Belarus Free Theatre

The Belarus Free Theatre has always existed on a shoestring budget and the incredible hard work and dedication of its members, but is now in dire need of emergency funds so that it can continue to produce the essential and internationally-renowned work that it is known for around the globe.

Watch Kevin Spacey's video appeal to support The Belarus Free Theatre here.

The Belarus Free Theatre was founded in 2005 in Europe's last surviving dictatorship by the husband-and-wife team of Nikolai Khalezin and Natalia Kaliada, joined by director Vladimir Scherban.

The theatre members have suffered every form of intimidation and harassment, but despite having lost their official jobs in Belarus’s state theatres, the BFT team has consisted of the same actors and managers for the last seven years, including Oleg Sidorchyk, Yana Rusakevich, Maryna Yurevich, Denis Tarasenko, Pavel Gorodnitski, Svetlana Sugako. Even today young actors and playwrights join the company under severe political circumstances, with performances having to take place in selected private venues around Minsk with audiences alerted to their existence by text message or e-mail. Although forced to operate under cover within Belarus, the Theatre has travelled widely and has gained a growing international reputation - what is perhaps most astonishing is the ability of the Belarus Free Theatre to create great theatre under near impossible conditions: its international performances regularly receive rave reviews by theatre critics and it was awarded the most prestigious American Off-Broadway OBIE Award in 2011.

The Belarus Free Theatre is banned in it's homeland of Belarus, 'Europe's last dictatorship' and its founding members are now forced to live in exile - while back home the others are forced to working in secrecy and in constant fear of intimidation and political arrest as they struggle to train the next generation of theatre makers and produce new performances. As well providing a base for the founders to produce their international awareness-raising productions, the UK is where the company's work at home in Belarus is funded and supported from - and without that exiled support from abroad the company wouldn't be able to function at home.

The Belarus Free Theatre have never asked for financial support from their friends and supporters before, but now they need your help. We are asking for your help to raise £9,000 to start a full UK office, employ a UK staff member and kick-start a development project which will allow the company both to become self-sustaining and to grow.