KS6: Small Forward review – Belarusian basketball star tells high-energy story of becoming a dissident
In this new piece by Belarus Free Theatre, an Olympian basketball player relates her own story – a sporting memoir and political awakening. Katsiaryna Snytsina was a star Belarusian athlete – but when she protested against her country’s 2020 election on social media she was excoriated by the Lukashenko regime. And when she then came out, she was labelled an “extremist lesbian”.
Belarus Free Theatre now operate in exile, their productions ranging from agitprop to opera. Natalia Kaliada, who directs this show with Nicolai Khalezin, describes their method as “immersing ourselves into the pain of the world”, to expose oppression and dream of freedom.
The small stage sports the lines and hoop of a basketball court, and a talkshow’s snug chairs. The format cuts between Snytsina’s final professional match last year and a TV studio interview. It’s merrily messy – as well as an onstage DJ and live camera, there’s also a pop quiz, kiss cam, bubble machine and a basketball challenge for three game audience members.
Tall and sculptural, Snytsina brings a rangy authenticity as she relates her Soviet childhood and pro career. It’s a pleasure to watch her deftly handle the ball and lope around the stage (movement direction by Javier de Frutos). But she’s also playful with her lived experience – turning her coming out tale into a standup routine or sending herself up when she misses a throw.
Music and sound design are by DJ Blanka Barbara, bopping behind the mixing desk. Like the production’s bubble machines, the carefree energy mirrors young Katya’s absorption in sport. But the bubble of professional basketball creates an illusory, apolitical freedom – Snytsina didn’t vote, didn’t track her country’s slide into dictatorship, until she could ignore it no longer. Once she played small forward on the basketball court – now each opportunity to raise awareness is another small step.
We often see the athlete training using resistance bands – promising release but then yanking her back. This is no straight-arrow story – Snytsina’s fitful sporting progress, her avowals of political and sexual identities, are matched by the purposefully busy production. The journey from athlete to activist isn’t a smooth ride, but it’s a captivating one.
• At the Pit, Barbican, London, until 8 February.
