About Belarus with Jeremy Irons

Belarus was represented at the World Actors Forum for the first time.

The event took place in Dublin, Ireland. Our country was represented by heads of the Belarus Free Theatre Natallia Kaliada and Mikalai Khalezin.

The first World Actors Forum ended on June 16. It attracted world theatre and cinema stars from five continents: Jeremy Irons, Michael Colgan, Charles Dance, Kirsten Sheridan, Michael Gambon, Sinéad Cusack and Nick Dunning. The forum was opened by Irish Minister for Arts Jimmy Deenihan.

Natallia Kaliada and Mikalai Khalezin were special guests. Their interview “Acting under dictatorship” attracted attention of the audience for more than an hour. Participants of the forum gave a standing ovation to the Belarusian theatre professionals.

Natallia Kaliada, the Free Theatre artistic director, spoke to charter97.org about the speeches by Belarusian participants at the Forum.

“I'd like to note that it was a historic event for the Belarusian theatre. Belarus has never been represented at similar professional forums. In this case, organisers wanted to see representatives of our country basing on the contribution of Belarusians to the world theatre context that is becoming more and more visible today. Our goal was to open the door for the Belarusian theatre groups that follow our path. It will be easier for them to bill themselves in the international context. Another important point is the initial aim that the three of us (Mikalai Khalezin, Uladzimir Shcherban and me) had when we founded the theatre. We are trying to create a new face of the country. We want Belarus to be known not only as 'the last dictatorship of Europe', but as a country that can propose a new fresh view of modern art even in the absence of freedom,” she said.

“The invitation shows that the theatre community appreciates actors and the entire Free Theatre, the incredibly committed group of people doing their work on a high artistic level. Due to this dedication Belarusian spectators are able to see the Free Theatre performances in Belarus,” Natallia Kaliada said.