Zmień rozmiar czcionki

Zmień kontrast

Pozostałe

A woman from Łódź who was not afraid of Hitler. „Maria” to be premiered on 14 May in Powszechny Theatre

This coming weekend the 28th International Festival of Plays Pleasant and Unpleeasant will be concluded. This year edition’s main theme has been „Artist. Visionary”.  On Saturday, 14 May, we will present for the first time „Maria” by Radosław Paczocha, directed by Adam Orzechowski; the spectacle will be produced by Powszechny Theatre in Łódź.   

- In our theatre we often look for local threads, we present problems and persons important for Łódź. This time we are inspired by Maria Kwaśniewska – a woman from Łódź, an Olympic medalist , an unusual woman – Ewa Pilawska says. Ms Pilawska has been the Powszechny Theatre director and the artistic director of the 28the International Festival of Plays Pleasant and Unpleasant.

 

A Polish woman who opposed Hitler  

Maria Kwaśniewska, a Polish athlete, won the bronze medal in javelin throw at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. But she was more popular because he rescued hundreds of people during WW2, thanks to her famous picture with Adolf Hitler – direcor Adam Orzechowski says. The picture was taken after decoration when German chancellor invited the winners to his box. He said then: „My congratulations to a little Pole. I wish her to become champion of the world”, to which she replied in German „I do not feel smaller than you are”. There was a burst of laughter and a lot of confusion among those present. German papers wrote afterwards that Hitler had congratulated „small Poland”, not „a small Pole”.   

It is hard to say how many lives she saved during the war. At least several hundreds, with novelists Ewa Szelburg-Zarembina and Stanisław Dygat among them. But my impression is that her history is not known by many people. For instance Irena Sendlerowa is much more often talked about – Orzechowski adds.

 

Good is not spectacular – how to present it on stage?

- We were considering a universal story about the good and Maria Kwaśniewska appeared during our meetings with Adam Orzechowski and Radosław Paczocha. We got fascinated by her good and empathy. Though she was experienced by fate she was always very selfless. In one of her last interviews she said she had always loved people though they were not perfect, though bad ones happened. She criticized detachment from human misery – „life is not about it”, she said. She was in Genoa when WW2 broke out. She could have stayed there but decided to return in Poland in 1939. Experienced by war and communism she never lost her faith, she had never any doubts that people needed love and unconditional help – Ewa Pilawska says.

- Maria Kwaśniewska, with all her sport career and war experiences, is a very interesting person from the theatrical and drama point of view. In our spectacle we  wonder what she could give us nowadays, with her good and moral principles. Good is not spectacular, the theatre prefers weak, spurned and forgotten characters. Her attitude differs from the one of the world that is directed toward itself – Adam Orzechowski says. – „Maria”  will not by Kwaśniewska’s puff nor a monument to her – we want to present her portrait with all its complexity. And apart from that – she did not live her life in the glamour of Olympic medals, rather on the contrary, and we want to show it, too – Orzechowski adds.        

- Kwaśniewska risked her life while selflessly rescuing other lives. Would we be capable of such commitment? Her history makes us ask questions of a position of good in modern world. What is other man for us? What are we capable of sacrifice for him? – Ewa Pilawska asks.

 

The following spectacles

„Maria” will premiere on Saturday, 14 May, on Small Stage of Powszechny Theatre in Łódź at the 28th International Festival of Plays Pleasant and Unpleasant. The following presentations will take place on 15, 17, 18 and 19 May at 7.15 p.m. and on 22 May at 3 p.m. (the presentation on 18 May is addressed to students, with ticket price 10 zloties each).

 

Radosław Paczocha
„Maria”
Direction: Adam Orzechowski
Stage design: Magdalena Gajewska
Music: Marcin Nenko
Cast: Karolina Łukaszewicz, Diana Krupa, Małgorzata Goździk, Marta Jarczewska, Monika Kępka, Paulina Nadel, Barbara Szcześniak, Filip Jacak, Sebastian Jasnoch, Jakub Kotyński, Jakub Kryształ, Arkadiusz Wójcik

 

Photographs: National Digital Archives


BIP