Teatr Powszechny / Oliver Frljić (POL) – KLATWA (The Curse)
Sat July 7th at 21.30 BUY TICKET
BIG HALL
Oliver Frljić, a renowned director and playwright from Croatia, is a representative of European critical plays that bravely discuss complex social and political issues. On paper, "Klatwa" ("The Curse") is a 1899 play by Polish dramatist and renaissance man, Stanislaw Wyspiański. It has long been out of favour in Poland thanks to its controversial subject matter; a village girl having two children with her local Catholic priest. Oliver Frljić's production for Teatr Powszecheny goes a long way beyond simply re-staging the play. Instead, this "Klatwa" is a provocative, moving, and intelligent dissection of artistic freedom in a nationalist theocracy. Frljić's "The Curse" employs motives from Wyspiański's drama to create a multi-layered landscape of modern religiousness and non-religiousness. As part of the theatre, governed by its own hierarchy and employing various subordination and humiliation mechanisms, the creators wonder whether they are able to overcome fear of the authority, or even to dispose of the authority itself.
Powszechny Theater was the first theatre opened after WWII in Warsaw. For nearly seventy years it has been a place of artistic discussion about the modern world while simultaneously it has continued the legacy of the prominent people of Polish theatre.
Each season, Powszechny Theatre presents approximately 8 premieres. They strive to relate to the best traditions of their place through varied theatrical forms, with contemporary works and creative reimagining of classic plays, aiming to debate hot issues with their viewers. Instead of simple acceptance, this debate means weighing arguments, contesting and provoking, with emphasis on topics which have been pushed to the margin of the public debate. They work with known theatre artists to the critical theatre movement as well as young artists, who are given the opportunity to develop their own vision of the theatre with us. Increasingly often, they collaborate with important foreign directors, many of whom work in Poland for the first time.
Director: Oliver Frljić
Dramaturgs: Agnieszka Jakimiak, Joanna Wichowska, Goran Injac
Lighting director: Jacqueline Sobiszewski
Costume designer: Sandra Dekanić
Scenography collaboration: Małgorzata Dzik
Director's assistants: Mateusz Atman, Jakub Skrzywanek
Cast: Karolina Adamczyk, Klara Bielawka, Maria Robaszkiewicz, Barbara Wysocka, Julia Wyszyńska, Jacek Beler, Arkadiusz Brykalski, Michał Czachor
Stage manager: Kuba Olszak
Duration: 80 min.
Language: in Polish with Estonian and English subtitles
For adults only. The play contains scenes which refer to sexual actions, violence, and religion, which, despite their satirical nature, can be regarded as controversial. All scenes presented during the play are only the reflection of an artistic vision. The play employs a loud music and stroboscopic effect (a light pulsating with high frequency). Any persons vulnerable to this type of lightning are requested to remain cautious at all times.
