HATE RADIO

After touring more than 25 countries, this landmark work makes its U.S. premiere at St. Ann’s in February.

Can words kill?

In April 1994, the Rwandan government orchestrated the massacre of nearly one million Tutsis and moderate Hutus. While the weapons were largely simple—machetes, sticks, a few guns—the most powerful weapon was RTLM, a wildly popular radio station that had been preparing the genocide for months before the killing started.

Inside an intimate, glass-walled studio, a radio broadcast unfolds in real time. Through our headsets, RTLM’s daily soundscape of upbeat music, news, and sports blends seamlessly with chilling calls to murder.

Milo Rau’s Hate Radio is an exposé on how horrific language first becomes normal… and then lethal.

Watch director Milo Rau on CNN/PBS’s “Amanpour” with host Paula Newton

CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM

TEXT & DIRECTION: Milo Rau

CAST (live): Sébastien Foucault, Eric Ngangare, Diogène Ntarindwa, Bwanga Pilipili, Sylvain Souklaye

CAST (video): Estelle Marion, Nancy Nkusi, Afazali Dewaele

DRAMATURGY & CONCEPTUAL MANAGEMENT: Jens Dietrich

SET & COSTUME DESIGN: Anton Lukas

VIDEO: Marcel Bächtiger 

SOUND: Jens Baudisch

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Mascha Euchner-Martinez

PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT & DRAMATURGY: Milena Kipfmüller

PUBLIC RELATIONS: Yven Augustin

The show will run one hour and 50 minutes with no intermission. This performance is in French and Kinyarwanda, and all performances will be captioned in English.

You will listen to Hate Radio through headphones. If you have any questions, please contact the box office or email [email protected] to let us know about your access requirements.

Please be advised this performance contains graphic language with descriptions of violence and genocide.

The show is recommended for ages 14 and up.

If you have purchased tickets with the intent to resell them at markup prices, your account will be flagged and deactivated.
Any remaining tickets will default to Will Call pick up with valid proof of identification, and you will not be eligible for any exchanges or returns.

Artwork by FAILSPACE | Photography by Zeno Graton

special events

Tuesday, Feb 17 |  Hate Radio in Conversation

Join dramaturg and producer Jens Dietrich and cast members Sébastien Foucault, Eric Ngangare, Diogène Ntarindwa, and Bwanga Pilipili for a post-show conversation about their experiences taking Hate Radio around the world.

Tuesday, Feb 24 | From Airwaves to Algorithms: Propaganda and Social Media

In 1990s Rwanda, radio was the catalyst for turning words into violence; in today’s world, it’s social media. Guest speakers Dr. Jessie Daniels and Ali Breland will examine how digital platforms amplify propaganda and hate speech. Moderated by John Nichols. 

Production Support

Hate Radio is made possible through the generous support of Roberta Garza, Joe Lallouz & Chloe Thevenoz, Pro Helvetia – Swiss Arts Council, Goethe-Institut New York, The Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany New York, and the Delegation of Flanders to the USA.