Generation Jeans (2018) Program

GENERATION JEANS 9 — 18 AUG

7 — 18 MAR

SEASON 2018

#FLEABAG

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SEASON 2018

9 — 18 AUG BECKETT THEATRE

A BITTERSWEET, HEART-WARMING COMING OF AGE STORY LACED WITH HUMOR AND IRONY – AMERICAN THEATRE

INTERPRETER & SURTITLES OPERATOR / Daniella Kaliada

DIRECTED & PERFORMED BY / Nicolai Khalezin

PRODUCER / Clare Robertson

MUSIC BY / Lavr Berzhanin (DJ Laurel)

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER / Natalia Kaliada

#GENERATIONJEANS

BY / Nicolai Khalezin with the participation of Natalia Kaliada

A Malthouse Theatre and Monash University Academy of Performing Arts production.

Production Photography by Jan Boeve.

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CAST & CREATIVE BIOS

#GENERATIONJEANS

Natalia Kaliada WRITER & EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Nicolai Khalezin WRITER, DIRECTOR & PERFORMER

Lavr Berzhanin / DJ Laurel MUSIC

Natalia is the co-founding Artistic Director of Belarus Free Theatre, a writer, human rights campaigner, producer and one of the most outspoken critics of Belarus’ repressive regime. She has co-authored and co-directed many plays with her husband Nicolai Khalezin, including Generation Jeans, Discover Love, Trash Cuisine, Time of Women and Burnings Doors. Natalia has also acted as Executive Producer alongside Nicolai Khalezin on all BFT productions, including the Staging a Revolution Festival and I’m with the Banned concert in 2015 for BFT’s 10th anniversary. In 2008, together with Nicolai Khalezin and Vladimir Shcherban, she set up Fortinbras, the only independent arts and activism school in Belarus. Led by her and Khalezin, BFT has received a series of awards including the Human Rights Prize of the French Republic, the Atlantic Council Award, Special Mention at the X11 Edition of the Europe Theatre Prize, an OBIE, an OFFIE Award, and most recently the Václav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent. She was forced into exile in 2011 and currently lives in the UK as a political refugee.

Nicolai is the co-founding Artistic Director of Belarus Free Theatre and an awardwinning director, playwright, designer, journalist, artist and photographer. Prior to cofounding BFT in 2005, he was co-founder of The Alternative Theatre and The Gallery of Modern Art Vita Nova in Minsk, and the senior editor at three leading Belarusian newspapers, all of which were shut down by the Lukashenko regime. He was arrested four times for resistance of the dictatorship and was designated a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International in 2002. This experience informed Generation Jeans, which has been performed more than 100 times around the world including at the home of President Václav Havel and at the House of Commons together with BFT’s trustee Jude Law. Playwriting and directing credits for BFT include Discover Love, Trash Cuisine, Time of Women and Burning Doors. Nicolai is the co-founder of BFT’s school, Fortinbras, the only independent arts and activism school in Belarus. Following his release from detention in Belarus in 2011, he was forced into exile and currently lives in the UK as a political refugee.

DJ Laurel has been playing and collecting vinyl since 1999. He was the first person in Belarus to play what is called Nu-Jazz, Latin House, Disco and Funk.

Digging rare vinyl from around the world, Lavr has the biggest soul, funk, boogie and disco record collection in Belarus.

Since 2005, Laurel has been booking and organising music events, bringing some of the world’s greatest independent artists and DJs to Belarus. He has had joint DJ sets all over the world including the UK, USA, Montenegro, France and Austria sharing the stage with great musicians and DJs including Nickodemus, DJ Format, Florian Keller and Dom Servini. Laurel’s work with Belarus Free Theatre includes Generation Jeans and Discover Love, as well as organising an underground international music festival World Musicians for Solidarity with Belarus led

by Mick Jagger in order to create musical solidarity with Belarusian counterculture.

In 2015, Laurel played back to back with DJ Andy Smith (Portishead) as part of BFT’s I’m the with Banned concert at Koko in London.

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CAST & CREATIVE BIOS

Daniella Kaliada INTERPRETER & SURTITLES OPERATOR

#GENERATIONJEANS

Daniella has worked as a translator for Belarus Free Theatre since the age of twelve.

