Natives

- „Natives” is a spectacle about teenagers from all over the world who live in a digital world. This world is their natural environment, their home, place where they make choices and decisions, where they try to understand themselves. We try to ask questions: „Why do we believe in a digital reality so much?”or „What are we trying to escape from to the alternative world?”, and the most important one „Why do we need this escape?” – Ewa Pilawska says.

 - The spectacle which tells a story of a group of fourteen-year-olds is a universal commentary about present day. It gets to the core – loneliness. It is loneliness which makes us seek better, alternative reality where we feel more comfortable,  where we can create ourselves again and be what we want to be – Ewa Pilawska says. – We want to become a part of a better world and, as a result, we head for greater isolation and loneliness. We lose our ability to build relationships, we concentrate on temporary satisfying our needs and on creating ourselves. In a virtual world everything seems to be simpler and easily accessible. And when the illusion is broken, then loneliness hits us twice as hard – Pilawska adds.     

- What is the reason of our digital loneliness? In my opinion nowadays we concentrate too much on improving our social status in order to live better and easier lives and, as a result, we do not have time for our relatives and we lose sight of the most important things. With the help of this spectacle and of the accompanying workshops we would like to ask questions and start a discussion in the theatre – Ewa Pilawska says.       

„Natives” is the 14th spectacle in the „Child in a situation” project. All of them were directed by Ewa Pilawska on a voluntary basis. „Child in a situation” is her original project, consisting of spectacles and workshops (dedicated mainly to young viewers). They touch difficult subjects such as homelessness, parents’ depression, internet hate, sexual initiation, transsexuality, violence or cyberviolence. Very often it appears that it is the theatre where many young people get their chance of „being listened to” and of discussing problems. The project is based on a dialogue, on asking questions and not on giving ready-made solutions for life.    

During the workshops their moderators and participants are partners, they listen to their opinions, they learn from themselves and encourage reflections. „Natives” will be accompanied by original workshops prepared by Andrzej Jakubas and he will moderate it together with an expert (a psychologist). So far in the „Child in a situation” project we have staged such plays as, among others, „Arena” by Dave Deveau, „Rage” by Michele Riml, „Courage” by Jaś Kapela and Hanna M. Zagulska, „#Tagged” by Dave Deveau, „Ony” by Marta Guśniowska, „Seventeen” by Matthew Whittet, „Johnny, king of moving” by David S. Craig (most often these are first Polish presentations of plays by English-speaking playwrights – British, Canadian and Australian).