Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
David Jays

KS6: Small Forward review – Belarusian basketball star tells high-energy story of becoming a dissident

Rangy authenticity … Katsiaryna Snytsina in KS6: Small Forward by Belarus Free Theatre at the Pit theatre.
Rangy authenticity … Katsiaryna Snytsina in KS6: Small Forward by Belarus Free Theatre at the Pit, Barbican. Photograph: Tristram Kenton/The Guardian

In this new piece by Belarus Free Theatre, an Olympian basketball player relates her own story – a sporting memoir and political awakening. Katsiaryna Snytsina was a star Belarusian athlete – but when she protested against her country’s 2020 election on social media she was excoriated by the Lukashenko regime. And when she then came out, she was labelled an “extremist lesbian”.

Belarus Free Theatre now operate in exile, their productions ranging from agitprop to opera. Natalia Kaliada, who directs this show with Nicolai Khalezin, describes their method as “immersing ourselves into the pain of the world”, to expose oppression and dream of freedom.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.