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PHOTO FLASH: Olympia Dukakis, Kevin Kline, Mandy Patinkin, Lily Rabe, Tom Stoppard et al. at Being Harold Pinter Benefit Event

New York City

Tom Stoppard and Tony Kushner hosted a special encore performance of Vladimir Shcherban’s Being Harold Pinter, at the Public Theater on January 17 at 7pm. The event was a fundraiser for the Belarus Free Theatre, which has presented the piece as part of the Public’s Under the Radar festival.

The evening also featured readings of letters from Belarus prisoners. Participants and attendees included Laurie Anderson, Olympia Dukakis, Linda Emond, Josh Hamilton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kevin Kline, Lou Reed, Mandy Patinkin, Lily Rabe, and Stephen Spinella.

Being Harold Pinter juxtaposes transcripts from Belarusian political prisoners with excerpts from Harold Pinter’s plays, including The Homecoming, Ashes to Ashes, and Old Times, as well as his other writing, such as his Nobel Prize speech.

As recently reported, The Goodman Theatre will present a limited engagement of the production in February.

In related news, The Public Theater and Amnesty International USA will be hosting a rally on Wednesday, January 19 from Noon to 1pm to show solidarity and support for the persecuted Belarus artists and activists, including Belarus Free Theater. The hour-long peaceful demonstration will be held on the southwest corner of East 67th Street and Lexington Avenue, and will feature speeches and shows of support from protesters and the theatrical community, including Linda Emond, Stephen Spinella, Lynn Nottage, Gail Papp and Oskar Eustis.