Actresses fired after touring with underground Free Theater in London
The London-based Soho Theater had sent an official letter to the Belarusian Army Theater, requesting to let Maryia Yurevich go for three weeks to Britain. But it would not help.
“Soho Theater wrote an official request, saying I was invited for training in order to raise my professional level as an actress. The letter was not even studied by the Belarusian Army Theater. The director said that he was not even going to read this invitation. He told me: “No. We will not let you go. You will not go with the Free Theater anywhere”. When I said that I was not scheduled to play the repertoire during this period, I was told: “That’s no problem. We will get new rehearsals for you”. While I was away, they staged three rehearsals. When I returned, I was fired on the following day”, says Maryia Yurevich.
Alyaksei Dudarau maintains that the actress was not allowed to go because of rehearsals. In addition, she was to take part in the concert devoted to the 90th anniversary of the Armed Forces.
Dudarau: “She was fired for not showing up at workplace. We had a conversation about some kind of a theater that was inviting her for practicing in London. We could not let her go, because she was involved in rehearsals. I told her a clear-cut “No”. She “turned out” to be sick. In reality, she was not lying ill but went to London. She was sacked on return, because she had to be at her workplace. She was to take part in the concert devoted to the 90th anniversary of the Armed Forces”.
Maryia told the European Radio for Belarus that Dudarau said that going to London was not worthy, because actors in London could not teach her anything. He would say that they should learn from Belarusians instead.
Dudarau: “I can repeat it once again. The Belarusian and Russian acting schools are at a much higher level than the school of Western actors. The reason is simple: Stanislavsky is the highest authority. They’d better learn from us. We have nothing to learn from them!”
- Have you ever been to theaters in London?
“I was in Ireland together with Rayevsky. We staged a play there about twenty years ago”.
- Twenty years…?
“That’s not the point. Maryna is not a martyr of consciousness. There is no politics involved here as some want to see it. She just had to go to work”.
- Maryna went to London together with the Free Theater. Did you see their performances and what is your opinion about this theater?
“I didn’t see their performances. I saw some brief footage of their performances on NTV television. I don’t believe that art can be made on scandals and show-offs. It has never happened and will never be. I compare such theaters with the Globus theater from Twelve Chairs by Ilf and Petrov. All revolutions give birth to this kind of theaters”.
- What about their awards and very positive responses from the most renowned critics?
“Many theaters go to some festivals and get awards. There are many cases that a theater goes with its play and get the third place … out of four participants. To me, there is only one critic: the demand from spectators”.
- Would you hire Maryna back if she made some kind of a written pledge not to skip rehearsals?
“I don’t know. She has been removed from the repertoire. My personal attitude to her is good. However, she is not reliable!”
- Do you regret that you have lost this particular actress?
“It was my initiative to hire her. I noticed her when she was playing as a back-up actress to one guy. We also hired him. I regret. But our work is the most important thing to me. She cannot be trusted now”.
Presently, Maryna Yurevich will have to refund to the state for not having worked mandatory two years after graduation from the Arts Academy. The director of the Free Theater approached British actors, and many agreed to “bail out” the Belarusian actress.
