Starucha, director Igor Gorzkowski, photo courtesy of TCF
This year's edition continued a long-standing project presenting Russian theatre in the context of the international stage
In 2011 the festival coincided with the Polish EU Presidency and the promotion of the idea of the Eastern Partnership, inspiring an analysis of change in theatre practices across Russia and the former Soviet bloc. The event brought the theatre practices into the pan-European context and traced its evolution over several decades of change.
The programme of the Festival was based upon the classical stage, providing on a plaform for an analysis of regional productions and the varying doses of influence in terms of Russian aesthetics, taking into account ways in which certain theatres break with tradition in the region that was once dominated by this very aesthetic.
The festival opened with Leszek Mądzik's "Ardour" (or "Burning"), a Portuguese tale of Shakespearean lovers and their tragic demise. Mądzik collaborated with A Companhia de Teatro do Algarve (ACTA) on the performance, a story of the boundless love of Ines and Pedro, the Romeo and Juliet of 14th century Portugal. Pedro, the son of King Alfons IV falls in love with Ines de Castro, the beautiful daughter of a simple Galician nobleman. The king disapproves of both the social standing and nationality of his son's sweetheart, to no avail however - the couple secretly gets married. On the king's order, however, Ines is murdered.
See more on "Ardour" at Culture.pl
Following the performance of "Ardour", Tatiana Grindenko conducted Vladimir Martynov's Suite, performed by Huun Huur Tu, Orkiestra Opus Posth. The piece combined elements of Tuvan traditional music and throat singing by Huun Huur Tu with original music by an outstanding Russian composer, Vladimir Martynov, composed especially for this project. The project, titled "Children of the Otter" aimed to bring together the spirits of music - the animal, human and spiritual.
Apart from the mainstream, this year’s edition of the Festival also presents the MAAT programme of physical theatre productions, prepared by Tomasz Bazan (artistic director of the MAAT Theatre Project ).
A Lublin theatre showcase constituted a separate section of the programme - presentations of the most important productions of artists connected with Lublin (including productions made especially for the Festival). The showcase aimed to promote these performances among the international festival circuit. Working together with partner organizations from the countries of the Eastern Partnership, the Festival hosted a group of young directors who, on the basis of plays seen and discussions participated in, took up possibilities of cooperation with the Lublin environment thanks to the Festival’s support.
Theatre performances were accompanied by presentations of the visual arts in the city's public space, a review of modern Russian cinema anda musical stage.
Agnieszka Lubomira Piotrowska, a remarkable translator of modern Russian literature, promoter of Polish-Russian theatre exchange, coordinated the meetings of artists with festival audiences.
The 16th edition of the festival put the focus on the artistic dialogue between Poland, Russia and the Eastern Partnership, while also constituted a starting point for long-lasting cooperation with young theatre makers from the region.
Guests include: Vladimir Martynov, Vladimir Pankov, Vlad Troitsky, Nikolay Khalezin, Pavel Priazko, Monika Strzępka i Paweł Demirski, Grzegorz Jarzyna, David Doiashvili, Volha Hapeyeva, Dakha Brakha, Martvy Pyven.
For more information and full programme, see: www.konfrontacje.pl
This event is part of Attention Culture!, the Cultural Programme of the 2011 Polish EU Presidency.
Local Organiser Centre for Culture in Lublin
Organisers National Audiovisual Institute, Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Source: National Audiovisual Institute