How contemporary Polish theatre might re-imagine Irish theatre?Sara Keating

Lecture from the series “New Era – New Dramas”; Poznań 20.06.2007

We are a new non-profit organization based in Dublin, Ireland and we aim to produce theatre and dramatic productions primarily for Polish and Irish audiences to high artistic standards.

PERSON ROLE IN PTI ABOUT

ANNA WOLF ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MA in Theatre and Drama

HELEN MCNULTY PRODUCER PR Manager

ANKA WYSOTA ARTISTIC COORDINATOR

MA in Polish Philology

KATARZYNA LECH ACTRESS/ PA TO THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

MA in Acting

AGATA KAPUTA ACTRESS MA in Acting

NATALIA KOSTRZEWA ACTRESS Graduate from the Gaiety School of Acting

OSCAR MIENANDI ACTOR Graduate from Baduszkowa’s Vocal and Drama School at Music Theatre in Gdynia

Anna Wolf, a graduate from Theatre and Drama Departament at Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań. Her

thesis was about Irishness in theatre and especially for the thesis’ purposes

she translated some of the most significant Irish dramas into Polish. One of her translations has been staged by Polski Theatre, Poznań

during the reading rehearsals of the most contemporary Irish plays (series “New Era – New Dramas”). Anna was co-organizer of that event. During her studies she was also a coordinator for the partnership between Theatre and

Drama Department at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań

(Poland) and Trinity College in Dublin (Ireland).

Helen McNulty is a Fermanagh painter who is promoting her

works at international art festivals and exhibitions. She

completed Theatre Management course and currently she is a PR and

Marketing Manager in Improvised Music Company.

Anka Wysota is a graduate from the Łódź Film School as well as Centre of Theatre Practices ‘Gardzienice’. She has been living in Ireland for the last 5 years and her main activities are creating and experimenting with art. In 2007 she was awarded by Arts Council of Ireland Award in category "New Work" for production of experimental performance titled "Human Herd".

Kasia Lech trained as an actress and completed her MA

at the Ludwik Solski State Drama School in Poland. She

started her professional career in theatres in Poland and she

has continued it in Ireland. She has been teaching drama and

acting. She is currently commencing her M.Litt. at UCD

and she plans to transfer to the Ph.D.

Agata Kaputa is a graduate from the Ludwik Solski State Drama School in Cracow, Poland. Her

passion is photography. She has already had her debut in

television and a movie field, but her best memory is the episode in ‘Katatonia’ directed by Jacek Nagłowski. The movie has got a

prize during the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, Poland.

Natalia Kostrzewa is a graduate from Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin. For the last few years

she is present on Dublin theatrical and film stage. Her

best stage achievements are her monodrama ‘More light’ directed by Jerzy Lach and the character of Polish emigrant Ewa in Irish

production ‘Mushroom’ directed by Liam Halligan.

Oscar Mienandi is a graduate from Baduszkowa’s Vocal and

Drama School at Music Theatre in Gdynia, Poland. During his

studies he was in such classics like ‘Hair’, ‘Midsummer Nights

Dream’, ‘Fame’. He has completed his first

choreographic attempts. He likes teaching, especially

African dance.

KANAPA Project is an unusual undertaking based on a very strict cooperation between playwright, actors and director. The author, Patrycja Babicka, has written her play after she had seen actor’s pictures. The aim of the project is to tell a story of four house mates living in the same flat together and spending most of their spare time in a living room. Sofa, existing primarily as a physical prop used just to have a rest after a long day at work, will become a significant metaphor of searching for a new identity of people living in a world which is not actually their world. The main theme of the project will be alienation on a social, cultural and emotional level. Performing the play written especially for a project’s purposes by Patrycja Babicka would be fulfilling one of our aims written in the mission statement.

Patrycja Babicka is a graduate from Polish Philology Department at

Jagiellonski University in Cracow, Poland, however she preferred to be called playwright. Currently she is

working as a PR and Marketing specialist. For the last two years she has been working with the publishing industry. She debuted in Polish theatre

magazine “Dialog” with a play “Criminal drama”. Her other plays are:

“Natalia was before Myself”, “The vicim has lagged behind”, ‘The tragedy of the sixth wall”, “The city of the sin”.

Emilia Sadowska is a graduate from University of Warsaw, Poland (Polish Literature and Language,

specialisation in Cultural Management, Departament of

Polish Culture) and The Łódź Film School PWSFTiT in Łódź, Poland (Directing program). She has

done many film etudes and her theatre achievements are

Potocki’s ‘Parades’ in Bałtycki Theatre in Koszalin, Shuty’s ‘Zwał’

and Jelinek’s ‘Amateur ladies’ (2007) both staged in Polski Theatre in Poznań, Poland.

Katarzyna Stochalska completed her M.A. In The Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow. For the past few

years Katarzyna worked together with Emilia Sadowska and they

have created an extremly successful duet. Katarzyna created a stage design and

costumes to many theatre shows for example to Zwał, which has been awarded many times. She

was also invited to work on a short movie:

Master and Margarita - A Gift.