Eight months, post-election, the troupe gives a world premiere. It is a depiction of the most recent demonstrations. Each time an actor is removed from the stage by authority figures, two women with large brooms sweep the floor. What appears to be a viewer is pulled onstage, and then carried off--despite screams that she is a "journalist with accreditation."
A stark monologue examines why there has been so little outrage about the human rights violations in their country. An actress states, "Belarus is not sexy. Sexy countries have oil and gas." Enactments of the kind of torture visited upon male and female prisoners are also portrayed. It is heart stopping--both as theater and because it is clearly a mirror of actual acts.
Sackler worked in tandem with a "state accredited" cinematographer, who was given direction via Skype, to capture much of the Belarus based material. The result was several hundred hours of uncensored footage, which was then slipped out of the country. The documentation of street protests came from a combination of filmmakers and "citizen journalists." Of primary concern was the safety of all involved with the production.
With a series of hot spots capturing the world's attention, the hardships of living under the claustrophobic and brutal Belarusian regime of death squads, disappeared persons, and jailings has gone under the radar. Hopefully, this documentary will boost concern and ignite interest and support for those who are suffering.
Meanwhile, the Belarus Free Theatre will continue to push forward with their motivation to:
"Establish the truth about our lives and our society. This is our duty. Otherwise, there is no hope to restore what we have almost lost. Human dignity."
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