Performance About Belarusian Political Prisoners To Be Presented In Warsaw

The performance can be seen on March 28-30.

A performance about Belarusian political prisoners “375 0908 2334 / The body you are calling is currently not available” will be shown at the Nowy Teatr in Warsaw.

“The idea of the performance was born out of a state of protest against violence, confrontation with many years of stress and fear, an attempt to overcome the feeling of guilt in which Belarusians consciously or unconsciously live today. This is a kind of invitation to imagine yourself being detained in Belarus, to physically go through the lawlessness and indignation that tens of thousands of civilians went through — through the ongoing violence.

The performer creates a relatively direct way of communicating with the audience: identifying themselves with the detainee, they model a situation of bodily experience similar to torture. An anonymous victim, who used to be only a news piece, through physical experience ceases to be information, becomes a living person,” the creators of the project say.

The numbers in the unusual title of the performance have the following meaning:

375 is the telephone code of the Republic of Belarus

09.08 is the date of the presidential elections rigged by the authorities. Bitterness and dissatisfaction with the results of the elections resulted in a revolutionary protest movement that continues to this day.

2334 is the number of the article of the Code of Administrative Offenses “Violation of the procedure for organizing or holding mass events”, on the basis of which more than 40,000 Belarusians have been convicted since August 2020.

The performance can be seen from 28 to 30 March at Warsaw's Nowy Teatr. Start — 19:00.

The tickets are available here.

Project authors:

Idea, director, artist: Siarhei Shabokhin.

Idea, execution: Ihar Shuhaleyeu.

Video artist: Aliaksandra Kanonchanka.

Producer: Maryna Dashuk.