INTERVIEW: Theater festival celebrates international ‘Voices’
Photo: The Voices International Theatre Festival will present I Was Prospero from Naulvanow Projectelngenu (Spain, Catalonia). Photo courtesy of Voices / Provided by press rep with permission.
There was a time earlier this year when the Voices International Theatre Festival almost became a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The inaugural event occurred in 2019, and then 2020 happened. Despite the challenges of showcasing theater amidst a global pandemic, the festival and its staff have figured out a way to move forward with programming during these historic times.
The second-ever Voices fest will take place Oct. 16-25, with 23 productions from 21 global theater companies, according to a press release. This year’s engagement, to be expected, will feature many virtual presentations, but there will be an in-person presence as well.
Highlights this year include South Africa’s Palesa Mazamisa and their production of Shoes and Coups, a current-events show that looks at the divisions and troubles in the global environment. The live Zoom performance of the show will take place Friday, Oct. 16 at 10 a.m. EST.
Audience members can also engage with productions from three Belarus-based theater companies. There will be a presentation from the Belarus Free Theatre, an internationally acclaimed company, plus shows from Mogilev Theatre and Grodno Regional Puppet Theatre.
The festival, which will have an in-person opening ceremony Sunday, Oct. 18, is presented by the Jersey City Theatre Center (JCTC), headed by artistic director Olga Levina. The pieces from Belarus will be particularly poignant for Levina because she’s originally from this Eastern European country. Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with the artistic director about the festival. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What can audience members expect at this year’s Voices International Theatre Festival?
Enriching cultural exchange, our world is becoming smaller by the day, and it is extremely important not only stay informed, but deeply listen, understand and have the chance to exchange with others and in other parts of the world because today we are interconnected on all levels.
As someone originally from Belarus, are you particularly excited to welcome several voices from that country?
Yes, very much. I know how much it means to them to have the ear of the American audience. Belarussian people have lived under oppressors for too long. They look up to America with hope. We are far from perfect yet; we are the symbol of the free world to them. Our support means the world to the small nation and its people.
Because of COVID-19, was there ever a threat that this year’s festival would be canceled?
Yes, yet we decided to go virtual because we believe that the unity and inspiration we can create between people of different nations by telling human stories are very powerful and healing, and we need each other now more than ever.
How did you pick the different productions and theater companies for the festival?
I work with many partners and curators. Theatremakers is a small community! We help each other genuinely because we have one goal: to find and tell people’s stories. Through exploring of these stories, we all grow and help shape the world.
Logistically, what goes into the organizing of a theater festival like this during COVID-19?
An exorbitant amount of time, thought, and love for humanity.
Do you feel that there needs to be more opportunities for international voices to be heard in the world of theater?
Absolutely! How else would we find out the real state of the world if not by deeply listening to people’s stories?
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Voices International Theatre Festival will be presented Oct. 16-25. Click here for more information.
