„Snow” at the 28th Festival

On 4 April on the Big Stage of Powszechny Theatre in Łódź at the 28th International Festival of Plays Pleasant and Unpleasant we presented „Snow”, based by Orhan Pamuk’s novel, directed by Bartosz Szydłowski. Though it was Monday, the audience was than full. Thank you for being with us!

After a few years spent abroad, poet Ka returns to his hometown Kars in Turkey where  young Muslim  women disappear in a mysterious way (supposed suicides?). Immediately after his arrival a snow storm breaks out and cuts off Kars from the rest of the world. Ka has no way out – he stays in Kars and runs his juournalistic investigation. At the same time he becomes involved in a web of intrigues – military, nationalists, religion fanatics, terrorists – all of them fighting for power. All of them are supported by local media which create a new world by using fake news. It looks like Kars becomes a mirror of reality – here, in a micro scale,  we see things that happen in the world.

The spectacle asks questions on the nature of fanaticism and violence not only in the context of Muslim orthodoxy but fundamentalism in general. Main hero leaves his roots behind to become a part of the Western society which seems better constructed than the one he was born in. But at the same time he is aware that he will never break free from his roots – he will always be a stranger. The spectacle very strongly shows the problem of rights of women who have to go up against challenges men do not face at all. They have to fight for things that are natural for men.

After the spectacle Łukasz Drewniak moderated meeting with its creators. Bartosz Szydłowski underlined topicality of Pamuk’s text which had been published 20 years ago. Today his novel resonates even more strongly. The Ukraine war and the inner conflicts of many European nations (Poland included) show that the problem of fight for power has been ubiquitous and always destructive. The participants of the meeting noticed also that it is very symptomatic  in „Snow” that generally only men take part in discussion on women’s rights.

 

„Snow”
based by Orhan Pamuk’s novel
Direction: Bartosz Szydłowski
Adaptation and dramaturgy: Mateusz Pakuła
Choreography: Dominika Knapik
Music: Dominik Strycharski
Stage design and costumes: Małgorzata Szydłowska
Light engineering: Marcin Chlanda
Video: Maciej Szczęśniak, Przemysław Czepurko
Film production: Przemysław Fik
Cameras: Jacek Martini-Kielan, Jakub Katarzyński
Script: Marcin Stalmach
Cast: Anna Paruszyńska-Czacka, Aleksandra Przybył, Marta Zięba, Paweł Charyton, Juliusz Chrząstowski, Szymon Czacki, Daniel Dobosz, Dominik Stroka, Artur Święs, Andrzej Szeremeta and Jerzy Trela (in wideo)
Produced by Teatr Łaźnia Nowa, Boska Komedia

Co-produced by The Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre/Solidarity of Arts, Teatr Studio, The Stanisław Wyspiański Śląski Theatre

 

Photographs: Maciej Zakrzewski