Trustees

In a thrilling collaboration between Malthouse Theatre and Belarus Free Theatre, co-founders Natalia Kolaida and Nicolai Khalezin, present a powerful piece of political theatre this October.

Belarus Free Theatre will join forces with a fierce team of Australian theatre-makers to present the world premiere of Trustees – a furious and insightful work about the mechanics of authority, the media, self censorship and freedom of speech in Australia.

In a major policy shift, the government has announced a moratorium on funding for performing arts organisations Australia-wide. The Trustees of Melbourne’s fictional Lone Pine Theatre Company gather to assess the damage—but what dark clouds might rise from the ashes?

This explosive new work features five Australian performers including: Tammy Anderson, Natasha Herbert, Niharika Senapati, Hazem Shammas and Daniel Schlusser. 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. This isn’t a dictatorship, it’s a free country, so we can say whatever we like whenever we like, right?

Belarus Free Theatre is the only theatre of its kind in Europe. Founded in 2005 by husband and wife team Nicolai Khalezin and Natalia Kaliada, it consists of 25 members and nine students who use theatre as an artistic means to resist political censorship and pressure from the government.

Seeking political asylum in the UK in 2011, Belarus Free Theatre is banned in its native country–company members have served time in prison, lost their jobs, gone into hiding or been exiled. Despite suffering every form of intimidation and harassment, the company continues to produce internationally-recognised theatre, attracting rave reviews and prestigious awards from London to New York.

“Hard-hitting, essential and furious… political theatre alive and kicking.” – The Guardian (for Minsk)

Directors: Natalia Kaliada & Nicolai Khalezin Featuring: Tammy Anderson, Natasha Herbert, Niharika Senapati, Hazem Shammas, Daniel Schlusser Set & Costume Design: Romanie Harper Lighting Design: Amelia Lever-Davidson Sound Design & Composition: Jethro Woodward Translation: Daniella Kaliada Choreography: Bridget Fiske Stage Manager: Adam Chesnutt