The blind community awards for Ewa Pilawska and Powszechny Theatre in Łódź

Ewa Pilawska received the title of „Community Idol” and Powszechny Theatre in Łódź was marked as the „Institution open for the blind”. The awards, given by the community of the blind, were the forms of appreciation for the original project „The Reading theatre for the blind and partially sighted persons”.    

The awards were announced at the 21st edition of REHA FOR THE BLIND IN POLAND conference organized by Szansa dla niewidomych (Chance for the blind) Foundation. The Idol competition, with the awards for the individuals and the firms, has been a part of the conference. „The award is inteded for people whose aim is to bring good to other people and their actions are directed towards the community of the blind”, Foundation writes. In Łódź province the blind persons decided that the awards go to Ewa Pilawska (the title of „Community Idol” ) and Powszechny Theatre in Łódź („Institution open for the blind”).            

This is another form of appreciation for our project „The Reading theatre for the blind and partially sighted persons” which has been carried out for almost 18 years by Ewa Pilawska on a voluntary basis (it started in 2005 with the co-operation of Teresa Wrzesińska, the then president of the Łódź District of Polish Blind Union). There have been 71 spectacles presented so far. Each of them is a first presentation – a staging of a new text which was not produced by Powszechny Theatre before. Every time visually impaired persons take part in a spectacle produced specially for them. Special focus is put on the sound details, all stage directions are read out loud by a person who looks after the script and describes the setting of the play. The audience are given programmes in braille. „Pochodnia” magazine, the Polish Blind Union’s monthly emphasizes that the project „The Reading theatre for the blind and partially sighted persons” is the only of that kind in Poland.           

Ewa Pilawska has already received many distinctions for the project, to mention the award given by lord Colin Low – the president of European Blind Union, Golden Honorary Badge of Polish Blind Union and the distinction „Friend of the blind”.

The new presentation in the project will take place at 1 p.m. on 31 May, 2023, on the Small Stage of  Powszechny Theatre in Łódź. It will be the first Polish staging of „Arena” („Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls”) by Dave Deveau.