Judith, dir. Wojtek Klemm, photo by Bartłomiej Sowa
The Divine Comedy Festival, a celebration of theatre, presented a showcase across three distinct categories
The Inferno section presented the most intriguing productions from well-known Polish directors. These productions competed for the main Divine Comedy prize. The Paradiso section presented Young Directors and New Performances, while Purgatorio welcomed Additional Events and Performances, along with a programme of world premieres.
The organisers of the festival took the audience on an infernal journey of the emotions through more than twenty performances.
Highlights of the Inferno section included:
The Polish Club by Paweł Miśkiewicz
The Brothers Karamazov by Janusz Opryński
A Piece on Mother and the Fatherland by Jan Klata
Babel 2 by Maja Kleczewska
Mickiewicz. Forefathers' Eve - a Performance by Paweł Wodziński
The Sexual Life of Savages by Krzysiek Garbaczewski
This year's Purgatorio featured a series of performances comprising a theatrical momunent of Polish history and culture. The Festival commissioned six performances to debate various figures held sacred by the Polish: Pilgrimage, Solidarity, the Polish middle class, commander-in-chief Józef Piłsudski, and Bruce Lee which provided the context for a discussion about contemporary Poland. Highlights of this section included
"Pan Tadeusz, czyli Ostatni zajazd na Litwie" / "Pan Taddeusz, or the Last Foray in Lithuania" by Mikołaj Grabowski, Stary Teatr / Teatr Łaźnia Nowa
Sylwia Chutnik's "Aleksandra. Rzecz o Piłsudskim" / "Alexander. On Piłsudski" by. Marcin Liber, Teatr Dramatyczny im. Jerzego Szaniawskiego w Wałbrzychu / Teatr Łaźnia Nowa
Artur Pałyga's "Obywatel K." by Piotr Ratajczak, Teatr im. Juliusza Słowackiego w Krakowie / Teatr Łaźnia Nowa
The Paradiso section introduces audiences to the works of new directors Małgorzata Bogajewska, Szymon Kaczmarek and Małgorzata Głuchowska.
This year's Festival included a number of panel discussions and seminars, mostly devoted to the subject of dramaturgy.
The main prize of the festival came from the Mayor of the City of Kraków for the best production of the festival, along with a zł 50,000 cash prize (approx. Eur. 200,000). Additional prizes for Best Director, Best Stage Play, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Composer will also be given by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, with a cash prize of zł 10,000 (Eur. 40,000).
4th Divine Comedy International Theatre Festival
8-17.12.2011 Krakow
Programme
Organiser: Łaźnia Nowa Theatre, Krakov Festival Office
This event is part of Attention Culture!, the Cultural Programme of the 2011 Polish EU Presidency