The second issue of the almanac is not only a chronicle but also a laboratory of meanings. At the intersection of countries, languages, and destinies, stories emerge about self-discovery, resilience, and creative resistance.
The issue focuses on those who, having left their homeland, preserve and transform cultural codes. Janis Povilaitis explores this process through interviews with two directors of improvisational physical theater and shares his own experiences of navigating change. Four student essays included in the almanac offer poignant reflections on migration, creativity, and the loss of home, now replaced by the stage.
Contributions by Anna Korneyuk and Lina Kryvitskaya create a kind of archive of Belarusian theater in emigration, documenting conferences, laboratories, and artistic collaborations. Irina Lappo provides a behind-the-scenes look at Polish and German theatrical initiatives, capturing shifts in repertoire that include documentary dramas, explorations of folklore, and interpretations of historical heritage.
The diverse stories of theater artists and entire troupes are highlighted in articles by Alla Shenderova and Sergey Nikolaevich: from the forced creative exile of Tajik director Barzu Abdurazzakov to the tragic history of the Latvian theater Skatuve under Soviet repression. The almanac’s creators pair an interest in the past with attention to the present: Liza Keshisheva writes about new theatrical initiatives in Tbilisi, Stanislava Veniaminova examines the realities of state theaters in contemporary Belarus, and Maria Belkovich’s play delves into the search for historical memory and national identity in three languages—Belarusian, Ukrainian, and Hebrew.
The presentation will take place on January 27 at 6:00 PM in the main building of EHU.
We invite you to join us in person (Savičiaus g. 17, Room 303, free admission) or online (registration link for online participation).
The event will feature the almanac’s editor-in-chief Alla Shenderova, deputy editor-in-chief Ksenia Knyazeva, actor Vladas Bagdonas, critic Elena Liopo, curator of the “Theater Art and Acting” program Alexander Marchenko, and other contributors and figures featured in this issue. The discussion will be moderated by Natalia Volontsevich.
