How is a play born? What is the difference between truth in life and truth in art? Should an artist be involved with politics? These are the questions Harold Pinter raises in his Nobel speech. The play Being Harold Pinter by Free Theater begins and ends with a search for the answers to these questions.

The plot lines which make the basis of the performance are united by the same problem—the problem of violence in its absolutely different manifestations, beginning with violence in the family (The Homecoming, Ashes to Ashes), through violence as a foundation of a social institution (The New World Order, One For The Road) and finally to violence as a form of international relationship (Mountain Language).

One plot follows another, abstract characters are gradually substituted by the real ones, close and recognizable, and a reflection concerning the events which took place in Abu-Ghraib is followed by documentary monologues of political captives from Belarusian prisons.

“When we look at ourselves in a mirror, it seems that the image which appears in front of us is true. But it is enough to move just an inch to the side and the image will change. Actually we are looking at an endless line of images. But sometimes an artist must break the mirror, and from behind this mirror there is truth looking straight at us. I suppose that despite of enormous difficulties, we—the citizens—must show tenaciousness and determination to discover the real truth about our life and our society. Otherwise there is no hope for reestablishment of what we have almost already lost—human dignity.”

–Harold Pinter, The Nobel speech

NIKOLAI KHALEZIN (Cofounder) is the cofounder, artistic director, and general coproducer of Belarus Free Theatre (BFT) with his wife Natalia Kaliada. He is an accomplished playwright and director. His BFT productions, including Generation Jeans and Discover Love, have been performed in more than 20 countries around the world to international critical acclaim. He has taught at the European Humanities University, Lithuania; DasArts School in the Netherlands; the California Institute of the Arts; and Chantier Nomades in cooperation with ENSATT, in Lyon, France. Discover Love was presented on December 5, 2010 at the Young Vic Theatre in London, with Jude Law, Sienna Miller, Sam West, and Adjoa Andoh appearing as part of the BFT’s Global Artistic Campaign in Solidarity with Belarus. Mr. Khalezin is the author of 12 plays and more than 200 publications in the Belarusian and international press. He is a popular blogger in Belarus and the Russian speaking segment of the internet. His play Here I Am, together with five other works, was selected from 557 plays at the Berlin Theatrical Festival, and was chosen as a winner in the hotINK Festival of Contemporary Drama in New York. His plays Thanksgiving Day and Charonville have been presented widely in the United States at the Lark Development Center, Brown University, and in Atlanta, Austin, and New Orleans. From 1994 – 2000 he was editor-in-chief of The Name, The News, and Our Freedom newspapers, all of which were closed down by the Belarusian government for political reasons. From 1987 – 1991 he was one of the founders and the art director of Minsk Alternative Theatre. From 1991 – 1994 was the founder and owner of the Vita Nova Gallery (later renamed Modern Arts Centre); it has subsequently been closed. Mr. Khalezin has been arrested four times for participation in peaceful political and theatrical activities. He has been put on trial for organizing peaceful political action, and currently, his plays are forbidden from being staged in Belarus. Last summer he was assaulted next to his house; the criminal investigation case was closed.

NATALIA KALIADA (Cofounder) founded Belarus Free Theatre (BFT) in 2005 with her husband Nikolai Khalezin. She is the general director and producer of BFT productions, many of which have gained critical recognition on four continents. With their play Discover Love, written by Nikolai Khalezin in collaboration with Natalia Kaliada, BFT started the Global Artistic Campaign in support of the United Nations convention against forced disappearances. In 2008, together with Nikolai Khalezin and Vladimir Scherban, she organized the only underground arts school in Belarus and developed a unique teaching method. She has taught at the European Humanities University in Lithuania; DasArts School in the Netherlands; the California Institute of the Arts; and Chantier Nomades in cooperation with ENSATT in Lyon, France. In February 2010 a production of her play They Saw Dreams was staged at the Soho Theatre in London. Ms. Kaliada was one of the initiators of the Global Artistic Campaign in Solidarity with Belarus, that was supported by Sir Tom Stoppard, former Czech Republic President Václav Havel, Steven Spielberg, Mick Jagger, Harold Pinter, Mark Ravenhill, Jude Law, Sienna Miller, Sam West and many other outstanding public figures. She has been arrested three times for participation in peaceful political and theatrical activities.

