"Hamlet", dir. Oskaras Koršunovas; photo: Dmitrij Matvejev / Vilnius City Theatre
The 14th edition of the Shakespeare Festival kicks off at the end of August, with ten days of performances dedicated to the British bard. A range of shows from around the world will bring a new spin on such age-old tales as "Hamlet" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
Three Polish performances nominated for this season's Golden Yorick Award in the category of Best Polish Production of William Shakespeare's Works Contest will be presented. This year's contest will be different, as the winner will be chosen from three performances showed during the Festival. We have also invited foreign productions from a variety of cultural circles: Great Britain, Germany, Lithuania, Romania, Hungary, Armenia and Zimbabwe.
Of particular interest in this edition, are two productions of the great Lithuanian director, Oskaras Korsunovas - Midsummer Night's Dream and Hamlet, as well as French performances of The Tempest! and En Attendant le Songe by Irina Brook (daughter of the great theatre director Peter Brook). It is the second time that audiences will have the opportunity to see the work of the Japanese Ryutopia Noh-theatre, who in 2008 showed their excellent The Winter's Tale directed by Yoshihiro Kurita. This year the same director will present Hamlet. For those viewers who appreciate true craftsmanship on stage, Andrzej Seweryn plays an excellent role in the monodrama Now entertain… William Shakespeare, prepared by Juliusz Słowacki Theatre Kraków. One of the most interesting Romanian Shakespearean performances of the last few years and recommended by the Institutul Cultural Roman in Warsaw, The Tempest by Toma Caragiu Theatre Ploiesti, will certainly be a major highlight of the Festival, as well as As You Like It by a renowned Romanian director Attila Vidnyánszky, produced by the theatres: Castle Theatre Gyula, Hungarian Theatre Beregszász, and Csokonai Theatre Debrecen (Hungary, Ukraine).
In addition, the festival takes the festival out further into the Pomeranian region. This year, as part of "Shakespeare in the Neighbourhood", the cities of Wejherowo and Pruszcz Gdański re invited to collaborate, hosting Two Gents Productions' Hamlet / Kupenga kwa Hamlet. The same group will show another performance during the Festival: Vakomana Vaviri ve Zimbabwe or Two Gentlemen of Verona. Both are directed by Arne Pohlmeier. The performances will be complemented by interesting workshops with the actors and producers of the play.
The festival is traditionally accompanied by an extended educational program. This year's planned projects: "The Shakespeare Summer Academy", "Closer to the Theatre", and "Dolne Miasto Talent Factory" offer lectures, theatre and art workshops, contests, and exhibitions. All foreign performances and theatre workshops will be translated or interpreted into Polish. Our Festival Club, as always, will give everyone the opportunity to meet with the creators of some of the performances. In total we expect over 12,000 participants in all artistic and educational events of the festival. "Shake in the City. The Art of Inclusion" is an international artistic project co-financed by the "Culture" Program of the European Commission, and will also be launched during this edition of the festival.
The Shakespeare Festival is part of the "Gdańsk and Metropolia - European Capital of Culture 2016". More information and a detailed programme are available at:
www.festiwalszekspirowski.plSource: www.teatrszekspirowski.pl, www.festiwalszekspirowski.pl, www.ftg.pl