Over the last five years she has worked on the campaign led by her parents to release political prisoners in Belarus.

At the age of thirteen she gave a speech in UK parliament as an advocate for this issue.

Daniella also runs a video series Monologue for Two on the Ministry of Counterculture (moc.media), which asks luminaries in their field how they came to do what they do and what advice they can give to her generation.

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BELARUS FREE THEATRE

Belarus Free Theatre is a theatre company in exile.

Founders Natalia Kaliada and Nicolai Khalezin, are 'enemies of the state' in Belarus. Receiving asylum in the UK, they continue to create theatre and art around the world.

Known for physicality and intensity, they remain focussed on the importance of action against injustice.

LONDON CO-FOUNDING ARTISTIC DIRECTORS / Natalia Kaliada Nicolai Khalezin GENERAL MANAGER & PRODUCER / Clare Robertson DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR / Juliet Schofield

MINSK CO-MANAGING DIRECTORS / Nadia Brodskaya Svetlana Sugako

CONTACT

## MGAELNT EHROAUTSIEOPNRJ O EM AN PS T

belarusfreetheatre bfreetheatre belarusfreetheatre belarusfreetheatre.com

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ABOUT MALTHOUSE THEATRE

#GENERATIONJEANS

STAND TOGETHER WITH MALTHOUSE THEATRE. At Malthouse Theatre we collaborate with local and international artists to create inventive performances that cut to the core of the human experience.

Theatre has the power to interrogate, disrupt and to be an agent of change—and we think it always should.

At Malthouse Theatre the work we produce explores the world personally, socially and politically.

Based in a dedicated venue, The Coopers Malthouse in Melbourne, we are a home for live experiences that entertain and provoke a dialogue with and within audiences.

Welcome to Malthouse Theatre.

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OUR PARTNERS

GOVERNMENT

VENUE

EDUCATION

MAJOR

CORPORATE

ACCOMMODATION

MEDIA

INDUSTRY

#GENERATIONJEANS

TRUSTS AND FOUNDATIONS

OUR SUPPORTERS

CALLIOPE—MUSE OF POETRY—$50,000+ Mary-Ruth & Peter McLennan, Craig Reeves, Maureen Wheeler AO & Tony Wheeler AO URANIA—MUSE OF THE STARS—$25,000+ Annamila Fund, Debbie Dadon AM, Carrillo Gantner AO CLIO—MUSE OF HISTORY—$10,000+ Andyinc Foundation, John & Lorraine Bates, Jennifer Darbyshire & David Walker, Michele Levine, James Penlidis & Fiona McGauchie & Family, Janine Tai, The Vera Moore Foundation, Anonymous (2) THALIA—MUSE OF COMEDY—$5,000+ John & Lorraine Bates, Gjergja Family, Sue Kirkham, The Pratt Foundation, Richard Leonard & Gerlinde Scholz, Mary Vallentine AO, Anonymous (1) MELPOMENE—MUSE OF TRAGEDY—$2,500+ Daniel Besen, Gjergja Family, Colin Golvan AM QC, & Dr Deborah Golvan, Suzanne Kirkham, Elizabeth & Donald McGauchie AO, The Pratt Foundation, Richard Leonard & Gerlinde Scholz, Mary Vallentine AO, Moana Weir & Jordie van der Schoot, Anonymous (1)

