|
|
Home : Program : Theatre |
 |
ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WERE POLE POLE POLE AND A DEVIL - Poland
|
|
|
|
|
| Time : |
All Sold Out
Nov 5(Thu) 20:00
Nov 6(Fri) 20:00 [CA]
Nov 7(Sat) 15:00 |
| Venue : |
Daehangno Arts Theater Small Theater |
| Ticket Price : |
General 40,000 won
Y/S 20,000 won |
| Duration : |
105 min (No Interval) |
| Director : |
Monika Strzępka |
| Company : |
Szaniawski Drama Theatre in Wałbrzych |
| Original Work : |
Political tabloid by Paweł Demirski |
|
|
|
Are they dead or alive? People who aren't totally dead, sometimes emerge from their graves to tell their tales. Winner of the Best Performance of the Lower Silesia Region in 2007 and invited to the Divine Comedy Festival in Cracow, Poland in 2008. There is no need for a fairy-tale or exceptional costume here. There is no ethical ending to the tale. It is a political discussion of the low-minded, noisy labour class. But pay attention, as you will discover what we haven't expected and don't have ourselves! |
"Warning : Don't expect a thing!"
The Szaniawski Drama Theater in Wał'brzych's ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WERE POLE POLE POLE AND A DEVIL, which premiered in March 2007, is a political tabloid that twists reality with humour and wit. This is not a didactic story that begins with 'Once upon a time' and ends with 'They lived happily ever after'. Instead of the clichéd and marvellous fantasy of a fair tale, horror and monstrosity come alive with dead bodies from a cemetery. In a sense, the title of the work turns into a trick of sorts.
The Szaniawski Drama Theatre in Wałbrzych was awarded Best Performance of the Lower Silesia region in 2007. The introduction that seems to test the patience of the audience and the noisy discussions among the revived corpses all contain uncomfortable truths. The play employs the narrative element of Brecht to extend communication among the characters as a sort of speech aimed at the audience rather than to simply contain it on the stage. The grotesque space depicted on stage as the boundary between life and death is further enhanced by the players warming a bench at the back. This work is a cruel portrayal of the repressed and sacrificed lower class.
|
The play begins with corpses in zipped up body bags rising from their dormant state, remaining true to the equation of horror movies that demand darkness, shrieks, blood and zombies. The bloody-faced zombies all sit on a soccer bench behind the goal posts. Each of them tells the others of their peripheral lives. They include an aggressive white male, a cardinal with his red robe, a boy whose parents had decided to emigrate for economic reasons, a German tourist who has visited ex-Russia and Starlet who has used every means possible to get ahead socially. The soccer coach who sits on the left end of the bench is the scorekeeper for their conversations that tend to be rather unromantic, vulgar and noisy at times. The coach examines the performance of each player without saying or acting much himself, and just warns the players with a yellow card or the blow of the whistle at seemingly inappropriate moments.
The work shares a number of similarities with films by George Romero who suggested the foundation for the zombie image in the 1960s and attempted to critique the social realities of the times. It is a political tabloid that criticizes the realities faced in Poland today. Social awareness takes on the form of a light black comedy as hard-to-fathom situations turn up one after another from spitting, sucking nipples off teats, and putting oil all over their bodies to gulping down chocolate syrup and shouting at the top of their voices. The satirical conversation of the pale-faced, weird-action-committed protagonists is really aimed at the audience. But, the audience finds it hard to strike an emotional chord with the characters. The psychological distance between the piece and the audience widens as a result.
This dynamic piece that turns every element on stage into chaotic disorder offers adults armed with patience and curiosity a new form of fairy tale. So the warning by the theatre company to expect nothing in return does not do much for them. Ironically, it rather appeals to the audience.
|
|
|
| Director |
- Monika Strzępka
Monika Strzepka made her debut as a director at the Polski Theatre in Bydgoszcz in 2004. A year later, she worked at the Coastal Theatre in Gdansk with Szeks Show presents: Yorick __ fool’s confessions. Since 2007, she has been collaborating with Pawel Demirski. She has produced a series of works such as Dziady (Forefather’s Eve). Exhumation and Death of a Taxpayer at the Polski Theatre in Wrocław with Demirski. At the Szaniawski Drama Theatre, she presented Diamonds are Coal which has set to Work. |
| Company |
Wałbrzych does not have a long theatre tradition. There is little information about performances being occasionally staged in this town at the beginning of the twentieth century. “Theatre Wałbrzych” does not start its activities until after the 2nd World War, when the local admirers of Melpomena lived to see a few performances organized under the auspices of “Drama Theatres of Lower Silesia” with the seat in Jelenia G__a. It is not until November 1964 that the history of Jerzy Szaniawski Drama Theatre as an independent institution begins. This provincial theatre, acting solely on the local area in the shadow of leading theatres in big cities, has experienced a streak of successes and failures for thirty eight seasons.