VLADIMIR SCHERBAN (Director) has produced 11 productions with Belarus Free Theater (BTF) that have been performed in 20 countries on four continents. His work has received critical acclaim in the New York Times, the Guardian, the Sunday Times, Newsweek and many other international media outlets. In February 2008 he directed a performance of Being Harold Pinter in London that featured members of Belarus Free Theatre alongside Alan Rickman, Kim Cattrall, Richard Wilson, Diana Quick, Henry Goodman, Tobias Menzies, Jocelyn Gee and Andrea Riseborough. In 2008, together with Nikolai Khalezin and Natalia Kaliada, Mr. Scherban founded Fortinbras—the only underground arts school in Belarus. He has taught at the European Humanities University in Lithuania; DasArts School in the Netherlands; the California Institute of the Arts; and Chantier Nomades in cooperation with ENSATT in Lyon, France. Mr. Scherban graduated from the Belarusian State Academy of Arts specializing in direction under Boris Vtorov. He joined Belarus Free Theatre in 2005—a month after its premiere—and staged the company’s first performance, 4.48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane. Mr. Scherban was dismissed from the National Dramaturgical Theatre for cooperation with Belarus Free Theatre. Various performances by Mr. Scherban around Belarus have been cancelled. He has been arrested for his professional activities.

ALEH SIDORCHYK (Actor) has performed with Belarus Free Theatre (BFT) from its founding and has received international acclaim for his performances. With BFT he has appeared in We. Self-identification by Pavel Priazhko, Konstantin Steshik and Pavel Rassolko; Belliwood by Pavel Priazhko; Being Harold Pinter; 11 Vests by Edward Bond; Scissors by Dea Loreh; Panties by Pavel Priazhko; Zone of Silence based on true stories adapted by Konstantin Steshik; Eurepica. Challenge; A Flower for Pina Bausch; Discover Love; and New York ‘79. From 2004 – 2006 he worked at the State Theatre of the Belarusian Army, before he was dismissed for cooperation with BFT. From 1985 - 2004 he worked at Belarusian Theatre of Young Spectator. In 1983 Mr. Sidorchyk graduated from the Belarusian State University of Art and Theatre, where he studied under V.P. Redlich, G.A. Volkova and G.P. Storozhevskaya. He has been arrested for his professional activities.

DZIANIS TARASENKA (Actor/Musician) has received international acclaim for his performances with Belarus Free Theatre (BFT) in We. Self-identification by Pavel Priazhko, Konstantin Steshik and Pavel Rassolko; Technique of Breathing in a Vacuum by Natalia Moshina; Belliwood by Pavel Priazhko; Being Harold Pinter; 11 Vests by Edward Bond; Scissors by Dea Loreh; Panties by Pavel Priazhko; Childhood Legends (from Zone of Silence) based on true stories, adapted by Konstantin Steshik; Others (from Zone of Silence); Numbers (from Zone of Silence); Eurepica. Challenge; A Flower for Pina Bausch; and New York ‘79. In 2004 he formed the band RSP, which has toured Russia, Lithuania, Belarus and several European countries, and appeared in festivals for the Children of the Sun creative group. From 2001 – 2004 he worked at the Free Stage theater studio. Mr. Tarasenka studied in the acting department at the Belarusian State University of Culture under V. Mazynski, and appears frequently on film. He has been assaulted during peaceful political action and arrested for his professional activities.

MARYNA YUREVICH (Actor) has received international acclaim for her performances with Belarus Free Theatre (BFT) in Being Harold Pinter; Panties by Pavel Priazhko; Childhood Legends (from Zone of Silence) based on true stories adapted by Konstantin Steshik; Others (from Zone of Silence); Numbers (from Zone of Silence); Eurepica. Challenge; Discover Love; A Flower for Pina Bausch; and New York ’79 . In 2007 Ms. Yurevich graduated from the Belarusian State University of Arts and Culture. From 2003 – 2007 she worked at the Republican Theatre of Belarusian Drama, and from 2007 – 2008 at the Theatre of the Belarusian Army before being dismissed for cooperation with BFT. She was obliged to pay a fine to the state for her denial to work at a given place after studying in a state university.

PAVEL HARADNITSKI (Actor/Musician) has received international acclaim for his performances with Belarus Free Theatre (BFT) in We. Self-identification by Pavel Priazhko, Konstantin Steshik and Pavel Rassolko; Technique of Breathing in a Vacuum by Natalia Moshina; Belliwood by Pavel Priazhko, Being Harold Pinter based on works by Harold Pinter; Panties by Pavel Priazhko; 11 Vests by Edward Bond; Scissors by Dea Loreh; Childhood Legends (from Zone of Silence) based on true stories adapted by Konstantin Steshik; Others (from Zone of Silence); Numbers (from Zone of Silence); Eurepica. Challenge; A Flower for Pina Bausch; New York ’79 ; and Discover Love. He studied at the Belarusian State University of Culture under V. Mazynski, where he performed his first role in Prince Mamabuk at V. Mazynski’s Free Stage Theatre. Mr. Haradnitski performs in the band RSP (vocals and flute). He has been has been arrested for his professional activities and banned from applying for any official job in Belarus because of his cooperation with BFT.

