Włodzimierz Staniewski, founder of the iconic Gardzienice Theatre known for its "anthropological theatre" to theatre, stages one of Ibsen's most significant works - The Master Builder (Norwegian: Bygmester Solness), first staged in Berlin in 1893. Some critics have referred to the play as autobiographical in its depiction of a man who is terrified of growing older, threatened by the younger generation and trapped in an unhappy marriage who has ongoing affairs with vulnerable young women and eventually falls in love with one of them. The play's message is enigmatic and has kept critics and directors guessing, but at the same time, producing fertile fodder for interpretation over the years as it trails the fall of a once-powerful man, blurring the line between duty and pleasure, reality and fantasy. The protagonist Halvard Solness pursues romance in a frantic attempt to shrug away death and in the process coming face to face with his greatest fears.
In India, the play will be performed partly in Hindi and Bengali, and in English, based on a translation that aims to preserve the characteristic rhythms of Ibsen's dialogue. As Staniewski averred in The Hindu, a daily Indian newspaper, the performance "will be an experiment", even a bit "rock-and-roll" and implied that it could cause a stir. The director puts the focus on the culture clash between the older and young generation, while highlighting another idea that is significant today: "that everything is in a state of decay.” As he explains, “There will be brave acting, a lot of energy. It’s a paradox as decay would imply an atmosphere of inertia. I want to do the opposite. By last minute developments in the plot, I want to project bursts of Luciferian energy.”
This is not Staniewski's first foray onto the Indian stage as he had toured the country along its Soviet border in the 1980s, performing for local peasants, who didn't quite seem to understand the words (as they were performed in Bengali, led by Gardzienice member Goul Capa), but "they really liked the music".
Włodmierz Staniewski has gained renown around the world for his provocative polemic with theatre tradition, particularly within the Polish context. He made use of experimental techniques as a subversive form of expression prior to the establishment of the Solidarity movement. As the director shared in the above-cited interview,
Until Solidarity, Polish theatre was very metaphoric and allegorical. It was rich in form and we spoke in parables to avoid censorship. Nowadays, it’s more like a newspaper or a press release. Earlier, money didn’t mean anything to us. Now after Solidarity has been transformed into a market like in western democracies, Money is God. What has transformed most significantly is human relations.
"The achievements of Gardzienice come as a wonderful gift", Susan Sontag once wrote, "This extraordinary, intransigent Polish group, under the inspired leadership of Włodzimierz Staniewski are, in my view, one of the few essential theatre companies working anywhere in the world today".
The Delhi International Ibsen Festival takes place between the 1st - 7th of December, bringing together a range of productions from around the world. It serves as a window on how different cultures interpret the texts of Norways premier playwright. The festival also provides an opportunity for international directors to collaborate with Indian theatre companies on their productions. Włodzimierz Staniewski's The Master Builder is one of five showcased productions in this series, accompanied by a seminar on Who is the Enemy, examining aesthetics and social engagement. The production has the support of the Polish Institute in New Delhi.
For more information and a full programme, see: www.delhibsenfestival.com