Photo by Przemysław Łyskawa / Helen Modrzejewski Theatre in Legnica
Lech Raczak's fifth performance is an adaptation of Stefan Żeromski's "Roses"
The work is based on political and historic fact, including Poland's move towards independence and the history that preceded this, social conspiracy, terrorist acts, tsarist prisons, cases of spying, the execution of Polish assassins, the Łódz revolution of 1905, industrial strikes, as well as the activity of the educational "flying universities". The date of the premiere was chosen with a deliberate date in mind, the one-time workers' holiday which gave occasion to political demonstrations.
The novelistic dimensions of Roses and above all its dated and very specific language, meant that the text did not initially find a suitable place within Polish theatrical tradition (it had eight post-war showings, the last taking place in 1983 in Bydgoszcz). Yet despite problems with the content, the potential of the work is such that it most definitely deserves to return to the audiences memory.
The pages of Stefan Żeromski's prose present us with, on one hand, members of the Militant PPS Organisation, which was managed firmly under the reins of Piłsudski and performed attacks on trains as well as assaults on tsarist bureaucrats and polish collaborators. On the other hand, it deals with Polish informers and their tsarist authorities.
This is something between a drama and a story, says director Lech Raczak. Today this text is rarely read. That is why I wrote a new script, on the basis of "Roses" which utilises modern language. We aim to present a production about the fight for independence, about the 1905 revolution under the red standard PPS Military Organisation. There is something appalling in the types of discussions which took place 100 years ago. It's accompanied by slogans, which are so contemporary with us, and no doubt more so with the campaigns of the electorate. Ironically, Żeromski foresaw that representatives would talk about the good of Poland in the future.
The protagonists of this era had decisive discussions concerning contemporary dilemmas, such as national identity and Polish links with current European ideology; the conflict between the economic bill and work as a form of ensuring individual dignity; differentiating art from market ideology and considering the ties between social awareness and the state of social economics.
The production's creators assert that the process of observing all of this after the monstrosities of the 20th century, of the experiences of those subjected to soviet prisons, communist imprisonment and then the peaceful triumph of solidarity, can be a fascinating experience.
The performance takes place among dilapidated walls and crumbling ceilings, in the fenced off net of a prison-cage. Time of Terror will be shown on the modern Kartuski stage, inside the pre-war building of the Varities Theatre in the region of Zakaczaw. It's characteristic resonance stems from it previously being a region erected for workers.
We deliberately chose such a date for the premiere, admits Jacek Głomb, director of the Legnica Theatre. Before the war this was a real worker's holiday and participation in the demonstration required a lot of bravery. After the war the communist's noted this day, making in into an obligatory ceremonial.
- Time of Terror based on Stefan Żeromski's Roses; script and direction: Lech Raczak; set design: Bohdan Cieślak; music: Jacek Hałas; starring: Magda Biegańska, Katarzyna Dworak, Ewa Galusińska, Joanna Gonschorek, Zuza Motorniuk, Magda Skiba, Małgorzata Urbańska, Bartek Bulanda, Rafał Cieluch, Bogdan Grzeszczak, Robert Gulaczyk, Wojciech Kowalski, Paweł Palcat, Paweł Wolak, Lech Wołczyk.
Premiere: May 1, 2010.
Teatr im. Heleny Modrzejewskiej w Legnicy
Rynek 39, 59-220 Legnica
Dyrektor naczelny i artystyczny: Jacek Głomb
tel. (+48 76) 72 33 500
fax (+48 76) 72 33 501
www.teatr.legnica.pl
The performance will take place on the Kartuski stage.
Source: press release, www.teatr.legnica.pl