“Artist In A Crisis” – panel discussion at the 27th Festival

How the creators understand the main theme of this year’s edition of International Festival of Plays Pleasant and Unpleasant? What do the theatre schools’ students think of it (bearing in mind they graduated  from their schools when the theatres were closed)? What do the theatrologists and researchers think of it? What do representatives of institutions who looked for help for the artists in the pandemic think of it? Can all participants find mutual understanding  and define challenges for the modern theatre?

On Sunday, 3 October, there was a panel discussion “Artist In A Crisis” held on the Small Stage of Powszechny Theatre in Łódź. It was also available on-line (the Powszechny Theatre YouTube channel).       

The panel was moderated by Prof. Małgorzata Leyko and Prof. Małgorzata Budzowska.

The moderators:

• Professor Małgorzata Leyko is the head of Chair of Drama And Theatre, University of Łódź, she is also the associate dean at the Philology Department of the University of Łódź. In 2012-2016 she was the vice-president of The Polish Society for Theatre Research; in 2011-2015 she was the vice-president of Art Sciences Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences; in 2016-2019 she was the vice-president of Polish Committee of Cultural Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences. She is a translator, she has translated dramas and scholar texts. She is interested in German theatre and drama since the beginning of the 19^th century, in Polish-German theatre relations and in Jewish theatre in Poland.
• Małgorzata Budzowska – Professor at Chair of Drama And Theatre, University of Łódź, Early Career Associate in Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama, University of Oxford. Author and co-author of many books and articles on theatre and drama, coordinator of scholar projects devoted to the reception of ancient myths connected with culture and ancient drama and theatre. She is interested in modern Polish theatre, reception of the classics in it and theatre and politics.

 

The panelists:

• Paweł Demirski – playwright, journalist, together with director Monika Strzępka they form one of the most known and popular duets of Polish theatre. In 2003-2006 he was the literary director of Wybrzeże Theatre in Gdańsk. He wrote among others “Wałęsa. A funny and at the same time very sad story”, “Long live the war!”, “In the name of Jakub S.”, “Courtney Love”, “M.G.”
• Paweł Łysak – theatre and radio director,  director of The Zygmunt Huebner Powszechny Theatre in Warsaw, vice-president of the Association of Theatre Directors.
• Monika Kwaśniewska, Ph.D. – assistant in Chair of Theatre and Drama, Faculty of Polish Studies, The Jagellonian  University in Cracow. A graduate of theatrology and post-diploma studies on gender at the Institute of Audiovisual Arts, The Jagellonian  University in Cracow. Since 2007 she has cooperated with “Didaskalia. Gazeta Teatralna”.
• Oliwia Adamowicz – a student at The Leon Schiller Film School in Łódź.
• Paweł Płoski – theatrologist, a researcher in cultural policy and theatre organization. Lecturer at The Aleksander Zelwerowicz Theatre Academy in Warsaw and since 2019 – the dean of the Theatre Knowledge Faculty. Since 2020  he has been the vice-president of The Polish Society for Theatre Research. In 2009-2020 he was the literary director of National Theatre.
• Elżbieta Wrotnowska-Gmyz – theatrologist, director of The Zbigniew Raszewski Theatre Institute in Warsaw. In 2006-2007 she was the co-ordinator of competition for staging Polish and foreign classical dramas, organized by the Ministry of Culture. In 2008 she started working in the National Centre for Culture.
• Bartłomiej Kasprzykowski – film, TV and theatre actor. He was connected with The Juliusz Osterwa Theatre in Cracow and In Vitro Theatre in Lublin. A freelancer and theatre director. He starred in many TV series, among others “Magda M.”, “Halo Hans” and  “The Ranch”.   
• Arkadiusz Wójcik – actor of Powszechny Theatre in Łódź (since 2010 as a contract actor, since 2020 full-time). He graduated from the Actors Department of The State Theatre School in Wrocław in 2010. He also collaborated with Polski Theatre in Wrocław, TR Warsaw, Capital Music Theatre in Wrocław. He has been a co-ordinator of numerous theatrical projects and a creator of original performances.
• Katarzyna Żuk – actress of The Kazimierz Dejmek Nowy Theatre in Łódź. She graduated from The Leon Schiller Film School in Łódź. In 1996-1998 she worked at Studyjny Theatre’83. Winner of The Modjeska Calling competition organized by Polski Theatre in Poznań.