YANA RUSAKEVICH (Actor) has received international acclaim for her performances with Belarus Free Theatre (BFT) in 4.48 Psychosis by Sara Kane; We. Self-identification by Pavel Priazhko, Konstantin Steshik and Pavel Rassolko; Technique of Breathing in a Vacuum by Natalia Moshina; Belliwood by Pavel Priazhko; Being Harold Pinter based on works by Harold Pinter; Panties by Pavel Priazhko; 11 Vests by Edward Bond; Scissors by Dea Loren; Childhood Legends (from Zone of Silence) based on true stories adapted by Konstantin Steshik; Others (from Zone of Silence); Numbers (from Zone of Silence); Eurepica. Challenge; and A Flower for Pina Bausch. In 1998, Ms. Rusakevich graduated from the Belarusian State Academy of Arts as a theater and cinema actress. Since 1998 she has worked at the Belarusian State Academic Yanka Kupala Theatre, and performed in a variety of live productions. She started writing plays in 2002; her play Nalu won the first prize at Kupala’s Horizons playwriting competition. In 2004, the Swedish Royal Theatre staged a reading of her play Truth or Something Which Reflects the Reality. A 2005 BFT production of 4.48 Psychosis that she performed in was banned in Belarus and subsequently staged underground. She was dismissed from the National Dramaturgical Theatre of Yanka Kupala for cooperation with BFT, and has been arrested two times for her professional activities and participation in peaceful political actions.

ALIAKSEI SHYRNEVICH (Theater Manager/Stage Manager) has served as assistant to the director and stage manager for the Belarus Free Theatre Vladimir Scherban-directed productions of Eurepica. Challenge; Present Simple; A Flower for Pina Bausch; and New York ’79 . From 2003 - 2005 he was program coordinator in Dom pojednania I spotkan w Gdansku (Poland), organizing workshops for the Belarusian teachers, journalists, NGOs, and master classes on ethnic culture for the young Belarusian diaspora. From 2001 - 2002 Mr. Shyrnevich worked as a volunteer in the Belarusian Music Alternative in Minsk organizing rock concerts. From 1996 - 1998 he studied at Vitebsk Arts College, and from 1999 - 2001 he was the head of the artistic initiative Zolak in Minsk.

IRENE IAROCHEVICH (Actor/Theater Manager/Stage Manager/Playwright) has worked as an assistant to directors Vladimir Scherban and Mikalai Khalezin on the Belarus Free Theatre (BFT) productions of Generation Jeans; Belliwood by Pavel Priazhko; Being Harold Pinter; Zone of Silence; Discover Love; Eurepica. Challenge; A Flower for Pina Bausch; and New York ’79 . Since December 2009, Ms. Iarochevich has worked as an actor with BFT. In 2010, she passed exchange programs in public relations at Nottingham Playhouse, and in video, sound, and light effects at Stuttgart Staats Theatre. She currently studies at the European Humanities University, which has been banished from Belarus and is currently operating in Lithuania. Ms. Iarochevich was assaulted during a peaceful political action, and has been arrested for her professional activities. She was expelled from her last university year for her cooperation with BFT.

LAUR BIARZHANIN (Musician/DJ/Sound Manager) is the initiator of the World Musicians for Solidarity with Belarus project, which was supported by Mick Jagger. Since 2008 he has worked as a sound manager for Belarus Free Theatre (BFT); his work has appeared in the BFT productions of Discover Love and Eurepica. DJ Laurel (Laur Biarzhanin) has been collecting vinyl records since 1999. He was the first in Belarusian to play nu jazz, Latin and intelligent broken beats, representing music of various independent labels around the world. Currently, DJ Laurel remains a professional DJ, generating intelligent and creative ideas on the country’s musical stage. In 2005 he joined the project Generation Jeans by BFT; Mr. BIarzhanin created an original soundtrack for the plot line of the production, and performs a live vinyl set on the stage, which has become an experiment in cooperation between the professional stage and contemporary club culture. He has been arrested for his professional activities.

ARTSEM ZHALIAZNIAK (Theater Manager/Stage Manager/International Coordinator) has worked as a freelance cameraman, editor, sound designer, and graphics animator since 2007. He joined Belarus Free Theatre as a communications and audio-visual assistant. He was the cameraman, sound assistant, and editor for a documentary film project The Last, it Lasts by Nikolai Khalezin and Natalia Kaliada, shot in various countries in the European Union and Central Africa. During his studies at Minsk State Linguistic University, he worked as an assistant to the director at Belarus State Film Company on three full feature productions. Mr. Zhaliazniak currently resides outside of Belarus because of forced military service conscription.

Special Thanks This show is dedicated to Harold Pinter who was a great friend and Patron of the Belarus Free Theatre, and we express our gratitude to Lady Antonia Fraser, widow of Harold Pinter, for her friendship and moral support.