Zbigniew Libera's poster for "African Tales Shakespeare" by Krzysztof Warlikowski for Nowy Teatr in Warsaw
Warlikowski's Shakesperean heroes Lear, Shylock and Othello return with the force of their demise to Warsaw's Teatr Nowy before setting off on tour to Berlin and Paris this March
Warlikowski's new play delves into the world of bleeding gods, heavenly beasts doomed to tread the earth, men who desperately seek love. Men who suffer the miseries of race, legacy, social position and difficult choices, each of the three is shunned from society - surrounded by women entangled with his weakness. On a range of levels, many people can identify at some point with the condition of Lear, Othello or Shylock - an animal banned from its herd, a human being who is ostrasised and misunderstood. Shakespeare depicted these states through a tragic prism of history's titans acting in circumstances of tale and myth. Coetzee, through his telling of the apartheid reality, describes his characters only through categories of existence. He does not create soaring plots but instead designs intimate and unbearable psychotic worlds through which his own broken pride is filtered.
"African Tales by Shakespeare", the latest show by Polish director Krzysztof Warlikowski was produced together with the Nowy Theatre's actors as part of the international Prospero project in late 2011. It references a spectrum of Shakespearean works - "Othello", "The Merchant of Venice", "King Lear" and the novel by J.M. Coetzee entitled"Summertime". The director who has already staged ten Shakespearean dramas now creates his own fascinating vision of man extracted from the space of border experiences.
Warlikowski has called Shakespeare his 'master', valuing the playwright's unwillingness to compromise in telling the story of the world, not just a scrap of reality. His first Shakesperean production -"The Merchant of Venice" - took the stage of the W. Horzyca stage in Toruń in 1994. Ever since then he has brought "Hamlet", "The Taming of the Shrew", "The Tempest" and more to Polish audiences with a new, contemporary perspective within a global context.
The show is a co-production with the Prospero project, an initiative launched by a network of 6 European theatres; Théâtre de la Place (Liege – Belgium), Théâtre National de Bretagne (Rennes – France), Emilia Romagna Teatro Fondazione (Modena – Italy), Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz (Berlin – Germany), Fundação Centro Cultural de Belém (Lisbon – Portugal), Tutkivan Teatterityön Keskus (Tampere – Finland), Grand Théâtre de la Ville de Luxembourg from Luxembourg as well as Paris Théâtre National de Chaillot. This year Krzysztof Warlikowski is the featured director this year, following in the footsteps of Thomas Ostermeier and Alvis Hermanis. The initiative is aimed at creating major cultural events and promoting a common cultural platform across national borders. The project promotes creativity, exchange and cohesion between nations while aiming to stimulate social and economic progress.
The production features Warlikowski's longtime partners: Małgorzata Szczęśniak – costumes and stage design, Paweł Mykietyn – music, Piotr Gruszczyński – dramaturgy, Felice Ross – light design.
Cast: Stanisława Celińska, Ewa Dałkowska, Małgorzata Hajewska-Krzysztofik, Maja Ostaszewska, Magdalena Popławska, Adam Ferency, Wojciech Kalarus, Marek Kalita, Zygmunt Malanowicz, Piotr Polak, Jacek Poniedziałek.
"African Tales by Shakespeare" premiered on the 5th of October 2011 in Liege.
The Polish premiere takes place on the 2nd of December 2011 at 19:00 at the Nowy Teatr in Warsaw. Repeat performances: 3-4, 7-9, 11 December 2011.
In March 2012, the play is slated to take the stage in Berlin and Paris. Details to follow.
Nowy Teatr
Madalińskiego 10/16
02-513 Warsaw
www.nowyteatr.org
Source: press materials