VIE Scena Contemporanea Festival - Eurepica. Challenge

Eurepica. Challenge

A new European epic

Belarus Free Theatre

10/10/2010 ,  19:00
11/10/2010 ,  21:00
12/10/2010 ,  20:30

Idea and General Producers: Natalia Koliada and Nikolai Khalezin
Directed by: Vladimir Shcherban
Stage design, costumes and conceptualized by: Vladimir Shcherban, Natalia Koliada, and Nikolai Khalezin
Composer: Sergei Nevski, Russia/Germany
Dramaturgically adapted by: Nikolai Khalezin
Video animation: Marat Zeleznyak
Re-mix of a main music themes:
Lavr Berzhani (DJ Laurel), Belarus; Diesler, TruThoughts/UK; Nickodemus, Wonderwheel ESL, NY, USA
Sound coordinator: Lavr Berzhanin (DJ Laurel)
Cameraman/communication assistant: Artsem Zhaliazniak
Dance coaching: Esther Mugambi, Australia
Vocal coaching/realization of Spanish, American pieces of the performance: Stephanie Pan, USA
Subtitles and translation: Kirill Ilnitski
Production and Tour Manager: Artsem Zhaliazniak
Light and Video Coordinator: Irina Yaroshevich
Stage managers: Aleksey Shyrnevich, Mikita Volodzko
Translator of plays into Italian: Andrea Peghinelli

PERFORMERS/REALIZATION
BELARUS FREE THEATRE
Pavel Gorodnitski
Yana Rusakevich
Oleg Sidorchik
Denis Tarasenko
Marina Yurevich
Esther Mugambi (Australia)

PERFORMERS:
Anna Slatvinskaya
Sonja Birgit Berg (Germany)

Special thanks: Birgitta Persson, General Secretary of Trans Europe Halles; Helen Ortmann and the team of Manteatern;

We thank our friends and partners who have supported the BFT’s artistic researches and needs: Anna-Karin Brazee, General Delegate of European Theatre Convention; Laurent Muhleisen, Maison d’Antoine Vitez, France; Cathrine Coray, HotInk Festival and the New-York University, USA; Joerg Bochow, Stuttgart State Theatre, Germany; Agnieszka Piatrowska, Poland; Anders Ortmann, Sweden and John Conlon, UK; Anna Thelin, Manteatern, Sweden.

The performance
PLAYWRIGHTS

Jean-Pier Thibaudat – France
Vyacheslav Durnenkov – Russia
Anders Duus – Sweden
Nikolai Khalezin – Belarus
Paul Jenkins – UK
Aaron Landsman – USA
Angelica Liddell – Spain
Soeren Voima – Germany
Aleksey Scherbak – Latvia
Peca Stefan – Romania
Goran Stefanovski – Macedonia
Anna Yablonskaya – Ukraine
Özen Yula – Turkey
Michal Walczak – Poland

This performance is produced due to a support of Municipality of Lund-2014 (Sweden) and European Cultural Foundation (the Netherlands).

The performance is sponsored by the municipalità of Lund-2014 and the European Cultural Foundation. European opening night – Lund (Sweden), 28 of February, 2009

Performed in english and belarusian with italian subtitles

Running time: 3 hours with intermission

NATIONAL PREMIERE

Eurepica is a derivative from two words: Europa and Epic. Eurepica. Challenge– is an attempt to create a new European epic using the language of theatre and one of the first and intellectual theatre blockbusters in Europe. Sergey Nevski, the Russian composer who lives in
Germany who is one the most talented European neoclassics makes an attempt to write a new European Anthem for the Eurepica. Challenge.

The use of different languages combined with live musical instruments create an unbelievable polyphonic sound structure of the production The Eurepica. Challenge project is a collective statement of playwrights from 14 countries such as Sweden, England, Latvia, Russia, Belarus, Turkey, Poland, the Ukraine, Germany, Romania, Macedonia, France, Spain and the USA on the main challenge for their states. The general picture of Europe is formed out of private dramaturgic stories. Up until the present day there were no other theatre projects akin to Eurepica – based on the global idea of social and political processes studying using theatre as a tool.The production, apart from its theatrical value, will also bear socio-political significance for it is an ideal platform for initiating a discussion on main challenges that is faced by the citizens of the EU and its neighboring countries. The skeleton image of Eurepica. Challenge is a flight of a passenger airplane around the continent with landing in the countries participating in the project. All the chapters of the show are performed by eight actors wearing the uniform of pilots and flight attendants.

Belarus Free Theatre

Belarus Free Theatre was founded in March 2005 by Belarusian playwright and journalist Nikolai Khalezin and theatre producer Natalia Koliada. In May, 2005 the team was joined by stage director Vladimir Scherban, who has produced the majority of Free Theatre performances. Currently the theatre’s staff consists of ten professional actors, one professional dramatist, four managers and two technical assistants.

Under the current political system the Free Theatre has no official registration, no premises, nor any other facilities. Rehearsals and performances (always free of charge for the public) are normally held secretly in small private apartments which, due to security and the risk of persecution, must constantly be changed.
On several occasions, performances were given in street cafes and in the countryside, in the woods. Staff members have been repeatedly harassed by the authorities for their participation in the activities of the theatre. Thus, the stage director and all but one actress were sacked from their jobs at state-run theatres. Since May 2005 the Free Theatre has produced eleven performances based on seventeen plays. During its first two years of existence, about 5,000 people attended performances in Belarus and more than 4,000 abroad.
During the last four years the troupe has performed in 16 countries of the world: Australia, Ireland, The Netherlands, Greece, UK, USA, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, France, Poland, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia. Their first touring performance took place on the stage of the New Riga Theatre of Alvis Hermanis in November, 2005.
The theatre is supported by outstanding figures of the international theatre movement and respected public figures such as Vaclav Havel, Mick Jagger, Arthur Kopit, Harold Pinter, Mark Ravenhill, Tom Stoppard and Ariane Mnouchkine. In April 2007, Free Theatre became a full member of the European Theatre Convention (ETC), a member of the international network Informal European Theatre Meeting (IETM), and in May 2007 a member of the international network, Trans European Halls (THE). In December 2007, Free Theatre received the French Republic Human Rights Prize. It was the first time in the history of the Prize that it was given to a cultural institution.
In April 2008 Belarus Free Theatre performed three of its productions (“Generation Jeans”, “Being Harold Pinter” and “Zone of Silence”) in Thessaloniki, Greece, for the ceremony for the Europe Theatre Prize (Premio Europa). The theatre was awarded with the most prestigious the Europe Theatre Prize “Europe to Theatre”. Belarusian troupe received a special recognition of the jury “Theatre institution/Special mention” after had been nominated for it by the world’s famous dramatists Nobel Prize Laureate Harold Pinter, Sir Tom Stoppard and ex-President of Czech Republic Vaclav Havel.
On November 26, 2008 Freedom to Create Awards ceremony, established by philanthropic organization At Venture and international human rights organization Article XIX, took place at Swiss Re building in London. The second prize went to Belarus Free Theatre. Four performances of the troupe (“Zone of Silence”, “Being Harold Pinter”, “Generation Jeans” and “Discover Love”) were mentioned in the motivational part of the prize.

www.dramaturg.org

The show

Programme