„The Kennedy Curse” at the 27th Festival

On 14 October on the Big Stage of Powszechny Theatre in Łódź  The Stefan Żeromski Theatre in Kielce presented  “The Kennedy Curse” by Jolanta Janiczak and Wiktor Rubin – a theatrical duo with many fans among the festival’s audience. Thank you for the evening that was full of questions on rubbing out things that do not match our own image…

Since Thursday the festival exhibition has been presented in the Powszechny Theatre’s lounge – it is devoted to Barbara Połomska and Michał Szewczyk, two outstanding actors that were connected with Powszechny Theatre throughout all their professional lives. We said good-bye to both of them this year. The exhibition presents selected roles from their theatrical output.

The starting point for the spectacle by Jolanta Janiczak and Wiktor Rubin is Rosemary Kennedy – sister of the future president John F. Kennedy. The intelligence tests showed she was mentally handicapped. Though Rosemary tried to come up to her family’s expectations, due to her violent mood changes and sudden outbursts of anger her father had her sent to an institution run by nuns and lobotomized. But the medical intervention failed because, as she says, it could not be successful. She spent 65 years in the institution – lonely and erased from the family portrait. The story of Rosemary is the story of ousting persons and events that do not match our ideal image from our lives. At any cost, at the cost of life and dignity.

After the spectacle there was a meeting with its creators that was moderated by Łukasz Drewniak. Wiktor Rubin underlined there were no ideal historic figures, unblemished persons. The Kennedy family, with the US president, attorney general and senators, has had its secrets we are not aware of even nowadays. The nations heroes are guilty of the family tragedy and the human tragedy. The spectacle demythologizes the heroes but its creators said it was not one-dimensional because the Kennedy history could be looked at from the other side while keeping in mind social context, family tragedies, sense of responsibility for the family. What were the reasons of the family senior? How would we behave in this situation? Is it possible to look for any justification?                                      

The Stefan Żeromski Theatre in Kielce
“The Kennedy Curse”
By Jolanta Janiczak
Directed by Wiktor Rubin
Dramaturgy: Jolanta Janiczak
Stage design: Łukasz Surowiec
Costumes: Marta Szypulska
Music: Krzysztof Kaliski
Stage movement: Jolanta Janiczak
Video: Łukasz Surowiec
Light: Jacqueline Sobiszewski
Assistant to the stage designer: Monika Winiarska 

Cast: Anna Antoniewicz, Mateusz Bernacik, Bartłomiej Cabaj, Dagna Dywicka, Ewelina Gronowska, Edward Janaszek, Joanna Kasperek, Jacek Mąka, Wojciech Niemczyk, Andrzej Plata, Łukasz Pruchniewicz, Beata Pszeniczna, Karolina Staniec, Zuzanna Wierzbińska, Dawid Żłobiński