BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

02/10/2005

Harvard University Hosts the First U.S. Performances by Theatre Company from the Republic of Belarus

Tickets are on sale now for the first United States performances by a theatre company from the Republic of Belarus. The Ukrainian Research Institute and The Department of Slavic Languages & Literatures at Harvard University have been awarded a $25,000 grant to host the National Academic Dramatic Yakub Kolas Theatre of Vitsyebsk (Vitebsk), Belarus. The performances are October 13, 14, and 15, 2005 at the The Charles Mosesian Theater, in the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown, MA. Tickets are available from the Harvard Box Office, 617-496-2222.

Cambridge, MA and Chicago, IL - Tickets are on sale now for the first United States performances by a theatre company from the Republic of Belarus.

The Ukrainian Research Institute and The Department of Slavic Languages & Literatures at Harvard University have been awarded a $25,000 grant to host the National Academic Dramatic Yakub Kolas Theatre of Vitsyebsk (Vitebsk), Belarus. The performances are October 13, 14, and 15, 2005 at the The Charles Mosesian Theater, in the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown, MA. Tickets are available from the Harvard Box Office, 617-496-2222.

The National Academic Dramatic Yakub Kolas Theatre is the premiere touring company from Belarus, having been awarded the Scotsman's "Fringe First" Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. The company has performed in numerous venues throughout Europe, including the East Goes West Festival in London, Mittelfest in Cividale del Friule, Italy, and at the Espace Pierre Cardin in Paris on the personal invitation of Mr. Pierre Cardin.

The project of bringing the Yakub Kolas Theatre to the United States was undertaken by James Mallinson in 2003, as his internship to complete his Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Management at the School of Theatre at Florida State University. He spent nearly eight months in Vitsyebsk acquainting himself with the people, culture, and history of Belarus' "cultural capital."

Shortly after beginning his internship, Mallinson made contact with Dr. Curt Woolhiser, president of the North American Association of Belarusian Studies and a preceptor in Slavic Languages and Literatures at Harvard University. Dr. Woolhiser is one of America's foremost authorities on Belarusian language.

Dr. Woolhiser was intrigued by the prospect of presenting the Yakub Kolas Theatre with a symposium on Belarusian arts and national identity. He presented the idea to Tymish Holowinsky, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Research Institute. The three men worked together to present the idea to the Trust for Mutual Understanding of New York, which awarded a $25,000 grant.

Political relations between the United States and Belarus are as tense as before the break-up of the Soviet Union. This performance represents an opportunity for the American public to acquaint itself with the distinct arts and culture of the Belarusian people, which, under tsarist and communist rule, became overshadowed by the language and culture of neighboring Russia. The performances will be presented in Belarusian with English supertitles.

"After first seeing the company's performances in Scotland, I was intrigued that Belarusian theatre had been almost completely ignored by the theatre professionals in the United States," said Mallinson, "Russia, Ukraine, Poland, and the Baltic States have all had significant artistic contact here, but Belarus is virtually unknown. I want to create a positive point of contact between our countries to contrast the current political tension. Belarusians deserve to be recognized for their independent identity."

The two productions, set to be presented back-to-back at each of the performances, are "Chagall... Chagall..." by Uladzimir Drazdou, and "The Arrest" by Sakrat Janovich, both directed by Artistic Director Vital Barkouski. "Chagall... Chagall..." is the Yakub Kolas Theatre's international award-winning look at the early life of world-renowned artist Marc Chagall. At the moment of Chagall's death, in an elevator, halfway between heaven and earth, the faces and scenes of his beloved Vitsyebsk come back to speak to him. The production is a blend of Eastern European avant garde finely blended with a passion for the tradition and flavors of the Belarusian Jewish community that existed in Vitsyebsk before the second World War.

"Chagall... Chagall..." has been performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (where it was awarded the "Fringe First" award by The Scotsman); the East-Goes-West Festival in London; Mittelfest in Cividale del Friule, Italy; at the Espace Pierre Cardin in Paris; and at numerous other events and festivals throughout the former Soviet bloc. On her nomination of the production for the "Fringe First," Joyce McMillan of The Scotsman calls it, "a staggeringly beautiful show..." and "simply perfect, with a quality of acting that takes the breath away, and a courtly simplicity that recalls so many lost worlds of piety and reverence. What was that about the ceremony of innocence being drowned? Not here; and not for the magical hour-and-a-quarter that this show lasts."

"The Arrest" by leading Belarusian poet Sakrat Janovich, is the story of Belarusian philologist and political leader Branislau Tarashkievich. As a member of the Polish Parliament, he became a fierce advocate of the rights of Belarusian Poles. At the time, the area now known as Belarus was split between Poland and the Soviet Union. Tarashkievich's outspoken advocacy for Belarusian cultural and political self-determination was viewed as a threat by both sides. Twice arrested by the Polish authorities, he was later traded to the Soviet Union. The Soviet government barred him from settling in Belarus, forcing him to stay in Moscow, where he was arrested in 1937 on groundless charges and executed a year later.

"The Arrest" takes the same signature minimalism of "Chagall... Chagall..." and twists it to create a dark dreamscape. The production drifts from one torment and indignity to another as Tarashkievich suffers ridicule and suspicion for his struggle for Belarusian independence. The story of Tarashkievich is the story of the Belarusian people, that still proves true in the quandary of modern Belarus. In the rivalry between Poland and the Soviet Union, the Belarusians were literally and figuratively caught in the middle, and any word for Belarus was seen by one of the two powers as a blow for the other.

The Ukrainian Research Institute and Department of Slavic Languages & Literatures at Harvard University will host performances by the National Academic Dramatic Yakub Kolas Theatre on October 13 and 14, 2005 at 8:00 PM, and October 15, 2005 at 2:00 PM and 8:00 PM at the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown, MA. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for students and seniors, and $10 for students, faculty and staff of Harvard University. Tickets are available from the Harvard Box Office, 617-496-2222. Further sponsorship opportunities for this event are still available.

Source:

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/10/prweb292081.htm