М.@rt.contact reigning in Mogilev these days
Mogilev has transformed into Belarus’ theatrical capital for a week: after a break, the М.@rt.contact International Youth Theatre Forum is being held here from March 21st-27th
Fifteen performances from nine Belarusian and three Russian theatres will be staged, and tickets are almost sold out.
“We are witnessing now how carefully the state treats the national culture,” Valery Gromada, Belarus’ First Deputy Culture Minister, said during an opening ceremony. “The festival already has its own traditions, fans, and audience. It is at such creative forums that we are inspired with positive emotions, while discovering new talents, ideas, and topics. Therefore, this creative forum should definitely be organised in future!”
Valery Malashko, the Deputy Chairman of the Mogilev Regional Executive Committee, shared his happiness that the festival is being revived – despite external circumstances. “Mogilev is welcoming its new spring with М.@rt.contact. The city is once again becoming a platform where the language of the theatre is used to speak about young people and their problems. The festival is well-timed also because the theatrical art strives to convey to audiences all that is good and eternal, that has always brought together the Slavic world and those who responded to our invitations to participate in the forum but, due to certain circumstances, cannot be present here today. I am grateful to the leadership and the chief director of the Mogilev Drama Theatre for being strong enough to take on this great work of interacting with theatres in Belarus and Russia. I also thank the Regional Executive Committee’s Culture Department which dealt with a range of organisational issues; these are not so simple now. I am also grateful to Belarus’ Culture Ministry for its assistance in ensuring this festival takes place. I am sure theatre-goers will be aesthetically satisfied,” he stressed.
The history of this creative forum – founded by Belarus’ Culture Ministry and the Mogilev Regional Executive Committee – began in 2006 and, since then, theatres from 21 countries have taken part. 237 performances of various theatrical schools and genres have been staged in Mogilev.
In 2020, the forum did not take place due to the pandemic, but its traditions began to revive in 2021: last year, The Theatre Week was organised in the city gathering Belarusian theatrical troupes.
In 2022, the festival is again being held in an international format. Unfortunately, the teams of Armenia and Moldova have failed to come due to objective reasons, though they had plans to participate. Nine theatres from Belarus and three from Russia are taking part this year. The youth creative laboratory presents works of Anna Sulima’s Document Theatre (from Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts) and students of the Mogilev State College of Arts’ Theatrical Department.
