The Concrete Timbre in New York presents a multimedia theatrical concert that documents the travails of an orphaned young girl searching for her father against the backdrop of communist Poland
It's 1956. The iron curtain is up. In Poland, jazz is emerging from the underground, seen as a symbol of freedom and liberation. Poland hosts its first ever Jazz Festival. Revolts are occuring in the Eastern bloc. During protests demanding the government release the jailed Cardinal Wyszynski, four-year old Elżbieta's father is arrested and disappears.
Through flashback vignettes, live jazz, classical, and electronic music, videos, and historical photography, we witness Elżbieta's scarring memories, share her poignant reminiscences, and observe her actions as she chronicles her life in search of her father and her self. In a time where identity was officially stamped by Big Brother but was defined and realized by the people, Elżbieta discovers more than just the whereabouts of her father, but discovers what it means to be Polish.
"Dziewczyna" (the Polish word for "girl") is directed by Sally Burtenshaw and written and composed by Ann Warren and Chris Kadis Moscato, with additional poetry and text by Adam Mickiewicz, Halina Poświatowska, Wislawa Szymborska. The inspiration for "Dziewczyna" came from Warren's conversations with a Swedish journalist Svenska Dagbladet who traveled to Poland during the 1980s often bringing paper and ink to home-based and often make-shift printing presses that used the supplies to make flyers and posters for the Polish Trade Union, Solidarity. This was enough to compel the composer to research the history of Poland and begin a great story based on historical events from Poland's late 20th century history.
After combing through many years of news articles, three events piqued the composers interest and provided the seed of the story. In June 1956 there were riots in Poznan that were crushed with an armed confrontation that seemed to energize the nation; in August 1956, jazz music in Poland emerged from the underground as Poland hosted its first ever Jazz Festival in Sopot; and then later, in October 1956, Gomulka defied Soviet leaders and promised change as Khrushchev personally arrived in Warsaw supported by Soviet tanks moving in on the capital. Poland did not back down and surprisingly the tanks left (and moved on to Budapest).
The musical excerpts include live jazz inspired by the 1956 Sopot jazz festival, classical excerpts from Chopin, rock music that was popular in Poland in the 1960s, and live musical selections with electronics inspired by Polish sonorism and minimalism. The story unfolds with a multimedia show which includes several original videos along with a montage of historical photographs.
"Dziewczyna", directed by Sally Burtenshaw; Story, Original Music and Sound composed by Ann Warren, Chris Kadis Moscato; Additional Music by Christopher Dickson, Grace Wing Slick; Videos, Montages, and Photography by Robert Morton; Additional Videos by Allan Markowitz; Setting, Screen & Equipment by Richard Sage; Lighting Design by Milim Sung; Costume Designer: Catherine Siracusa; Choreographer: Patricia Zeccola; Dramaturge: Nancy Greening; stage manager: Bethany Briggs; Additional poetry and text by Adam Mickiewicz, Halina Poświatowska, Wislawa Szymborska, Stacee Mandeville; Polish translations by Aleksandra Miglowiec.
The multimedia theatrical concert takes place on the 16-17th of December 2011 at 20:30 in the Here Theatre in New York City.
Here
145 Sixth Ave
New York, NY
www.concretetimbre.com
Source: Polish Cultural Institute in New York, www.concretetimbre.com