KS6: Small Forward – Sep 21 – Oct 13

ABOUT

From the Olivier Award-nominated Belarus Free Theatre, one of the world’s bravest theatre companies, KS6: Small Forward is a brand new stage production based on the extraordinary life story of Belarusian international-basketball-player-turned-activist, Katsiaryna (Katya) Snytsina. 

Theatre turbocharged with the electrifying energy of a basketball match, KS6: Small Forward invites audiences into Katya’s world as she traces the stratospheric highs and crushing lows of twenty years on the court, until dramatic events in her homeland in 2020 set her on a new path as an activist on the international stage. 

Performing alongside clubland’s rising star, DJ Blanka Barbara, Katya will get audiences bouncing to the beats of this soul-shaking duologue about smashing world records, proudly celebrating your sexuality, standing up to dictators, and above all, being fearlessly true to yourself. 

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Post-Show Discussion: Tuesday, September 24

Join us for a very special post-show discussion following the September 24th performance, with exiled Belarus President-elect Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, winner of the country’s 2020 presidential election, according to independent observers; Belarus Free Theatre co-founding Artistic Director Natalia Kaliada, and star of KS6: Small Forward, Katsiaryna (Katya) Snytsina. PBS political commentator Margaret Hoover will moderate the event, which is also being filmed for broadcast on PBS’ Firing Line With Margaret Hoover.

CREDITS

Belarus Free Theatre Production
Directed by Natalia Kaliada and Nicolai Khalezin
Movement Director and Choreographer Javier De Frutos
Consultant Choreographer Anthony Matsena
Set design by Nicolai Khalezin
Composer and Sound design by DJ Blanka Barbara
Lighting design by Peter Small
Video design by Dmytro Guk
Projection Consultant CultureHub
Press Representative: Sam Rudy Media Relations
Production photos by Nicolai Khalezin

Performed by

Katsiaryna Snytsina
Blanka Barbara (on-stage DJ)
Darya Andreyanova
Mikalai Kuprych
Raman Shytsko

BIO

Belarus Free Theatre (BFT) is the only theatre in Europe banned by its government on political grounds, described by The New York Times as, “one of the bravest and most inspired underground troupes on the planet”. Over the past nineteen years, BFT has originated some of the world’s most provocative and breathtakingly physical theatre – more than 50 productions performed in more than 40 countries around the world. BFT’s stage productions have consistently challenged dictatorships, signalled the erosion of democratic rights and freedoms, and called for accountability on the world stage. Awards include: a Drama Desk nomination for Being Harold Pinter (2011), OBIE win for Discover Love / Being Harold Pinter / Zone of Silence (2011); and an Olivier Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Opera(2024). In June 2023, Natalia Kaliada and Nicolai Khalezin, BFT’s co-founding Artistic Directors, were awarded the MBE for Services to Theatre in the King’s Birthday Honours. 

The production is supported in part by the Venturous Theater Fund of the Tides Foundation.