La MaMa's upcoming presentation of KS6: Small Forward from banned theatre troupe Belarus Free Theatre will get a special opening night talkback with some esteemed guests. The production, based on the life and career of Belarusian athlete and activist Katsiaryna (Katya) Snytsina (who also stars), begins September 21 and will officially open September 24.

The talkback, which will follow the performance, will feature exiled Belarus President-elect Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, winner of the country's 2020 presidential election, according to independent observers; Belarus Free Theatre co-founding Artistic Director Natalia Kaliada MBE, and Snytsina. PBS political commentator Margaret Hoover will moderate the event, which is also being filmed for broadcast on PBS' Firing Line With Margaret Hoover. The broadcast date is to be announced.

All ticket holders for the September 24 performance will have access to the talkback. The production plays through October 13.

KS6: Small Forward is based on conversations with Snytsina, and adapted and directed by BFT co-founders Nicolai Khalezin and Kaliada. Basketball star Snytsina is an Olympic athlete and the first and only openly gay popular sports figure of Belarus. Snytsina became an outspoken activist against the dictatorship of her native country.

The cast features Snytsina, Blanka Barbara, Darya Andreyanova, Mikalai Kuprych, and Raman Shytsko.

The production features set design by Nicolai Khalezin, light design by Peter Small, video design by Dmytro Guk, choreography by Joseph Toonga, and sound design and original music by DJ Blanka Barbara.

Established in 2005, BFT spent years performing only in secret to escape political censorship. The company was exiled from Belarus in 2021 after publicly opposing the regime of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, and now performs at venues worldwide without a permanent home.

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