The National Theatre of Scotland, Knives in Hens, Duncan Anderson, photo by Peter Dibdin
We are half way through the review of European theatrical traditions in the National Theatre in Warsaw. Shows from Tel Aviv, Glasgow, and Prague are still ahead of us.
The National Theatres' Meeting is an international festival, whose unique mission is to present to the Polish audience the most outstanding theatre performances by national theatres in Europe. The festival takes place every second year and is organised and hosted by the National Theatre in Warsaw.
The leitmotif of this year's edition of the festival is the work by acclaimed contemporary playwrights: Jean Genet, Hanoch Levin, David Harrower and Elfriede Jelinek. The productions, directed by artists of different generations, reflect versatile theatre styles and traditions.
Morris Shimmel
Habima
Israel / Tel Aviv
November 17 / 19.00
November 18 / 19.00
Hanoch Levin, one of the most acclaimed contemporary playwrights, completed his tragicomedy shortly before his death. In a fashion typical for him, the play combines flagrant grotesque and lyricism recalling some of the playwright's favourite themes: the evanescence of things, one's rooting in the circle of family and friends, the interplay between the reality and fantasy. Yael Ronen, a leading Israeli director of young generation, has already been known to the Polish audience due to her Bat Yam - Tykocin, a theatre piece created in the framework of an international Polish-Israeli project.
The performance will be played in Hebrew with Polish surtitles.
Knives in Hens
The National Theatre of Scotland
United Kingdom / Glasgow
November 23 / 19.00
November 24 / 19.00
The performance marks the first visit of the National Theatre of Scotland in Poland. The Theatre, established in 2006, has no permanent venue and is dedicated to the notion of challenging of what public theatre of the 21st century can be. Knives in Hens by David Harrower, at the first glance a conventional history of love and marriage triangle, quickly turns out to be the reflection on the becoming of words and becoming through words. The performance directed by Lies Pauwels is an intriguing confrontation of the British and Flemish theatre aesthetics.
The performance will be played in English with Polish surtitles.
What Happened After Nora Left Her Husband
Národní Divadlo
Czech Republic / Prague
November 27 / 19.00
November 28 / 19.00
The play by Elfriede Jelinek is a subversive epilogue to the classic play by Henrik Ibsen, and the Nobel Prize-winning Jelinek’s debut in theatre in the late 70s. Having abandoned her house, husband, and children, Nora Helmer sets out to discover in the world designed by men her new social and sexual roles in order to construct her female identity. Directed with great panache and humour, the performance by Michal Docekal recalls the best traditions of the Czech avant-garde.
The performance will be played in Czech with Polish surtitles.
More information
Organizer: National Theatre of Poland, Warsaw
This event is part of the Attention Culture! Cultural Programme of the 2011 Polish EU Presidency.