The season 2002/2003 turned out to be crucial for the existence of Jerzy Szaniawski Drama Theatre. It was then that a series of well known performances drew attention of the critics to the Wałbrzych theatre. Debuts of directors, actors and playwrights began to outline a new way of Wałbrzych theatre. The greatest authorities in this field began to speak about Teatr Dramatyczny (Drama Theatre) as one of the most important theatres in Poland. Enthusiastic reviews resulted in numerous invitations to theatre festivals. Triumphal tours of the country’s festivals (over 70 invitations during six years) was crowned by the fact that Wałbrzych performances together with leading Polish theatres represented our country during Polish seasons in Paris, Berlin and Moscow…
Theatre in Wałbrzych is located in a place, which allows for making close observations of reality. One cannot be indifferent to it. And one never is. The reply to the phenomenon observed in the street, to the events presented in the media, to the problems of the contemporary world is the act of collecting a specific repertoire, which stays in a close relation with reality. Theatre becomes the observer and the commentator and it does not avoid describing the most painful aspects of life, it is not afraid to discuss ticklish problems and becomes a kind of centre of contemporary dramaturgy, the theatre of world premiers and debuts, a place where playwrights and producers can successfully begin their careers.
The theatre from Wałbrzych aimed at getting into the reality of Wałbrzych, trying to familiarize the audience with a contemporary repertoire, which is often staged for the first time and which is realized by young directors who represent unusual attitudes towards theatre.
http://www.teatr.walbrzych.pl |
| Staff |
Choreography: Milena Czarnik
Set Designer : Marcin Mierzicki
Light Designer : Tomasz Bernaś
Sound Designer : Andrzej Rzyman
Music: Jan Suświłło
Costumes : Ola Komarzeniec
Technical Director : Roman Bernat
Make-up : Daniel Szczerba
Photographer : Bartek Sowa |
| Cast |
Monika Fronczek, Sabina Tumidalska, Agnieszka Przepi__ska, Irena W__cik, Jerzy Gronowski, Marcin Pempu__/SPAN>, Piotr Kondrat, Bogusław Siwko, Piotr Wawer |
Reviews
Horro based on national motives in images similar to these from George Romero's movies. Pawel Demirski and Monnika Strzepka in their graveyard show in Walbrzych heal Polish theatre from pathos, mannerism and cheap martyrdom. (…) Nightmarish atmosphere, graveyard humor, language thaken from clips, shouts from country wedding and mythology of people in their thirties – all these opens new door for theatre. Through this door Strzepka and Demirski let in fresh (although graveyard) breeze into theatrical sanctuary of pathos, mannerism and martyrdom.
- Joanna Derkaczew. Theatre of living dead bodies Gazeta Wyborcza, Warsaw, April 2. 2007
Anarchical and horribly funny play from Walbrzych brings a new formula of political theatre.(...) Actors with premeditation cross boundaries of mortification, vulgarity, clichés and shame. They play fool to show the audience that they settle theatrical score with each other. At the same time we can hear accurate moral observations and political ripostes.
- Lukasz Drewniak, Up the stairs, Prezekroj, Warsaw, April 19. 2007
Awards
The Best Performance of Lower Silesia in 2007.
The Best Female Part in 2007 for Monika Fronczek for the role of Starlet
8th Polish Modern Drama Fesival __Shown Realisty”, Zabrze (22 October 2008)
· AWARD for stage-setting for Monika Strz__ka
· AWARD for Piotr Wawro for yobbo part
· DISTINCTION for Sabina Tumidalska for the old lady part
43rd Polish Small Theatrical Forms Parade KONTRAPUNKT, Szczecin (16 April 2008)
· DISTINCTION for Sabina Tumidalska for the old lady part
9th Polish Comedy, Tarn__ (19 October 2007)
· Main AWARD for grotesque and soundly realistic reflection of the reality
37th Theatrical Meetings in Jelenia G__a, Jelenia G__a (7 October 2007)
· LAUREATE of public plebiscite of 37th Theatrical Meetings in Jelenia G__a
· AWARD of City Jelenia G__a President
Private Views Festival, Bydgoszcz (2 October 2007)
· AWARD for the best private view text and for the most clear statement regarding contemporary Poland
· AWARD __Melpomena” of Young Plebiscite for Agnieszka Przepi__ska for Wanda part
13th Polish Contemporary Play Contest (29 April 2007)
o Contest FINALIST
o Jan __iderski AWARD, granted by Drama Theatres Section Board (ZASP), for Piotr Wawer for yobbo part
Supported by
    
|
|
