Cate Blanchett is to moderate a panel discussion with Belarus Free Theatre about the impact of war and dictatorship on the children of Ukraine and Belarus.

The discussion, titled Letters of Hope, will take place at London’s Barbican Centre on 15 September, immediately before the world premiere of Belarus Free Theatre’s latest production King Stakh’s Wild Hunt.

Cate Blanchett (by Steven Chee @ DLM.COM_.AU

Belarus Free Theatre (BFT) is the only theatre in Europe banned by its government on political grounds. It now operates in exile as one of the leading resistance movements against the authoritarian government in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. Most of its performers now reside in Poland.

Blanchett is a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and a long-standing friend and supporter of the company. She joins guest speakers Oksana Lebedeva (founder of Gen.Ukrainian), Helena Niedźwiecka (founder of the Belarusian Solidarity Centre) and Natalia Kaliada MBE (co-founding Artistic Director of Belarus Free Theatre).

All proceeds from the event will be shared equally between the three organisations: Gen.Ukrainian, the Belarusian Solidarity Centre and Belarus Free Theatre.

Over the last 18 years, BFT has staged...