10 September 2002
Brest to host theater festival

 Theater companies from 13 countries will arrive at Brest to take part in the international festival Belaya Vezha, which opens its seventh season on September 13.
Guests from Britain, Belgium, the Czech Republic and Moldova are expected to participate in the five-day event for the first time.
According to Brest Puppet Theater Director Mikhail Shavel, British actor Conrad Frederick will deliver his one-man performances both at Belaya Vezha and before the patients of a children's hospital and a health center.
The jury, headed by Belarusian Art Academy Rector Richard Smolsky, will select the best drama and puppet shows and theatrical experiments.
One drama company and one puppet show will receive the Grand Prize provided by the Brest regional government. A separate public jury will award the Audience's Favorite Show prizes, etc. According to the head of the Brest Regional Drama and Music Theater, Aleksandr Kozak, the festival is gaining popularity and artistic stability, having hosted actors
from 29 countries over its history. It is the first time that almost all tickets have been sold out days before the shows, he says. It is also the first time that the Ministry of Culture has stepped down as the sponsor, delegating the function to the Brest Regional Executive Committee, which bears 70 percent of the costs. The remaining 30 percent will be covered by ticket sales.
This year, too, the organizers have removed the outdoor stage in Kamenets from the list of venues because of an unfavorable weather forecast.