Being Harold Pinter

PERFORMED BY BELARUS FREE THEATRE

Based on the Nobel lecture of Nobel Prize Winner Harold Pinter comes this wild anarchic work that exposes real life in Europe’s last dictatorship.

“Harold Pinter, who sadly passed away on Christmas Eve, was arguably the most important figure in English theatre in the 20th Century.  I had the privilege of meeting him in 1979 at the National Theatre, which was then staging his play Betrayal.  We are especially fortunate to have this production of Being Harold Pinter in Brisbane at this time.  This production, drawn from Pinter's famous Nobel Peace Prize lecture and a number of his plays, encapsulates Pinter’s humanity and his life. This is a truly extraordinary and timely theatrical event.”   Andrew Ross, Artistic Director, Brisbane Powerhouse.

The Belarus Free Theatre doesn’t officially exist. It sprang to life in 2005 in response to the authoritarian rule of President Alexander Lukashenko, who has viciously suppressed freedom of expression and political opposition.

Company members have been evicted, beaten and arrested. In August 2007 the entire cast and audience were arrested mid-performance. To see them perform in Belarus you put your name on a secret list and wait for an SMS telling you a time and place on the city outskirts. Then you’re bussed to a makeshift theatre in a basement, a café, even a cemetery.

Being Harold Pinter is wild, anarchic theatre at its purest. Extracts from Pinter’s plays and his Nobel Prize speech transform into a harrowing account of artistic and political repression in Europe’s last dictatorship. Funny and menacing, this is a powerful instance of life imitating art.

Brisbane Powerhouse and the Sydney Festival are proud to give the Belarus Free Theatre an opportunity to present their work to the people of Brisbane.

‘Is the Belarus “Free Theatre” the bravest theatre company in the world?” London Daily Telegraph 

Performed in Russian with surtitles.

Warning: This performance contains offensive language and nudity. Recommended for people aged 15 years and older. 

Duration: 75mins, no interval