Belarus Free Theatre workshop

On Saturday 4 December 2010, the Belarus Free Theatre held a workshop with the Tripwires group.

This is participant Isobel Palmer's account of what went on...


It is sobering to discover that for some people, theatre is a matter of life or death. For the Belarus Free Theatre, that is literally the case. The Belarus Free Theatre were in London over the weekend to perform at a fundraising event held for supporters of free speech in Belarus at the Young Vic Theatre. The day before the event, we at Tripwires were lucky to receive a visit from them, alongside a screening of one of their short plays to be showcased the following day, ‘Numbers’.


In Belarus (‘the last dictatorship in Europe’) the Belarus Free Theatre are anything but ‘free’. They are illegal. All theatre in Belarus must be approved by the state, and as the Belarus Free Theatre do not obtain a permit, in the eyes of the Belarusian government, they do not exist. For the last three years they have performed anywhere from private apartments to abandoned industrial sites or in the forests. Often staged as parties, details of their performances can only be received by text message or on social networking sites posted at the last minute. When speaking to us, Natalia Koliada, co-founder of the Belarus Free Theatre, described their audiences in Belarus as the bravest audience in the world. They often come with their passports so, if arrested, they can be identified quicker.


We started the morning session with the Free Theatre showings us a video of their show, ‘Numbers’ (part three of their show ‘Zone of Silence’) directed by Vladimir Shcherban, performed in secret in a friend’s home (who knocked down their wall especially so that they had space to perform). The performance gave an insight into Belarus through data and statistics, revealing some stark truths on issues such as mental health, abortion, illness, employment and tax. These statistics are normally withheld from the public, but the Belarus Free Theatre spent over a year and a half gathering the information. As well as their powerful political message, what cannot be denied is also just how talented this theatre company is, ‘Numbers’ was a piece of gripping physical theatre. They embodied the data, bringing it to life with powerful urgency, through their bodies and live music.


Click on images from the session below to enlarge.

To find out more about Belarus Free Theatre please visit their official website at www.dramaturg.org

For an interesting documentary on the Belarus Free Theatre by Al Jazeera, see this Youtube video:

Click here for part two.

Capoeira

This session was based around the idea that Capoeira is a conversation in movement. It is question and answer and it is response to another person’s ‘comment’, and historically it is a resistance to oppression - of body, of culture and of mind.

It has always been and today still remains a form of expression and a defiant response to being restricted.

The group worked through a series of basic capoeira movements, loosening up and tuning in to each other. We established a set of common movements, and experimented with how contrasting music types and rhythms effect our movement and our ‘understanding’ of each others’ movement conversations. We explored how a freedom of body expression creates a flow of energy between two people and the circular space of the ‘roda’.

About the session leader

Hannah Bicât has travelled in Africa taking photographs. She studied Social Anthropology and African Studies at SOAS in London, and then began to study Capoeira, which brought together all her interests. She is passionate about the way that this art form celebrates individuality and self-expression, and believes in its power to suggest a freedom of mind and a liberation of spirit. Hannah has worked with Phakama since 2004.

Click the link below for a short video clip of what went down during the session.

TRIPWIRES - Capoeira from Tripwires on Vimeo.

Video of a recent workshop with some audio excerpts of a discussion about freedom of expression.

Tripwires from Isobel Palmer on Vimeo.

Where do YOU draw the line?

Open dialogue is the key to a healthy cohesive society, but some fear the disruptive, dangerous potential of truly free speech. TRIPWIRES uses the arts to create an open space where young people can explore and express their own lines on freedom of expression, self-censorship and offence.

TRIPWIRES delivered by Project Phakama Uk and Index on Censorship, will train 15 young people in leadership skills using theatre to explore ‘the line’ where we draw it, what we do when someone crosses the line. Following outreach with peer groups, they will create a multi-art form Performed Magazine presenting a wide range of expression on the issue. Content from this will inform new resources for formal and informal education.

If you want to find out more, and make a donation to Tripwires, please go to our Big Give page: http://new.thebiggive.org.uk/projects/view/8401

TRIPWIRES TRAINING

Fifteen young people aged between 18 - 25 are meeting every Saturday at a studio at Queen Mary University of London, Mile End, to take part in the TRIPWIRES pilot programme using the arts to create a safe space to explore and express ideas of freedom of expression, self-censorship and offence. Each week there is a different theme - music, satire, acrobatics, banned plays, film, photography. Belarus Free Theatre visited the group and we are setting up visits by Burmese artist Htein Lin, young visitors from Georgia and Abkhazia and Afghanistan and other Index contributors.

TRIPWIRES uses all art forms to process ideas creatively so exploring physically and intellectually what freedom of expression means to young Londoners today. The project creates a space for people who express themselves in all sorts of ways to contribute to debate.

This week TRIPWIRES trainees start dialogues with young people from other countries including Palestine, USA, Iran, India, Brazil and Argentina, to discuss what freedom of expression means to them.