Community?

Community?

It is important for me that during this edition of the Festival we ask together some fundamental questions and collide various visions and theatre views with each other. What theatre do creators need? What theatre do viewers expect? What model should Polish theatre have? Do we want theatre which is homogeneous, defined from the ideological point of view and politically involved? Or do we need diverse theatre? 

What is community? In my opinion it is the creators and the recipients who form authentic and undisputed community in the theatre. The sense of such community and relations lets us create – the creative process burdened with stress and artistic risk becomes feasible. 

Do we form a community as a theatre environment? How much do we have in common, how much do we differ? Why? Are we able to derive from diversity and multigenerationality? Are we able to have a broader vision and go beyond selfish ambitions?

Certainly there are crucial questions that concern directly the creators and the viewers – questions about art, theatre aesthetics, its artistic vision. But there are also other important questions – about institutional nature of theatre and organisational and legal framework of its formation. Should there be theatres with no permanent repertoire? If so, will the theatre share the fate of many institutions that were re-structured and eliminated during transformation period? How does Polish theatre change and what is important to modern actors? Can we still talk about theatre actor’s ethos?

Referring directly to the Festival context it is also important to ask questions about the role of festivals. How important is their national and international dimension, how important is their indigenousness and building up local elites? Should festivals focus on macro level or should they be focused on performing their mission – audience development, modern education of the viewers, improving access to culture?                     

My deepest „thank you” goes to Józef Robakowski, an outstanding creator, for accepting our invitation to make a poster for this edition which very much corresponds with the subject and the idea of the Festival.

I am looking forward to meeting you soon and getting to know your impressions. I invite you to discussions and meetings in our Theatre.       

Ewa Pilawska