New and Noteworthy Productions
New and Noteworthy Productions
Warsaw, TR Warszawa: http://trwarszawa.pl/
Marta Sokołowska’s Holzwege
Directed by Katarzyna Kalwat
Set design: Anna Tomczyńska
Video: Ewa Łuczak
Lights: Paulina Góral
Premiere: January 15th, 2016
More information about the performance: http://trwarszawa.pl/spektakle/holzwege/
Holzwege (in German referring to wandering, leading astray) is the title of the work by Tomasz Sikorski, one of the greatest composers of the second half of the twentieth century. The performance is an attempt to understand the works of Sikorski but also his life, which ended prematurely with a mysterious death. Holzwege is a combination of a theatre performance and a concert. Besides the actors of TR Warszawa who play in Holzwege (Jan Dravnel, Sandra Korzeniak and Tomasz Tyndyk) also Zygmunt Krazue, a prominent composer and pianist, a friend of Sikorski takes part in the performance. The actors and the musician recall the figure of the avant-garde composer through his works, documentary materials and literary fiction.
The performance was awarded the first prize at the 22. National Competition for Staging of Polish Contemporary Performance.
From the reviews:
“Peripheral performance of TR Warszawa unexpectedly has become the most interesting artistic proposal of “Rozmaitości” for years. (…) Tomasz Tyndyk as Sikorski creates the most important theatre role in recent years, comparable to his outstanding creations in Warlikowski’s performances, i.e. Prior Walter in Angels in America and Robin in Cleansed.”
– Łukasz Maciejewski, www.aict.art.pl
“Holzwege is one of the most unpretentious and sincere performances that can be seen these days in Warsaw. It has the lightness, but also the weight of tragic history, mystery and frivolity, humour and touching seriousness. This is exactly a piece of a beautiful theatre performance.”
– Mike Urbaniak, “Wysokie obcasy” 2016 no 8
Toruń, Wilam Horzyca Theatre: http://teatr.torun.pl/
Artur Pałyga’s Unfinished Story
Directed by Małgorzata Warsicka
Music: Karol Nepelski
Set design: Marcin Chlanda
Stage movement: Dawid Lorenc
Costumes: Grupa Mixer
Premiere: January 16th, 2016
More information about the performance: http://teatr.torun.pl/spektakle/nieskonczona-historia/
An ordinary tenement house is inhabited by friendly old women, a young mother, quarrelsome couple and a dog named Aza. Their lives go on and on at the same path, day after day. Yet, at the same time, just behind their backs, there hides a mystery. It dogs their every step. Sometimes they only sense it, yet another time it is more tangible – for example when Ms Dworniczkowa dies.
Unfinished story is like a piece of music braided of everyday issues, which can be heard at home, at work or on the street, they have their own rhythm, which do not normally see. Different characters and emotions look for its common tone – remaining stretched between what is ridiculous and sublime, serious and trivial.
The creators, with distance and humour, are searching for the answers to important questions, and their primary tool becomes music – starting from the form of the Baroque choir and ending with the radio live broadcast.
The performance was awarded the second prize, the teamwork prize, and the award for the best director at the 22. National Competition for Staging of Polish Contemporary Performance.
From the reviews:
“Unfinished story presents the power of metaphor rarely seen in our latest dramaturgy. (…) The results of this work are valuable and beautiful. Małgorzata Warsicka turned out to be an incredibly consistent director and she proved that she deeply thought over the work of Pałyga and, what’s more important, she knew how to accomplish her goals. (…) To a large extent the quality and the final shape of the performance was also determined by her cooperation with equally talented and having already relatively impressive achievements composer Karol Nepelski.
– Andrzej Lis, www.sztukawspolczesna.org
“In this performance the excellent vocal conditions and unique musicality of the Horzyca theatre team were used for the first time in a long time in the event at a very high level. The actors do not only sound, but also play on different registers.”
– Anita Nowak, www.teatrdlawas.pl
Warsaw, The National Theatre: http://www.narodowy.pl/
Adam Mickiewicz Forefathers’ Eve
Directed by Eimuntas Nekrošius
Music: Paweł Szymański
Set design: Marius Nekrošius
Costumes: Nadežda Gultiajeva
Lights: Audrius Jankauskas
Text editing: Rolandas Rastauskas
Premiere: March 10th, 2016
More information about the performance:
http://www.narodowy.pl/repertuar,spektakle,268,dziady.html
The drama, written by Adam Mickiewicz and interpreted by the Lithuanian Master, theatre visionary, famous for his unique theatrical language. Spirituality, the strength of the ritual, a sense of community and the tragedy of the individual in the existential and national
From the reviews:
“Revealing interpretations of the text, intimate and filled with authenticity Great Improvisation performed by Grzegorz Małecki, realistic images as if deriving from a dream apparition or from grotesque fairy tales and aptly observed customs and collective mentality constitute the power of this performance.”
