5 x Kafka – Second year diploma performances

We would like to invite you to the diploma performances concluding the second year of the South Baltic Academy of the Independent Theatre. Throughout three years you will have the opportunity to see five productions delivered by the BAIT students. The young artists had to deal with quite a challenge, they faced literature of the highest order – “Metamorphosis”, a short story by Franz Kafka. Under the watchful eyes of five directors: Ewa Ignaczak, Ida Bocian, Katarzyna Chmielewska, Loreta Vaskova (Lithuania) and Vilius Malinauskas (Lithuania), they have created five diverse in form  interpretation. Did they manage to do justice to Kafka’s text? Come and judge it for yourselves!

Several Shifts

28 november 2013 godz. 20 Teatr na Plaży, Sopot

direction snd choregraphy: Katarzyna Chmielewska

music: Paweł Osicki

choreography and performance: Vaida Baltrušaitytė, Marek Elsner, Wojciech Jaworski, Przemek Jurewicz, Iwona Konecka, Saida Saldukaitė, Rosa Auf der Strasse

The creation of a dance performance based on The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, from the beginning seemed to be quite risky, but also an interesting challenge. After the first analysis of this text, we decided with a group that we would not tell the story in a narrative way, and the text would rather become more of an inspiration for the performance, and a starting point in search of dance material. The movement forced upon us some abstraction of events, and everyone had to figure out what their own transformation referred to, or actually, how to relate Gregor's transformation to themselves, or in what way it seemed close to them? During work we were thinking about small shifts, sometimes unnoticed by those around, but still relevant and necessary for those involved. Such a change often happens in relation to others, and then it becomes tangible and real, a kind of new opening and a chance to understand the complex mechanisms of our personality. In Several Shifts, the body is the main means of communication, with importance given to its energy and atmosphere, which builds a relationship with a partner and a group.

Katarzyna Chmielewska

8 Metamorphoses

29 november 2013 godz. 18 Teatr Gdynia Główna, Gdynia

direction: Loreta Vaskova / script: zespół (the group)

linguistic consultation: Marzena Chojnowska

cast: Oksana Auškalnytė, Karolina Gaffke, Monika Hołubowicz, Ewelina Jasicka, Agne Levickaitė, Małgorzata Polakowska, Piotr Rogalski, Natalia Wiśniewska

The performance is made up of 8 monologues written in the process of BAIT project meetings. The first time I met with the students, I gave them their main task:  to take the dramatic situation from Metamorphosis, a short story by Franz Kafka, and choose a character and an animal to write monologues. The monologues were to convey a transformation from a human into a symbolic animal or vice versa and to answer the question: what would have to happen to a human being for him/her to transform?

In the 8'Metamorphoses performance preparation process the students participated in many exercises for imagination and reflection on they own lives. So it's a product of the entire group’s experience and imagination. The team searched for an answer to the question: how do we make changes in our lives?

Loreta Vaskowa

Loreta Vaskova – Lithuanian theatrical director. Loreta’s work comprises of: drama performances, operas and pedagogical work. Between 2005 - 2013, she studied in Klaipeda University where she got her Bachelor degree, her Master degree in theatrical directing she received in the Moscow Art Theatre School (Centre of Meyerhold). In 2010 she was awarded for her theatre debut with the Prise of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania and in 2011 was nominated for „Golden Cross of the Stage“ in Lithuania.

Feaver

29 november 2013 godz. 18 Teatr Gdynia Główna, Gdynia

script and direction: Baha Ciach

artistic director: Vilius Malinauskas

proofreading: Marzena Chojnowska

cast: Raminta Bartušytė, Marek Głuszczak, Dominika Grenda, Sonia Jachymiak, Aleksandra Kania, Brigita Lubytė, Dagmara Ochendowska, Iwona Prusko, Gerda Simonavičiūtė

What does it mean to transform into a bug? Physically, emotionally, inwardly? Why a bug? What would we like to talk about with the help of Kafka's text? These questions were the foundation of our creative process. We tried to open/read Kafka's surrealistic text, with the help of our sense of humor and common, objective attitude (if such is possible), we attempted to apply this to every scene and moment of being on stage. This permitted us to create a world of dysfunctional relations hiding behind the facade of a proper bourgeoisie family. Samsa's family life based on stereotypes, archetypes and dogmatic thinking led us into the world of doing theatre where tears and laughter are present all the time closely to one another.

