For the first time in Poland, for the first time live on Radio Łódź – the 676th preview of the Reading theatre for people with poor eyesight and blind in Powszechny Theatre

On 15 July at 6 p.m. on our Small Stage we will present the 67th preview of the Reading theatre for people with poor eyesight and blind. „Johnny, king of moving” („Danny, King of the Basement”) by a Canadian playwright David S. Craig will be staged for the first time in Poland. It was translated by Elżbieta Woźniak specially for Powszechny Theatre. The play, directed as usual by Ewa Pilawska on a voluntary basis, will be broadcast live on Radio Łódź.  

„Johnny, king of moving” is a metaphor of a fight against all odds – fear, insecurity. The play is universal, it concerns a relationship breakdown. It shows a mother who shifts responsibility onto her child abusing confidence and unconditional love – says Ewa Pilawska. In the play we have many forms of loneliness and the characters unsuccessfully try to stifle them by buying different things and offering substitutes of love. And there always are questions: how to face the overwhelming world? How to take the challenge? How to find strenght for it? - adds Ewa Pilawska. 

The play is a winner of many awards, among others Dora Mavor Moore Award (Toronto’s Tony Awards) for outstanding production in theatre for young audiences. It has been staged in Canada, the US and Germany. Richard Ouzounian commented in the most popular Canadian daily „Toronto Star” that is was „written with insight and compassion”. - A powerful piece of theatre that speaks to all of us – wrote John Coulbourn in „Toronto Sun”.

Powszechny Theatre has collaborated with Radio Łódź for many years. It has been a tradition since 2016 that after each staging of the theatre for people with poor eyesight and blind the spectacle is then presented in a form of a radio play. This time, due to pandemic, the play will be premiered only on the radio. It will be live broadcast of the play presented on the stage. 

I am very glad with our cooperation with Radio Łódź and director Marcin Wąsiewicz. I have a feeling that pandemic time allows us to discover new ways of cooperation, create new projects and learn something brand new. In the beginning of June we played „The Spitting Image of My Son-In-Law” live on Television Theatre, now – for the first time in Poland – we will present „Johnny, king of moving” live on the radio. The scenography on our Small Stage is ready, the lights are set… I believe we will succeed in bringing this premiere energy from our Small Stage to the radio – says Ewa Pilawska.                       

David S. Craig
„Johnny, king of moving” („Danny, King of the Basement”)
Translated by Elżbieta Woźniak
Directed by Ewa Pilawska
Set design and costumes: Wojciech Stefaniak
Stage movement: Marlena Bełdzikowska and Witold Jurewicz
Cast: Paulina Nadel, Magda Zając, Jakub Kryształ, Michał Lacheta
with a special appearance of Małgorzata Goździk, Marta Jarczewska, Janusz German, Andrzej Jakubas, Jakub Kotyński, Artur Majewski, Arkadiusz Wójcik and Artur Zawadzki
Script: Arkadiusz Wójcik