God." "I want you to say, it's not torture, it's pizza."—Tom Stoppard in "Cries from the Heart."

Snittet: Med livet som inspiration - om Belarus Free Theater och kulturlivet i Europas sista diktatur. På bara fyra år har Belarus Free Theater blivit en av världens mest hyllade, fria teatergrupper. Med stöd från teaterlegender som Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard och Ariane Mnouchkine har de turnerat över hela världen med sina föreställningar. Hemma i Vitryssland hårdnar diktaturens grepp om den fria kulturen, och Belarus Free Theater spelar i lägenheter och källare med risk för långa fängelsestraff. Under mars månad har Belarus Free Theater haft världspremiär på sitt nya stycke Eurepica - i Lund. Fredrik Pålsson träffar några av Belarus Free Theaters medarbetare och pratar om politik och kultur i ett land som brukar kallas Europas sista diktatur. Vi hör om hur den politiska situationen påverkar teatern, dokumentärfilmen och klubbscenen. Dessutom hör vi om den första samlingen dikter som skrivits på vitryska, och översatts till svenska: Barys Pjatrovitj Fresker. I Klassikern port