EUTERPE—MUSE OF MUSIC—$1,000+ Marc Besen AC & Eva Besen AO, Sally Browne, Beth Brown & Tom Bruce AM, Ingrid & Per Carlsen, Ros Casey, Tim & Rachel Cecil, Min Li Chong, Jason Craig, Andrew Curtis, Susanne Dahn, Mark & Jo Davey, Dominic & Natalie Dirupo, Roger Donazzan, Rev Fr Michael Elligate AM, Brian Goddard, Val Johnstone, Fiona Kelly, Julie & Michael Landvogt, Susan Nathan, Rosemary & Roger Redston, Viorica Samson, Carol & Alan Schwartz AM, Robert Sessions & Christina Fitzgerald, Maria Solà, Toby Sullivan, Rosemary Walls, Pinky Watson, Anonymous (2) TERPSICHORE—MUSE OF DANCE—$500+ Frankie Airey & Steve Solly, Graham & Anita Anderson, Greg Andrews, Michael Arnold, Rowland Ball OAM, Sandra Beanham, David & Rhonda Black, Annie Bourke & Darren Clyne, Dr Rob Brown & Dr Lynne Millar, Priscilla Bryans, Bruce R Butler, MaryAnne Carroll, Chris Clough, Carolyn Creswell, Prof John Daley & Dr Rebecca Coates, Georgie Coleman, Dr Ross Coller, Alan Connolly, Dr Bronwen Evans, Peter & Roxane Fearnside, Evelyn Firstenberg, John & Helen Gibbins, Taleen Gaidzkar, John Douglas Gruppy, Tyler Hill, Leonie Hollingworth, Brad Hooper, Vivienne Poznanski & Michael Jankie, Joan

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& Graeme Johnson OAM, Irene Kearsey, Ann Kemeny & Graham Johnson, Angela Kirsner & Dr Richard Kirsner, Simone Lourey, Virginia Lovett, John McCallum, Ian McRae AO & Åsa Hasselgard-Rowe, Ned’s, Jan Owen AM, Salvatore & Lea Posterino, Craig Semple, Tom Smyth, Tim & Lynne Sherwood, Janice Taylor, Kerri Turner & Andrew White, Naum Tered, John Thomas, Phil & Heather Wilson, Anonymous (2) ERATO—MUSE OF LOVE—$250+ Simon Abrahams, Nicole Beyer, Jennifer Bourke, John & Alexandra Busselmaier, Diane Clark, Fiona Clyne, William Donaldson, Mark Duckworth & Lauren Mosso, Carolyn Floyd, Mary Garcia, Damyn Gordon, Joanne Griffiths, Peggy Hayton, Frances Pascale, Russell Hooper, Susan Humphries, Arechea Hounsell, Sarah Hunt, Dr Irene Irvine, Mira & Dr David Kolieb, Jayne Lovelock, Judith Maitland-Parr, Robert Peters, Ian Manning & Alice De Jonge, John Millard, Linda Notley, Dr Helen Nugent AO, Tony Oliver, Kaylene O’Neill, Pinkerton Abbey Family, Anda Petrapsch, Gerard Powell, Dr Suzy Redston, Rosalba Renzella, Rae Rothfield, Jean Ross, Jennifer Senior, Andrew Stocker, Evelyn Tadros, Chris Teh, Lee-Ann Walsh, Jillian Wells OAM, Gary Westbrook, Gayl Morrow & Gib Wettenhall, Joanne Whyte, Barbara Yuncken, Anonymous (1)

MONASH UNIVERSITY

#G# EF N LEERAABTAI O GN J E A N S

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WH SA EA T ’SSO U N P2 N 0 1E 8X T

‘A SCORCHING PIECE OF THEATRE: UNCOMPROMISING, URGENT AND ANGRY.’

#SE# A FS LO ENA2 B0 A1 8 G

— FINANCIAL TIMES (FOR BURNING DOORS)

TRUSTEES 28 SEP – 21 OCT Natalia Kaliada and Nicolai Khalezin of Belarus Free Theatre have conceived an explosive new work with some extraordinary Australian performers.

Together, they interrogate the Great Australian Silence: a struggle to speak out against atrocities both in our own country and abroad, and the danger of speaking the truth.

WRITTEN BY / Natalia Kaliada & Nicolai Khalezin with Daniel Schlusser & the cast

DIRECTED BY / Natalia Kaliada & Nicolai Khalezin

CAST / Tammy Anderson, Natasha Herbert, Niharika Senapati, Hazem Shammas, Daniel Schlusser

A Malthouse Theatre and Melbourne Int ernational Art s Fe stiv al pr o du ctio n an d co - co mm issio n .

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SCENE & HEARD

Generation Jeans was first performed on 17 March 2006 underground in Belarus.

MalthouseTheatre MalthouseMelb MalthouseTheatre malthousetheatre.com.au Š Malthouse Theatre, the artists, designers, photographers, collaborators and contributors. All rights reserved, 2018.