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ED2011 5/5 Reviews ED2011 Theatre Reviews
Belarus Free Theatre (Fuel Presents Belarus Free Theatre in association with the Pleasance)
By Andrew Latimer | Published on Wednesday 31 August 2011
“We are alive when we perform” claims Natalia Kaliada, co-founder of underground agitprop theatre group Belarus Free Theatre. Over the course of their one-hour political deconstruction, it’s overwhelming how paradoxical this statement becomes. Torture, rape and imprisonment characterise the vicious nature of Belarus’ afflictions, as the group sexualise the identity of Belarusian society which has been lost in the last surviving dictatorship of Europe. The group seldom meet, as many players find themselves arrested and disbanded; their performance in front of a middle-class Edinburgh audience signifies a novelty which needs to be translated into activism. Sex scenes, secretive raves and jingoistic monologues piercingly drive the action in this enlightening and eye-opening experimentation of exiled protest.
Pleasance Courtyard, 22 – 29 Aug, 1.00pm (2.05pm), £8.00 – £10.00, fpp241.
tw rating 5/5
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