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| The Polish Theatre of Transformation |
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Lectures Prof. Dariusz Kosiński 19–23 September 2011 Cinema Room ‘The Polish Theatre of Transformation’ is a series of lectures exploring a unique Polish theatrical and performative tradition whose overriding goal is to use ‘dramatic art’ as a tool and vehicle for a profound and radical transformation of individual and collective life. Deeply rooted in Polish tradition and culture, this tradition was taken up, transformed and developed by the greatest artists of Polish drama and theatre, from Adam Mickiewicz to Jerzy Grotowski. Their work will be presented and interpreted, leading to the discussion of the possibility of the transformative power of theatre at the beginning of the 21st century. Monday 12 September: Poland as Performance An outline of the uniqueness of Polish history and culture: Poland as a community that has been invented twice (Sarmatia, Romantic Poland). Performance as the basic mode of Poland’s existence in the period of bondage (19th–20th centuries). Tuesday 13 September: Adam Mickiewicz: Forefathers’ Eve and Engaged Poetry Adam Mickiewicz (1798–1855) as the author of Forefathers’ Eve, a model Polish drama and text for the stage. Theatre models found in Forefathers’ Eve. Mickiewicz’s politico-mystical performative activities in the 1840s. Wednesday 13 September: The Labyrinth Called Theatre: Juliusz Słowacki and Stanisław Wyspiański Disagreeing with or even opposing Mickiewicz, two dramatists from two different generations: Juliusz Słowacki (1809–1849) and Stanisław Wyspiański (1869–1907), reworked Mickiewicz’s model of ritual theatre and transformed it into an open-structure labyrinth-theatre shaped by the audience. They were ahead of their time in their deconstruction of the western model of drama and scenic representation, complete with Wyspiański’s reinterpretation of Hamlet. Thursday 14 September: Reduta: Through Theatre Beyond Theatre The first Polish theatre laboratory, Reduta (1919–1939), founded and run by Mieczysław Limanowski and Juliusz Osterwa, was the first programmatic attempt to bring to life Romantic ideas about theatre. The attempt was not fully successful, but the projects and mistakes of Reduta members are as great and important a lesson as their successes. Friday 15 September: Jerzy Grotowski: From Theatre to Performer Jerzy Grotowski’s creative path as the synthesis of the searches, achievements and failures of 20th-century European theatre. From the reform and ritualization of theatre to abandoning it to transforming it into performance art, Grotowski brought to life Polish Romantic ideas and took the Western theatre to its limits – and beyond. What next? Dariusz Kosiński (b. 1966) is an Associate Professor in the Drama Department of the Faculty of Polish Studies at the Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland. In the past he focused on the history and theory of 19th-century acting, which he explored in three books. Over the last few years he has investigated the uniqueness of Polish theatre and performance tradition, which resulted in to the book Polski teatr przemiany (The Polish Theatre of Transformation; Wrocław, 2007). Kosiński recently published Grotowski. Przewodnik (Grotowski. A Guide; Wrocław, 2009) and Teatra polskie – historie (Polish Theatres: Histories; Warszawa, 2010), a synthesis of the history of Polish performing arts. He also interprets drama – Sceny z życia dramatu (Scenes from the Life of Drama, Kraków, 2004). Together with Ireneusz Guszpit, Kosiński prepares editions of Juliusz Osterwa’s theatre writing, including Przez teatr – poza teatr (Through Theatre Beyond Theatre; Kraków, 2004) and Antygona, Hamlet, Tobiasz… (Antigone, Hamlet, Tobias; Kraków, 2007). He has authored or co-authored a number of books for the general public, including Słownik postaci dramatycznych (Dictionary of Drama Characters; Kraków, 1999), Słownik wiedzy o teatrze (Dictionary of Theatre Studies; Bielsko-Biała, 2005) and Słownik teatru (Dictionary of Theatre; Kraków, 2006). In January 2010 he was appointed programme director of the Grotowski Institute in Wrocław. He contributes reviews and essays to Dialog theatre magazine, serves on its editorial board and on the Academic Board of the Zbigniew Raszewski Institute in Warsaw. |