Latest First Nights of Free Theatre and “Ploscha” Documentary Demonstrated in Moscow (Photo) :: Charter'97 :: News

23-24 March the Free Theatre demonstrated its two first- night performances of 2006 “To Be Harold Pinter“ and “Generation Jeans” in Moscow’s Theatrical Center of Vs.Meierhold. The Free Theatre’s performances at the Theatrical Center of Vs.Meierhold may be considered traditional. In winter 2006 the Free Theatre already gave performances at this stage and got very positive references.

It is for the second time that the Theatrical Center of Vs.Meyerhold management provided the stage for the Belarusian theatre for free. And it is for the second time that the tour of the underground “Free Theatre” in Moscow attracted the persistent attention of the Russian journalists and critics. Practically all entertainment editions in Moscow placed advertisements of the Belarusian theatre and the performances were attended not only by critics but also by a number of foreign journalists accredited in Moscow.

It was the journalists who helped the theatre having no subsidies or any other financing to overcome the financial burden of the tour. If last year the accommodation was paid for with the assistance of the German ZDF TV Company, this year the support was rendered by the journalists of the Deutsche velle correspondent center and the “Newsweek “ magazine.

The interest to the Free Theatre which was expressed by the Russian press last year have not disappeared but got the fresh impetus owing not only to the new theatre’s performances but to the aggravated relations between the two countries. Half an hour at the “Mayak” radio, an hour in the “Cultural Shock” program at the “Echo of Moscow” radio, subjects at the Russian leading TV channels and publications in the press and Internet speak of an increasing interest of the Russian mass media to the representatives of the Belarusian counterculture.

The current program of the Free Theatre tour revealed a sharp socio-political trend. Both performances articulated if not political than, definitely, civil standpoint of the theatre. That was facilitated by demonstration of the Yuri Khaschevatsky’s “Ploscha” documentary film dedicated to the last year’s events when 40 thousand people came out to the streets of Minsk and over a thousand and half of people were arrested. The Ploscha received warm welcome of the Moscow audience. Its demonstration completed the program of the theatre’s tour at Theatrical Center of Vs.Meyerhold.

Theatre critic Grigory Zaslavskiy and Nikolai Khalezin on air of Mayak radio station

Organiser of the tour Pavel Rudnev, art-director of Moscow’s Meyerhold Theatre Centre

Vladimir Shcherban interviewed by RTR TV channel

“Generation Jeans”

Nikolai Khalezin and Natalia Kolyada with Ksenia Larina, a presenter of a radio programme “Culture Shock” at “Echo Moskvy” station

“Being Harold Pinter”

Screening of “Ploshcha” (“The Square”) by Yury Khaschavatski in black hall of Vs. Meyerhold Centre

Anna Makovskaya, www.dramaturg.org