Review: KS6: Small Forward, Barbican Pit

In a London theatre scene awash with celebrity casting, it feels fitting that Belarus Free Theatre has arrived and teamed up with Katsiaryna Snytsina for their latest show. If you have not heard the name Snytsina, you are obviously no fan of women’s basketball. Our star is a multiple Olympian, a European Championship winner thanks to a stint with the London Lions, and, it becomes clear, genuinely, a bit of a rockstar. Some of the best moments of KS6: Small Forward are when our protagonist picks up a Mr Albert G Spalding basketball and shows us exactly why she’s famous. This isn’t, it’s worth clarifying, a case of ego-driven swaggering of the kind you might normally associate with sport. It’s all cooler, more open-hearted, inclusive and welcoming than that. Snytsina is simply sharing her happy place with us, one bounce pass at a time. I would happily watch it all day. 

Belarus Free Theatre are not, however, entirely in the business of making us happy. Politically driven, they initially worked underground, fighting the dictatorship in Belarus before the risks became too great. Now, in their 20th year, they are forced to work in exile. This is a theatre company forged in resistance, and protest runs through all of KS6: Small Forward’s action. DJ Blanka Barbara provides a constant live soundtrack from on-stage decks which helps everything feel coherent. This is important because there’s no traditional narrative to speak of. Instead, the storytelling uses many familiar devised theatre devices. There are staged interviews, straight-to-video confessions, stand-up comedy and audience participation. The latter, stealing from the basketball court and, much to everyone’s amused discomfort, includes a stadium-style kiss-cam. Three game volunteers compete in a shoot-off for our entertainment, and t-shirt cannons arrive at the finale. I know this makes the show sound like one of two halves: basketball fun and anti-totalitarianism polemic. Directors Natalia Kaliada and Nicolai Khalezin are, however, too skilful for this to be the case. It does work. It all comes together.  

Snytsina has, to date, clearly done all her talking on the court. She describes an early life goal of simply scoring twenty points every game, so presumably, there wasn’t time for acting classes. Expecting a performance rather than heartfelt truth misses the point of the exercise. Our protagonist is sharing, at significant personal risk, her truth. This touches on her same-sex relationship, and despite some decidedly Eastern European unromantic pragmatism, these moments are undeniably touching. Throughout the show, it is Snytsina’s vulnerability that lingers. This is especially true of the show’s conclusion. It becomes clear that, because she campaigns, Snytsina cannot return home to Belarus or, it follows, see her parents or return to the family home. You’d be a cold-hearted viewer to remain unaffected. 

KS6: Small Forward is an act of defiance and a deeply personal reminder of the cost of resistance. Belarus Free Theatre’s work has always fought for freedom, but here, that fight is embodied in a singular voice from an unlikely source. Who knew? A basketball player? Fighting the good fight? That’s very much the point, though. Katsiaryna Snytsina is one of many. One of us. Her story is an urgent call to action right-thinking audiences should flock to. 

Directed by: Natalia Kaliada & Nicolai Khalezin
Original Play by: Nicolai Khalezin
Movement Direction & Choreography by: Javier De Frutos
Consultant Choreography by: Anthony Matsena
Set Design by: Nicolai Khalezin
Composer & Sound Design by: DJ Blanka Barbara
Lighting Design by: Peter Small
Video Design by: Dmytro Guk

KS6: Small Forward runs at The Barbican Pit until Saturday 8th February.