In August 2021, the Belarusian authorities “started to come after relatives of members of our ensemble”, Ms Kaliada said. “So it was absolutely clear at that moment that it was necessary to take them out so we started to work on the emergency exits of the whole company.”

Ms Kaliada said that the actors were smuggled out of the country via a number of different routes, but could not expand on details because they are still used today. “But in some cases,” she revealed, “it was necessary to go simply by foot for 12 hours,” and in other cases, via different countries such as Georgia and Armenia in order to get to Ukraine, where many of the troupe have family and friends. “It was a safe place then,” she said.

By the end of October 2021, they were out of Belarus and in Ukraine. After that, they came to London, and then Poland. In Poland they began working with Belarusian child refugees. Then at the beginning of February, they travelled to London ahead of the Barbican show. However, eight days later, the war started in Ukraine. “They are trapped,” she said.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The UK has a long tradition of providing protection to those who need it, including those who are fleeing political persecution. Immigration advice is readily available for those who wish to make enquiries about their status in the UK.”