Press releases

BREST, 29 August (BelTA) – The 19^th edition of the international theater festival Belaya Vezha (White Tower) will be held in Brest on 12-19 September. The festival will start from a carnival and a costumed procession, director of the festival, Artistic Director of the Brest Academic Drama Theater Alexander Kozak told a press conference on 29 August, BelTA has learned.

The highlight of the opening day will be Estonian theater Giraffe Royal. During their street performance, the actors will show pieces from a romantic clownery Memory of Carnival that will be presented on the stage of the regional community center in the evening. They will lead the costumed procession that will march from Lenin Square along Lenin Street up to the drama theater. “I really like this idea when on the first day of the festival everyone joins the procession, creams and shouts; I think it is great. You want to make some noise, you want to let people know that the fun has begun. I think we will develop a longer procession route and will expand it by the 20^th edition of the festival,” Alexander Kozak said.

He noted that street performances are a peculiarity of the festival. This year, Belaya Vezha Grand Prix holder Lviv Academic Theater Voskresinnia will show a performance dedicated to Taras Shevchenko. A children’s play, Barrel of Laughter, will be staged by a theater from Wroclaw in the city square.

“It is a pity that there are few street performances in our program yet. Street performances are a new thing to us and we are very interested in them,” Alexander Kozak said.

The program of the festival features 28 productions by 24 theater companies from 13 countries, including Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Poland, Ukraine, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Italy, Georgia, Slovakia and Kazakhstan. Belarus will be represented by the Gorky National Academic Drama Theater, the National Belarusian Drama Theater, Independent Belarusian Theater Ch, Polesie Drama Theater and Brest Academic Drama Theater.

Alexander Kozak emphasized that all the productions were carefully selected. “Each performance is distinguished by something, be it an interesting storyline, new solutions by directors or fascinating acting. Each production conveys some message to spectators,” he noted.

The international annual festival Belaya Vezha has been held in Brest since 1996. Over this time theaters from 57 countries have taken part in it.