‘I stood there, unprotected, in front of those faceless uniforms…’
Don’t miss the world premiere of a two-woman show- ‘Body in Progress’ – emerging from the Belarus Protests of 2020, written by Belarusian poet Hanna Komar, who was imprisoned there during the protests. Created and performed by Hanna Komar and Sophie Vallee, directed by #9 as part of the Voila! Theatre Festival 2024. It runs for two nights only 8 and 9 November 2024 at 7pm, Theatre Deli.
We had the privilege of supporting Hanna a few years ago after she was persecuted for her activism in Belarus.
In September 2020, I was jailed for nine days for a peaceful demonstration in Minsk. That experience and a lot of police violence that I witnessed or lived through in 2020 has made my body and mind dissociate, in order to keep me sane and functional. When I came to London in September 2021, I developed the symptoms of a CPTSD, and I chose not to succumb to the trauma but to re-collect myself. To regain power over my body in mind, to find power in vulnerability.
‘Body in Progress’ tells about the experience of recovering from that trauma and trying to make a home in London at the same time, because I already knew I wouldn’t be able to return any time soon. Creating this work has been therapeutic for me, and I believe it can both raise awareness and be a transformative inner experience amongst the people coming to see it.
‘This intimate, embodied experience will take you to some very emotional places and show how pain can be transformed into power.’ — Hanna Komar, Playwright
Dates: 8 & 9 November 2024, 7:00 pm
Venue: Theatre Deli, 107 Leadenhall Street, London, EC3A 4AF
Tickets: Full: £15, Conc: £12
