Beat the 7:30am wake up call I had asked for. I was glad because I think being woken up to a call in Polish would have been very disconcerting. Was a little at a loss without my bag of tricks, having left it with Wojciech the previous evening. After breakfast we were off to our first meeting at Teatr Polski. The deputy director, Joanna Nowak, showed us around the theater, which was built in 1875. At a time when a dominant German population suppressed Polish culture, the theater became an important gathering point for community. It was built on land donated by a wealthy Pole and was host to numerous Polish theater productions as well as concerts outside in it’s courtyard in the summer and inside during the winter. It has one of the oldest rotating stages, which is turned by twelve men from underneath.
Views of Teatr Polski. The stage, our group in the balcony, the first rotating stage in Europe and filming the repertory group.
After the tour of the Theater, we headed next door to their small stage to talk with some of their repertory actors, one of which is Joanna’s cousin. The talk started with the director of Zwał, which we had seen on the 1st. This was followed by three of the actors talking about their training and career path. The three had come up in very different times. The eldest had been trained during the soviet era, and the middle one right after independence in 1989. Joanna’s cousin had finished his training in the mid 90s.
Our next appointment was just down the road at the Teatr Ósmego Dnia. A great deal of our meeting time was spent in getting coffee ready. Learned a little of the group’s history. They started to become active at the end of the soviet era. The group was extremely controversial with Ewa at one memorable show, yelling at one of the audience members, accusing him of being a member of the secret police and demanding he leave the theater. Next, we watched a video of Arka, their most recent work. This followed with a discussion, the major point of which I felt was a major disconnect between their group and the younger theater groups. They did not feel there was anyone to pass the torch on to and that their legacy would end with them.
A walk-up McDonalds counter where soft-serve ice cream could be had. Ósmego Dnia.
Some of the group headed over to Stary Browar again to meet with the director of their cultural programming, Joanna Leśnierowska. She toured us around their bigger gallery spaces and a large stage that was being set up for a performance the following night. The family that built the Stary Browar has made some effort to promote local Poznań artists, but a number of people we talked to seemed dissatisfied with the arrangements, with the Browar folks not providing any sort of support other than access to the facilities.
Touring Stary Browar. A mall with pretensions of being an art space. Some of the performance spaces, a lofty drying silo, our group outside and the architects represented on the elevator doors.
Our evening’s entertainment started with Tajemnica (Mystery) by Witold Gombrowicz, performed by Teatr Porywacze Ciał (Bodysnatchers Theater.) The piece was visually stunning throughout and I was able to make out most of what was going on with a few hints from Asia. The piece started out with a lone balloon floating in dim light. A figure appeared behind it and two arms came around to squeeze the balloon. This continued for a while and then faded to black. It continued with a middle-aged couple framed as if they were a living portrait. She produced a blue Virgin Mary statuette and he, an antler. A while later, the gentleman we had met on the 4th rose between them as their son. An argument ensued and went on until the parents made-up and started making out, at which point the son fled. This was followed by a hilarious send up of a scouting expedition with the “son” character trying to emulate the leader. There were two girl scouts on the expedition and he was quite smitten with one of them. A strange courtship began with awkward hand-holding. Following this the “son” came out under an umbrella draped with a mosquito net. He began a monologue about virginity that had the audience roaring with laughter. One line went on about the lemon being the least virginal fruit and that the “son” needed to eat less of them in order to be more virginal. This was followed by a game of tennis and some more awkward hand-holding, and then a debonair man came out to coach the “son.” Shortly thereafter, war broke out and I started to fade in and out.
We took in another piece after this by a couple of groups that had split off from Gardzienice, Association Choreia and Orkiestra Antyczna. The piece was a dance interpretation of the Greek Myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. The musical accompaniment was done with traditional instruments, but sung mostly in Bulgarian. Some spots were interesting, but overall there seemed to be too many influences fighting with each other. We hung out with some of the group afterwards, as Joanna is good friends with several of the leaders. Sampled a warmed beer mixed with red currant juice and another of the plain local brews. Both of them were quite tasty.
Association Choreia and Orkiestra Antyczna's dance piece based on the Greek myth of Thesus and the Minotaur.
Hanging out with Joanna's friends from the Gardzienice splinter groups Association Choreia and Orkiestra Antyczna. A view of the Zamek at night.
