Bonjour,
It’s the last weekend for “Insulted. Belarus,” the inspiring story of ordinary people with the courage to stand up to dictators and autocrats. If you haven’t yet seen it, make your reservations now!
“Wow!…Contemporary theater at its most informative and impactful…A nation’s failed efforts to unseat one of the world’s most reviled dictators comes to stunning, gut-punching life in City Garage Theatre’s English-language World Premiere of Andrei Kureichik’s Insulted….As highly political as it is deeply personal, Insulted. Belarus is contemporary theater at its most informative and impactful. Its English-language premiere does its playwright, City Garage, and the people of Belarus proud.”
— Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
“Absolutely not to be missed…!!!”
— Edward Goldman, Art Matters
“Top Ten! Recommended!
“A vivid picture of the events leading up to and including the election and the horrific fallout from Lukashenko’s desperate — and merciless — campaign to retain power….Director Frederique Michel keeps the action flowing smoothly, and she unflinchingly serves up violence onstage…. [Juliet] Morrison gives a strong performance in one of the most intriguing roles as a school principal who is completely unapologetic about her manipulating vote counts at her precinct….To borrow from Linda Loman in Death of a Salesman (though the context is much different): “Attention must be paid.” Thankfully, much attention has been paid to Insulted. Belarus.”
— G. Bruce Smith, Stage Raw
“City Garage’s production of “Insulted. Belarus, a chronicle of that country’s political woes by native son Andrei Kureichik, is commendable on a number of levels with each expanding outwards like the transverse waves of a stone when dropped into a pond’s stagnant waters. Most immediate to the gravity wave of said stone is the solidly crafted production itself. Next comes the commitment of City Garage to providing international playwrights the opportunity to have their voices heard beyond their homeland while presenting American audiences with the opportunity to hear them. Finally, the most praiseworthy of the generated longitudinal ripples is City Garage’s dedication to the most essential of dramatic expressions, that of the Political Theatre. Sadly few companies possess the courage to engage that challenge or the craft to do so successfully….Director Frédérique Michel stylishly renders this human tragedy on her stage with great aplomb, and the cast excels in the tasks given them….What Insulted. Belarus offers us, in a dramatically moving fashion, is knowledge of the methods of fascism in undermining a democracy. Sadly, that knowledge is what this nation seems to be in vital need of.”
— Ernest Kearney, The Tvolution
“Powerful stuff. And topical. Performed by one of the best theatre companies in the Los Angeles area. More, this play works in stirring up emotions. The performances are all good. As expected with this company!… a very worthwhile piece of theatre!…. intense and worth the price of a ticket, not least for us to think about nations who are not in the forefront of the news reports right now, but still suffer…. an impactful work of living art, opening one’s eyes and heart to the unknown, yet somehow recognizable as absolutely true!”
— David MacDowell Blue, The World Through Night Colored Glasses
“Superbly balanced humor….eye-opening….a demonstration of human civil progress…. Insulted. Belarus brings forth an amazing truth.”
— Joseph Hazani, A Dilettante
About the Play
A power-hungry authoritarian who will stop at nothing to hang onto power. Accusations of widespread election fraud. Mass protests that turn violent. Sound familiar? Such things used to be unimaginable in the United States. Frighteningly, that’s no longer the case. But can we learn a lesson from what happened in the 2020 election in Belarus? While our would-be dictator fell short, another did not—Alexander Lukashenko. Through brutal repression, mass arrests, torture, and the murders of innocent protestors he kept an iron grip on the country. But for how much longer?
While democracies around the world are under threat from authoritarianism, there are also courageous citizens who are willing to put their lives on the line for the sake of self-determination. This play tells the story of the people of Belarus who did just that. In the election of 2020, they came achingly close to overthrowing the oppressive regime of Alexander Lukashenko, Europe’s longest-ruling dictator. Instead, in Lukashenko’s violent crackdown, thousands were arrested, thrown into prison, beaten, abused, tortured, and silenced. But the pro-Democracy movement, as witnessed by writers such as Andrei Kureichik, who, because of his work in defense of free-speech, was forced into exile, has emerged only more determined. This play, which has been translated into 29 languages and has received more than 250 readings across the globe as part of a worldwide project curated by translator John Freedman, is the story of a determined, fearless people who are willing to fight for a democratically elected government. Are we soon going to be called on to do the same? City Garage is proud to present the English-language world premiere production of this powerful play.
Photo credit: Nadia Buzhan
Help us get to $30,000!
It’s the time of the year we need you to help us continue the work at City Garage through your generous donations. Please, if you can, donate before the end of the year so we can go on with more exciting productions in 2024. Help us get to $30,000 by the end of the year!
Click here to a make a donation.
Thanks to the following donors we’ve raised $11,110 so far. We’re more than a third of the way!
Ruth Flinkman and Ben Marandy
Curt and Michele Wittig
Roger Marheine
Anonymous
Nina Kamberos
Tom Patchett
Lindsie Carlsen
Geraldine Fuentes
David Burton
Berta Finkelstein and Bill Claiborne
Emyr Gravell
Steve Diskin
Laurie Steelink
Amanda Stokes
Archie says Thank you!
See you at City Garage!
Love,
Frederique 👠👠 and Archie
