Oracle and Lucid Street Travel to Belarus to Devise a New Play

Chicago companies Oracle Productions and Lucid Street Theatre are collaborating with Belarusian artist Liubou Zhuromskaya (and others) from Theatre Rond and the international women's association, Interforum, to bring American artists to Belarus to devise a theatrical performance that combines regional folklore and performance theories from both countries.

On August 23, Ben Fuchsen (Executive Producer, Oracle), Lily Emerson (Artistic Director, Lucid Street), Charles Malave (aka Charlie Universe, Lucid Street), and Jackson King (Company Member, Oracle) will travel to Minsk, Belarus, to begin rehearsing their new work, FINDING BIALOWIEZA FOREST, or HIDING CITY. They will stage the work in Minsk, and then tour the piece to the Vysehratky Theatre Festival in Prague, Czech Republic, and the International Theatre Festival "Belaya Vezha" in Brest, Belarus accompanied by Liubou and fellow collaborators.

A stateside performance will be remounted in Chicago before the end of the year in Oracle's Public Access Theatre, which does not charge admission for its performances. It is hoped the Belarusian artists will have the opportunity to travel to Chicago to help with this subsequent production. More details to follow.

The American and Belarusian artists originally met through the International Visitor Leadership Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State arranged by Meridian International Center. Ms. Emerson developed a strong connection with Liubou. They began discussing a collaboration using found materials, folk tales and musical traditions from both cultures to devise an original piece. The subject is based on a Belarusian folk tale in which a righteous city is hidden beneath a lake for protection in the middle of the oldest European landmark: the Bialowieza Forest (Belovezhskaya Pushcha).

Fuchsen and Emerson worked to secure funding for the four American artists to travel and workshop the piece. Through a generous grant from Trust for Mutual Understanding, as well as an ongoing Kickstarter campaign, Oracle and Lucid Street have a chance to bring Chicago theatre to Belarus and to build a new relationship with outstanding artists from this reclusive country.

The arts can be a potent method for establishing more positive connections between groups that may otherwise feel they have little common ground. Belarus is an amazing and controversial country with dedicated arts professionals. Their struggle to find a mode of expression is unmatched in America, but not unfamiliar. Oracle and Lucid Street's collaboration with Liubou and the Belarusian artists will promote cross-cultural understanding through commonalities found in storytelling.

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