The Last Witness [of Old Hrodna]
Saturday 7. February at 19:30 - 22:00
Zygmunt Hübner Powszechny Theatre, Warszawa
Performance and Discussion
Every day, Ruslan rides his bicycle through the streets of Hrodna, capturing the pulse of the news. His true passion: collecting the stories of his old city and its residents — uncovering the truth about Hrodna’s history.
As Hrodna becomes one of the centers of Belarusian protests during the presidential elections in August 2020, Ruslan becomes a target of persecution. His grip on reality begins to slip. Suddenly, the line between truth and illusion blurs.
As his system of ideals collapses, he starts to see striking parallels between the turmoil of the present and the events of the past. Driven by the need to make sense of it all, he explores the values that shape one’s national identity and the vital role of independent journalism in preserving the truth.
The performance will be followed by a discussion ‘Prospects for Change in Belarus: the 2026 Perspective’ with prominent Belarusian and international experts.
Creatives:
Written by Amalia Riznich
Directed by X
Cast:
Mitya Savelau
Natallia Liavonava
Aliaksandr Ratsko
Aliaksei Vainilovich
Approximate running time:
1,5 hrs performance + 1 hour Q&A
Language:
The performance will be in English and in Russian and Belarusian (with English subtitles). The discussion - in English.
“Mass peaceful protests, which had erupted across Belarus in response to President Aliaksandr Lukashenko’s manipulation of the August 2020 presidential vote, largely wound down by the end of 2020 due to the government’s relentless and vicious crackdown. The authorities, however, escalated smear campaigns and prosecutions against political and civic activists, independent journalists and human rights defenders on trumped up, politically motivated charges” - Human Rights Watch.
5 years on, over 1 million Belarusians were forced to flee the country, over 1100 political prisoners remain locked up in prisons and 15 people died in detention or after their release.
Organisers:
Ad Astra Social Impact Studio, Beladania and The Thomson Foundation.
The project is supported by the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
Additionally, the project is supported by ArtPower Belarus and funded by the European Union.
The Last Witness was first performed in November 2024 at Maxim Gorki Theater in Berlin within the project “Contextual Echoes of Civic Resilience” - a collaboration between Gorki Theatre, the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the European Humanities University and Belarusian playwrights and actors.
“A powerful artistic image is the journalist's mother, trying to convince him that
the protests are provocations by Western intelligence agencies”
Deutsche Welle.
Zygmunt Hübner Powszechny Theatre • Jana Zamoyskiego 20, 03-801 Warszawa, Województwo mazowieckie, Poland
