On March 28, the theater “Territory of Musical” premiered the Pulitzer and Tony award-winning Broadway rock musical Next to Normal to a sold-out Minsk audience. Chargé d’Affaires Robert Riley welcomed the approximately 600 guests to the premiere and noted that such cultural exchange projects are successful when they bring people together to work on a common goal and help people understand each other better.
The musical explores pressing contemporary issues of trauma, loss, mental health treatment, and the meaning of family. Building on previous successes of U.S. Embassy-supported theater productions in Belarus, the Public Affairs Section provided financial support to this independent theater to acquire a full license for the musical, translate its libretto, and stage it.
Please see more photos of the premiere at the link: https://www.flickr.com/gp/usembassyminsk/3Sa227