What does it mean to stay neighbours when being neighbours has become disastrous?
In 2022 Floating EKA brought together theatre troupes from Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, and Russia to explore the multifaceted nature of neighbourhood relations through documentary theatre. We’ve called this project Sąsiedzi.Сусіди.Суседзі.Соседи — “neighbours” in the language of each of the countries.
The focus of the project shifts from the global tragedy and catastrophe — the war caused by Russia — to more personal, private stories as if searching for an answer to the questions "how did we get here?" and "could it have been avoided?".
The project resulted in four documentary theatre performances. These plays are based on the stories of people who had to flee the war and found shelter under their neighbours’ rooves (Poland), those who volunteered to defend their borders and freedom (Ukraine); communities who united to resist the dictatorship (Belarus); those who became enemies in the eyes of their compatriots because of their anti-war stance (Russia).
All four plays will premiere online in March 2023.
Soon we will reveal more details about teams and their ideas behind the plays — stay tuned!
The project is supported by the European Cultural Foundation
Project partners: Ośrodek Teatralny Kana, European Humanities University