Most of the group headed back to the hotel, but Steven, Asia and I headed back to the old market square to find a place that was still open. Steven nursed a beer, while Asia and I had a couple of rounds of vodka and black currant juice. Had a lively discussion about the festival and talked about what each of us did at home. Headed back to the hotel around 2:30 a.m.
Views of Teatr Polski. The stage, our group in the balcony, the first rotating stage in Europe and filming the repertory group.
After the tour of the Theater, we headed next door to their small stage to talk with some of their repertory actors, one of which is Joanna’s cousin. The talk started with the director of Zwał, which we had seen on the 1st. This was followed by three of the actors talking about their training and career path. The three had come up in very different times. The eldest had been trained during the soviet era, and the middle one right after independence in 1989. Joanna’s cousin had finished his training in the mid 90s.
Our next appointment was just down the road at the Teatr Ósmego Dnia. A great deal of our meeting time was spent in getting coffee ready. Learned a little of the group’s history. They started to become active at the end of the soviet era. The group was extremely controversial with Ewa at one memorable show, yelling at one of the audience members, accusing him of being a member of the secret police and demanding he leave the theater. Next, we watched a video of Arka, their most recent work. This followed with a discussion, the major point of which I felt was a major disconnect between their group and the younger theater groups. They did not feel there was anyone to pass the torch on to and that their legacy would end with them.
A walk-up McDonalds counter where soft-serve ice cream could be had. Ósmego Dnia.
Some of the group headed over to Stary Browar again to meet with the director of their cultural programming, Joanna Leśnierowska. She toured us around their bigger gallery spaces and a large stage that was being set up for a performance the following night. The family that built the Stary Browar has made some effort to promote local Poznań artists, but a number of people we talked to seemed dissatisfied with the arrangements, with the Browar folks not providing any sort of support other than access to the facilities.
Touring Stary Browar. A mall with pretensions of being an art space. Some of the performance spaces, a lofty drying silo, our group outside and the architects represented on the elevator doors.
Our evening’s entertainment started with Tajemnica (Mystery) by Witold Gombrowicz, performed by Teatr Porywacze Ciał (Bodysnatchers Theater.) The piece was visually stunning throughout and I was able to make out most of what was going on with a few hints from Asia. The piece started out with a lone balloon floating in dim light. A figure appeared behind it and two arms came around to squeeze the balloon. This continued for a while and then faded to black. It continued with a middle-aged couple framed as if they were a living portrait. She produced a blue Virgin Mary statuette and he, an antler. A while later, the gentleman we had met on the 4th rose between them as their son. An argument ensued and went on until the parents made-up and started making out, at which point the son fled. This was followed by a hilarious send up of a scouting expedition with the “son” character trying to emulate the leader. There were two girl scouts on the expedition and he was quite smitten with one of them. A strange courtship began with awkward hand-holding. Following this the “son” came out under an umbrella draped with a mosquito net. He began a monologue about virginity that had the audience roaring with laughter. One line went on about the lemon being the least virginal fruit and that the “son” needed to eat less of them in order to be more virginal. This was followed by a game of tennis and some more awkward hand-holding, and then a debonair man came out to coach the “son.” Shortly thereafter, war broke out and I started to fade in and out.
We took in another piece after this by a couple of groups that had split off from Gardzienice, Association Choreia and Orkiestra Antyczna. The piece was a dance interpretation of the Greek Myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. The musical accompaniment was done with traditional instruments, but sung mostly in Bulgarian. Some spots were interesting, but overall there seemed to be too many influences fighting with each other. We hung out with some of the group afterwards, as Joanna is good friends with several of the leaders. Sampled a warmed beer mixed with red currant juice and another of the plain local brews. Both of them were quite tasty.
Association Choreia and Orkiestra Antyczna's dance piece based on the Greek myth of Thesus and the Minotaur.
Hanging out with Joanna's friends from the Gardzienice splinter groups Association Choreia and Orkiestra Antyczna. A view of the Zamek at night.
Most of the group headed back to the hotel, but Steven, Asia and I headed back to the old market square to find a place that was still open. Steven nursed a beer, while Asia and I had a couple of rounds of vodka and black currant juice. Had a lively discussion about the festival and talked about what each of us did at home. Headed back to the hotel around 2:30 a.m.
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