Rehearsal for Truth Festival: Hybrid Event – Livestream-Performance followed by In-person Discussion with Maryna Yakubovich
Image: Michael Klimt
June 1, 2025 | 6 PM
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Join us for a moving evening at the Rehearsal for Truth International Theater Festival with the livestreamed solo performance Connection by Belarusian actress and director Maryna Yakubovich, broadcast live from Salzburg to Bohemian National Hall, followed by an in-person discussion on the situation in Belarus (with Yakubovich joining remotely) and a reception.
About the Performance
“For almost 2 years, there was no contact with Mariia. Nobody knew where she was… whether she was still alive.” So begins Connection, a deeply personal and politically urgent performance dedicated to Belarusian political prisoners – and inspired by Maria Kolesnikova, a musician, activist, and symbol of resistance who has been imprisoned in Belarus for nearly five years. Based on true stories and letters from female political prisoners, Connection explores themes of freedom and imprisonment, decisions and consequences, guilt and responsibility, strength and vulnerability. It’s also about the absence of connection – between prisoners and the outside world, between citizens and their country, between democracy and dictatorship. This performance serves as a haunting reminder of how fragile democracy can be – and how essential it is to preserve it.
Program Details
- Performance title: Connection
- Performer / Director: Maryna Yakubovich
- Text by: Maryna Yakubovich & Mikita Ilyinchyk
- Assistant Director: Alina Danko
- Language: English, with elements of Belarusian and German
- Duration: 45 minutes
- Format: Livestream from Salzburg, Austria
- Followed by: Live in-person discussion and reception
About Maryna Yakubovich
Maryna Yakubovich is an actress, director, and theater educator. For over 16 years, she was the leading actress of the Belarus Free Theatre and the central figure in the award-winning documentary Courage by Aleksei Poluyan. Forced into exile in 2021, she now teaches acting at the Mozarteum University Salzburg and continues to create politically engaged, independent theater projects.
About the Festival
The Rehearsal for Truth International Theater Festival is an annual showcase of contemporary European theater, honoring the legacy of Czech Václav Havel. Organized in New York City by the Václav Havel Center and Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association, the festival addresses pressing sociopolitical themes in Central and Eastern Europe. The 2025 edition runs from May 26 to June 15 under the theme Perseverance.