Belarusian Theatre and the 2020 Pro-Democracy Protests: Documenting the Resistance(1 Anthem Studies in Theatre and Performance)

This book highlights the important creative work of Belarusian theatre and filmmakers seeking to raise awareness of the Pro-democracy movement and human rights abuses in Belarus and to build communities of care and mourning following the fraudulent 2020 presidential elections in Belarus. Examining the work of the Belarus Free Theatre, Andrei Kureichik, and the Kupalautsy Theatre, it demonstrates how documentary theatre, adaptation, and digital theatre have enabled displaced, dissident artists to form international communities to support Belarusian dissidents in these fraught times.

Table of Contents:
List of Figures; Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1. In Their Own Words: Andrei Kureichik’s Documentary Impulse; 2. A Time for Theatre: Courage and the Belarus Free Theatre; 3.Performing Resistance Virtually: The Digital Home of the Free Kupalautsy; Toward a Conclusion; Bibliography; Index

About the Author :
Valleri Robinson, Department Head and Associate Professor of Illinois Theatre, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, writes and teaches about documentary theatre, 21st-century dramaturgies, and Eastern European diasporic performance. Robinson is author of Russian Culture and Theatrical Performance in America, 1891-1933 (2011).

Review :
“An important and comprehensive overview of independent Belarusian theatre of resistance. An inspiring guide to what theatre can really be.”—Vladimir Shcherban, Theatre Director Valleri J. Robinson’s important book tills fascinating new ground, revealing the role committed theatre artists played in Belarus’ tragic struggle against tyranny commencing in 2020. This is the powerful tale of an artistic community standing tall in dangerous times for the cause of liberty.—John Freedman, founder, Worldwide Play Readings, Belarus and Ukraine. Valleri J. Robinson’s book takes readers on a captivating exploration of the dramatic and dynamic history of modern Belarusian theatre. The author paints a vivid picture of theatrical protest and the pursuit of artistic freedom in the most closed totalitarian state of twenty-first century Europe. In the book, the author pays tribute to the remarkable qualities of Belarusian theatregoers and theatre professionals, portraying them as real-life heroes—Andrei Kureichik, Belarusian playwright and director, Fortunoff Fellow and Lecturer at Yale University. This book focuses on the activities of the Belarusian intelligentsia against the Belarusian regime. It shows the strength and power of the opposition, which will never come to terms with the fact that the regime present in Belarus has usurped power—Professor Andriej Moskwin, University of Warsaw, Poland. This short form book introduces the reader to significant Belarusian theatre artists who have put their lives at risk for the right to be free and the upholding of liberal democratic values. The book offers new insights to those familiar with the Belarus Free Theatre or the recent plays of Andrei Kureichik which inspired the Worldwide Play Readings Project: Belarus and Ukraine— Dr. Bryan Brown, University of Exeter, UK.  I believe Belarusian political exiles as well as people from the region who had to leave it for various reasons will be interested in reading this book. It looks at the more recent period of Belarus’ history. It also focuses specifically on the art of protest and its representatives—Dr. Yana Meerzon, University of Ottawa, Canada.