Vilius Malinauskas

Vilius Malinauskas – Lithuanian theatrical director. He graduated from Lithuania Music and Theatre Academy, where he received both his Masters and Bachelor degrees in the class of Rimas Tuminas. In the years 2010-2011 he was a resident stage director at Vilnus College, Department of Fine Arts in Vilnus, Lithuania. Since 2012 he is the artistic director in State Theatre “Tilsit Theatre” in Sovensk, Russia.

Coup d'etat

30 november 2013 godz. 18 Teatr Gdynia Główna

direction:  Živilė Beniušytė, Aiva Krupelytė, Błażej Tachasiuk

script: Ewelina Jasicka, Živilė Beniušytė, Aiva Krupelytė, Błażej Tachasiuk

artistic director: Ida Bocian

translation and proofreading: Marzena Chojnowska

cast: Veronika Matuiza, Jacek Panek, Božena Simonavičiūtė, Katarzyna Szczepaniak, Sandra Szwarc, Błażej Tachasiuk

Being head of the family. This is a difficult and responsible but also necessary. The family relies on it, they believe that in the event of a crisis, it will regain control, it will guide them through difficult times. What if someday it will be gone? What if the head would decide it would no longer lead? Decapitation. Tragedy. Chaos. But families have to live on. And how do they do it? Just simply – they develop a new one. The incapable one is substituted by a is different one, a better, stronger one. The only question is - "Whose?"

Working on the play was a great challenge. For many reasons. Firstly,  Kafka and Metamorphosis - the author and the text are not particularly easy to stage. It is not easy to capture the density and weight unique to Kafka, while at the same time do create a truthfully personal statement using the text itself. A statement which touches upon issues important to the director –when the play is directed not by one, but three directors, finding a common “trigger” of the action becomes thrice as complicated. And this I feel is the second reason why it was not an easy job - when you work alone things do not take such a complicated rout: ok, so I have an idea, I realize it, and verify whether it was good or if it should be changed. That's it. When there are three people, each of whom wants to have (and does have) an impact on the final shape of the performance you need to add one more step to this process "we talk and agree on stuff" - and the work has been a true school of dialogue to me. Dialogue, which consists of listening and speaking - in that order.

Błażej Tachasiuk

What Has Gregor Dreamt About, That He Overslept

30 november 2013 godz. 18 Teatr Gdynia Główna

script and direction: Christoffer Simebjär Tagesson, Alessandra Cali, Arūnas Mozeris

proofreading: Marzena Chojnowska

directors’ assistant: Łukasz Dobrowolski

artistic director: Ewa Ignaczak

cast: Ola Bengtsson, Alessandra Cali, Łukasz Dobrowolski, Sandra Leliugaitė, Arūnas Mozeris, Sonteina Palaikytė, Penny Shefton, Christoffer Simebjär Tagesson, Loreta Zagubovič-Baranowska

Three young directors faced a difficult challenge – Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. They divided the text into three acts, chose a key passage for themselves, gave it a title, found all the conflicts between the characters and justified them, they described and organized the space, and what is most important–they substantiated the of aim of their work.

During the long conversations they conducted, the most difficult task was to design the space. Space, which organizes the actions of the characters, which becomes the interpretation and the strategy, the emotional tissue of the performance. Such thinking has created two basic questions, what has Gregor dreamt about that he overslept? Could this be just another dream during his commute to work? From that moment on they went. May they have enough courage and joy in the creative process. This is not easy...

Ewa Ignaczak

I'm having a really good time working with the group. Everybody gives their all, and the creativity levels are high. There are many different wills, coming both from actors and directors, just as it should be! As there are three directors working together on one piece, there are many discussions.

Christoffer Simebjär Tagesson