Andrei Novik: There Is Silence About This Event In Belarus
- 12.11.2025, 13:52
- 2,572
How unique is the performance "Bieżeńcy 1915", which will show BY TEATR.
In Warsaw the premiere of the play "Bieżeńcy 1915" will take place. The play tells about a tragic and almost forgotten page in the history of Belarusians - mass resettlement during the First World War. The production was created by BY TEATR artists.
How was the play "Bieżeńcy 1915" created and what idea does it bring to the audience? About this site Charter97.org talked to the director and actor of the production Andrzej Nowik.
- The play "Bieżeńcy 1915" is based on the book of the Polish writer Aneta Primak-Onishk "Bieżeństwo 1915. Zapomniani uchodźcy." This book reflects the whole picture of a forgotten - both in Poland and, even more so, in Belarus - history.
The book was published ten years ago, in 2015, on the centenary of the resettlement. During World War I, entire villages - mostly ethnic Belarusian populations, mostly Orthodox - were leaving deep into Russia. This was, of course, part of the tsarist troops' policy - to leave a "scorched earth" for the Germans, without labor resources, without people who could be drafted into the army.
This was one of the most massive civilian resettlements of the 20th century in Eastern Europe: about 3.5 million people were expelled, of whom almost a million were Belarusians.
- Why did you choose this particular topic? After all, the history of the resettlement of Belarusians to the far frontiers of the Russian Empire is almost unknown to the general public.
- This theme resonates very much with today, with what is happening in the expanses of Europe today - starting in 2020, then 2022, when the war began, and until today. Although in history direct parallels are not always appropriate, the theme of the play is absolutely intertwined with the present day.
And, of course, these themes excited us, because they are our stories. We wanted to work through the prism of a mirror - to show the European audience how a hundred years ago refugees went from the West to the East, and today they go from the East to the West.
- Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians today are also forced to live in exile. How does the story shown in the play echo the fate of the Belarusian emigration today?
- All the participants, the whole creative team of the play "Bieżeńcy 1915" are refugees or descendants of refugees to one degree or another. The Polish actress who plays one of the roles is a descendant of the very people the play is about. The playwright is a descendant of repatriates from the territory of Belarus. Therefore, our team is charged with the idea of bringing this story to a wide audience.
And, as practice shows, in all the cities where we performed, the play evoked a very strong response from the audience - both those who are familiar with the history of exile and those who hear about it for the first time.
Charter97. org recalls the dates of the performance.org reminds you of the dates for the Bieżeńcy 1915 performance:
November 15 and 16, 7:00 p.m.
Place: Scena Przewodnik, ul. Olesińska 21, Warszawa
Tickets can be purchased via link.
Join and spend an evening surrounded by creativity and incredible emotions!
And if you'd like to be a part of one of the performances and help create it, join the gathering. Details here.
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