„Enemy of the People” at the Festival

Last weekend of the 22 edition of International Festival of Plays Pleasant and Unpleasant was opened by “Enemy of the People” directed by Jan Klata. The spectacle produced by The Helena Modrzejewska National Old Theatre in Kraków was given a long standing ovation.

Ibsen wrote An Enemy of the People in 1882 but the soulless mechanisms revealed in the play remain terrifyingly accurate in 2016. The small spa town in southern Norway is, in Klata’s rendition, a place governed by special principles. As Mayor Peter Stockmann says of the residents: „People feel best with good old ideas that they have known for ages.” Customs and reluctance toward changes come hand-in-hand with a sense of danger that needs to be avoided. Doctor Tomas Stockmann’s studies reveal the improper placement of a water pipe and the regular poisoning of bathing waters. The studies have a revolutionary potential yet they clash with the interests of the city authorities. The impass of the situation is aggravated by the fact that the spa doctor and the Mayor are close relatives.

After the meeting Jacek Cieślak moderated the discussion with the play’s creators. Jan Klata and Juliusz Chrząstowski talked about the scene of the residents’ meeting – in the spectacle it has the form of “performative monologue”. Both the actor and the audience take part in a meeting that deals with contemporary up-to-date problems.

 

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Henrik Ibsen

“An Enemy of the People”

Director:Jan Klata

Set design, costumes, lighting: Justyna Łagowska

Choreography: Maćko Prusak

Music: Robert Piernikowski

Cast: Bogdan Brzyski, Radosław Krzyżowski, Juliusz Chrząstowski, Zbigniew Kosowski, Bolesław Brzozowski, Zbigniew Ruciński, Małgorzata Zawadzka, Monika Frajczyk, Michał Majnicz, Ania Komorek, Maciek Trybus

Photo: Kasia Bąba