Aleh Harbuz: After Show, The French Said ‘Now We Know About Belarus’
7- 21.02.2023, 18:34
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The theatre performance about Belarusian political prisoners gathered full houses in France.
From February 7 to February 18, the play “1.8 meters” directed by Ivan Vyrypayeu was shown in France. The performance is a documentary based on what Belarusian political prisoners said in courts, their testimonies, interviews, evidence and letters from their relatives.
The letters of the deceased political prisoner Vitold Ashurak are also read aloud from the stage. The names of the heroes, except Vitold, have been changed. The show’s opening night took place at the Warsaw Nowy Teatr in 2021.
One of the participants of “1.8 Meters”, a well-known Belarusian actor, Kupala Theatre Group member Aleh Harbuz told Charter97.org website about the performance and the tour in France.
— Could you tell us how the performance appeared?
— We put “1.8 meters” on stage at the end of 2021 in Warsaw. By that time, a large number of Belarusian actors had gathered in Poland. The creation of the performance was the decision of the project manager — Maryna Dashuk, she gathered the actors. Ivan Vyrypayeu was invited to direct the show. The venue for the performance was provided by the Nowy Teatr in Warsaw.
On the one hand, the project is intended to tell about what happened and is happening in Belarus. The topic has not gone anywhere, it has remained with us. No matter how much someone would like to turn the page, but it does not turn and should not be turned. Including the play about it.
On the other hand, this is a project to ensure that our Belarusian actors remain in the profession, which is an important fact. As a result, we got a stylish and necessary product of good quality. Ivan is a very sensitive director.
— Tell us about the participants of the performance. Who is playing in it?
— Mostly Belarusians. There is a Russian woman, Valentina Sizonenko, and two more Polish actors from the Nowy Teatr, Bartosz Belenia (leading actor in the famous film Body of Christ) and Ewelina Pankowska.
The performance uses Belarusian, Russian and Polish languages. The director wanted to avoid credits so that people would not read but watch the actors and listen. When showing in Poland, this role is played by our Polish colleagues. They actually translate what we say. Thanks to this, the viewer has the opportunity not to read, but to watch the person.
— Last week you returned from a tour in France. In which cities did you play?
— In Reims in the province of Champagne and in Nanterre — a satellite city of Paris. We did two performances in Reims and five performances in Nanterre.
— What was the reaction of the French? Do they understand what is happening in Belarus?
— I was surprised that the audience was French. Belarusians, Russians were a few. The performance is actually quite simple. There is no crazy scenography, tricks in it. We tell people's stories. Nevertheless, the public responded, we were applauded for a long time.
Even in Reims, where we did two performances, the theatre workers told us that, as a rule, 20 people remain for such talks after the show, and we had about 80. In Nanterre, 80 people stayed after the closing performance.
At the same time, we had full houses. Only at one performance the hall was half full, but it was because of the strike. Apparently, people could not get there.
After the show, the French said that “now we know about Belarus”. It turns out that we carry the truth about what happened to us and what kind of people we really are. They state with surprise that we are a nation that deserves to take its place in the European family.
— What questions did the French audience ask during the conversations after the performance?
— They asked about the songs that we have. It was clear that people are interested and want to understand what kind of country Belarus is. We told them that we have a country with long European traditions, that we did not have a slave system. There was a state called the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Commonwealth, and since the end of the 18th century we have been under Russian occupation. We convey basic things, talk about the situation that is now in Belarus.
— Maybe some story of a political prisoner especially resonated with the audience?
— The stories that sound are very touching in themselves. The French were interested in whether this was true, whether these were real people. We said yes. We even met some heroes. For example, when we were on tour in Prague, the heroine, whose story is told by Palina Dabravolskaya, came to see the performance. Vitold Ashurak’s brother was with us at a performance in Warsaw.
— Tell us about the theatre with which you created this performance.
— This is the Nowy Teatr, which is located in Warsaw. At the moment it is one of the most fashionable theaters in Poland. It gave us the base on which we made this performance.
The theatre itself is very interesting. It is located on the territory of the former city auto repair shops. Cars were repaired there and large areas remained, which were adapted for the theatre. It was done just perfectly.
I would especially recommend the performances of Krzysztof Warlikowski, who heads the theatre. The theatre appeared thanks to this man. Warlikowski is a director who made a name for himself in Europe and returned after Poland left the socialist camp and created this theatre. A team of professionals works there, as they say, from the top shelf. It is a great honor for us to cooperate with them.
— Do you plan to tour in any other countries?
— We plan to go to France again with a tour in October. Right now we are working on the schedule. France is a country with a very strong theatrical tradition, many significant festivals take place there. We are also discussing the option of touring in Canada.
