‘In the morning they’ll shut the streets, roll the tanks in and begin the arrests. Everyone who tries to leave will be taken in for days, weeks, years. If I don’t board the flight tonight, I’ll be here forever.’
Middle-aged, middle-management Dasha is ordered to quell the anti-government protests in her factory in Belarus by firing sixty workers.
Her only escape is a one-way ticket to the US, but as she prepares to flee, she cannot escape memories of her rebellious youth resisting the Soviets. As her country heads to the polls, Dasha must make a decision…
The Anarchist is a gripping, timely and deeply moving play, which won the inaugural Woven Voices Prize for migrant playwrights. It was first performed during the Footprints Festival at Jermyn Street Theatre, London, in 2022, directed by Ebenezer Bamgboye.
Originally from Kazakhstan, Karina Wiedman lived in Russia and Belarus before moving to the UK. The Anarchist is her first play.
‘A beautifully written play for our times’ Jatinder Verma, Chair of the Woven Voices Prize judging panel
‘Wiedman’s award-winning play is a gripping exploration of youthful politicisation and the grinding down of those beliefs over a lifetime of disillusion and betrayal… migrant voices like Wiedman’s need to be heard’
— Reviews Hub
‘Has a diary-like intimacy, lit up by vivid details and an innocent sense of humour… Powerful and beautifully layered… an open-hearted and moving piece of writing’
— Guardian
Woven Voices Prize for migrant playwrights
