BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

Thursday, October 13, 2005

See 'Chagall' in Belarusian at Arsenal Center

The National Yakub Kolas Theatre of Vitsyebsk, Belarus, in association with the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures and the Ukrainian Research Institute of Harvard University, present "Chagall... Chagall..." by Uladzimir Drazdou, and "The Arrest" by Sakrat Janovich, at the Arsenal Center for the Arts in the Charles Mosesian Theater in Watertown on Oct. 13-15.

Both are directed by Vital Barkouski and are in Belarusian with English supertitles. This production is supported in part by a major grant from the Trust for Mutual Understanding of New York.

"Chagall... Chagall..." is the Yakub Kolas Theatre's 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 Eastern European avant garde theater finely blended with a passion for the tradition and flavors of the Belarusian Jewish community that existed in Vitsyebsk before World War II.

"Chagall... Chagall..." has been performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe; the East-Goes-West Festival in London; Mittelfest in Cividale del Friule, Italy; the Espace Pierre Cardin in Paris; and at numerous other events and festivals throughout the former Soviet bloc.

The second production, "The Arrest" by Belarusian poet Sakrat Janovich, is the story of Belarusian philologist and political leader Branislau Tarashkievich. As a member of the Polish Parliament, he was 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, which still proves true in the quandary of modern Belarus.

Performances will take place on Oct. 13 and 14 at 8 p.m., and Oct. 15 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for students and seniors, and $10 for Harvard University students, faculty and staff. Tickets are available from the Harvard Box Office, 617-496-2222.

For directions to the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown, visit www.arsenalarts.org.

Source:

http://www2.townonline.com/belmont/artsLifestyle/view.bg?articleid=345637