– Tomasz Miłkowski “Przegląd” 2016 no 15
“In this stunning interpretation of Forefathers’ Eve Eimuntas Nekrošius breaks with the Polish tradition of reading Mickiewicz’s drama and he searches for hidden meanings of the words. He fills the performance with bitter irony, he lets the laughter resound and multiplies puzzles and questions.”
– Jacek Wakar “Dziennik Gazeta Prawna” 2016 no 5
Warsaw, The Grand Theatre – National Opera: http://teatrwielki.pl/
Richard Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde
Directed by Mariusz Treliński
Set design: Boris Kudliczka
Choreography: Tomasz Wygoda
Conductor: Stefan Soltesz
Costumes: Marek Adamski
Dramaturgists: Piotr Gruszczyński, Adam Radecki
Lights: Marc Heinz
Premiere: June 12th, 2016
Co-production: Metropolitan Opera, New York
Festspielhaus Baden-Baden
National Centre for the Performing Arts, Beijing
More about the performance: http://teatrwielki.pl/repertuar/kalendarium/2015-2016/tristan-i-izolda/
Tristan and Isolde directed by Mariusz Treliński is consistent with the director’s vision of the theatrical world, which he has created on stage for many years. Night is his dominant element and the colours of the performance are mostly kept in black and grey. The director concentrates mainly on Tristan and his grief. He presents this character as someone exhausted and burnt out, as if everything that was going to happen actually already did occur. It’s the second time when the Grand Theatre – National Opera cooperates with the New York Metropolitan Opera, whose director, Peter Gelb personally invited the Polish director to stage the musical drama of Wagner in New York, in September, at the opening of the 2016/2017 opera season. Treliński will be the first Polish director staging in the New York Met (apart from Ryszard Ordyński, the main director of this stage at the beginning of the twentieth century).
From the reviews:
“Treliński creates on stage a particular kind of tension that at no time is relieved. He consistently leads his characters towards death. Their love is nothing but a slow abandonment, drifting apart and finally death.”
– Jacek Hawryluk, Gazeta Wyborcza online
“Stefan Soltesz sensationally brings out the greatness (of music) from the orchestra. There is a precision, spontaneity, passion and ardour in his interpretation. There is a harmony of the diversity of pace and rhythm, perfectly brought into consonance.”
– Wiesław Kowalski, http://www.teatrdlawas.pl
FESTIVALS
The International Street & Open-Air Theatres Festival FETA
Producer: Plama – Gdańsk Archipelago of Culture
Contact: feta@plama.art.pl
http://www.plama.art.pl/
The 20th, jubilee edition of the FETA festival aims at bringing back memories and therefore it changes its locations and returns to the bastions and to the Old Suburb. Majority of theatres and performances invited to participate in the festival are the groups that in recent years were already hosted in Gdańsk. The main star of this edition of the festival will be Burnt Out Punks. The Swedish group will remind their show Stockholm syndrome that inflamed the passion of the audience in 2012 and will also conduct a jubilee party at the end of the festival. Among other invited participants there is also a Belgian Studio, Eclipse with their poetic show performed on the water Two Sink, Three Floatand Italian eVenti Verticali with their adventurous performance Wanted, presented on the wall of the building in the Old Suburb. In total the festival will host 27 theatres and nearly 70 performances.
The Shakespeare Festival
20th edition, July 29th – August 7th, Gdańsk
Producer: The Theatrum Gedanense Foundation, The Gdańsk
Shakespeare Theatre
Contact: gts@teatrszekspirowski.pl
www.festiwalszekspirowski.pl
One of the largest international events dedicated to William Shakespeare, produced by the Theatrum Gedanense Foundation and the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre. In the program, among others, Julius Caesar. Fragments directed by Romeo Castellucci. The audience will also have a chance to watch the British group Forced Entertainment with their project Complete works consisting of 36 of Shakespeare’s plays. Poland will be represented by the following performances: Hamlet, directed by Krzysztof Garbaczewski (The Old Theatre, Cracow), The Tempest, directed by Anna Augustynowicz (the Contemporary Theatre, Szczecin) and Julius Caesar directed by Barbara Wysocka (the Powszechny Theatre, Warsaw). The performances will be presented in the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre and in the Coastal Theatre in Gdańsk.
This post was written by the author in their personal capacity.The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of The Theatre Times, their staff or collaborators.
This post was written by Lauren Dubowski.
The views expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect our views and opinions.
