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XXIII International Festival of Plays Pleasant and Unpleasant (2017)

Avantgarde as a state of mind

The theme of this year’s edition of The International Festival of Plays Pleasant and Unpleasant acknowledges this intensively used term. This year the word “avantgarde” has been used in all possible cases – it has become more and more familiar, less and less revolutionary, more and more elegant and well-mannered.  

It has been over one hundred years since the first avantgarde manifestos and works were created. They were revolutionary, iconoclastic and radical. After all, The Great Avantgarde did not tolerate compromises, systems and opportunistic people concentrated only on their careers. The ethos of the avantgarde groups was very strict – for example the Surrealists were forbidden to accept any awards and honours for their artistic and literary merit. Therefore, in the 1940s, Salvador Dali or Max Ernst were thrown out of the group. The true avantgarde artists chose poverty and life in harmony with their own beliefs. What distinguished the historical avantgarde was the thought which had to lead to action. The avantgarde artists were absolutely committed to the social change, full of enthusiasm and faith to fight for a different world. The foundations of the avantgarde have ceased to be stable since then. New generations and changing reality have redefined them many times. The newly established definitions of the avantgarde are hard to count. Zygmunt Bauman wrote that the avantgarde was modern in concept but had postmodern consequences. It means that sooner or later one had to hit his head against the wall; the set of borders and barriers to crush was not infinite. The avantgarde as an attitude had to become exhausted or at least it had to be re-evaluated. The time of the visionaries who died not so much for their paintings, poems and theatre as for the idea of organizing their lives, has come to an end. The artistic intransigence that determined the life of an artist has been long gone. The avantgarde attitude is not possible nowadays. Has the avantgarde as a state of mind remained?

I invite you to discuss this question. The theme of the Festival is a question concerning the fundamental issues related to the ambitions of contemporary artists and the direction of their work. For many years The International Festival of Plays Pleasant and Unpleasant has been reflecting on the condition of an artist, the search for the authorities and overcoming limitations. This year, in the particular context and circumstances, I suggest we consider what the avantgarde state of mind is. Although we now consider the 100-year-old avantgarde demands to be utopian, would not we like to sink in another utopias proposed by the artists? Do not we have a sense of loss? Is the reality a fertile ground for the permanent attitude of opposition? Or is it so good that we do not have to change anything? But if it is not so good, do we need the revolution? What kind of revolution do we need? Do we want to rebel or just to simulate? Does the theatre have something in common with the real life? Is theatre performance the subject of the same law as the smartphones’ market? Are we doing something that our avantgarde souls shout against?

Ewa Pilawska
artistic director


The Winners of the Audience Plebiscite of the XXIII International Festival of Plays Pleasant and Unpleasant

The XXIII International Festival of Plays Pleasant and Unpleasant has just come to an end. „Avantgarde As a State of Mind” was the theme of this year's edition of the Festival. The following spectacles took part in the competition part of the Festival:

  • “Triumph of the Will” by Paweł Demirski, directed by Monika Strzępka (produced by The Helena Modrzejewska National Stary Theatre in Cracow)
  • “All About My Mother” by Tomasz Śpiewak, directed by Michał Borczuch (produced by Łaźnia Nowa Theatre in Cracow)
  • “Stateswomen, Sluts of Revolution, or the Learned Ladies” by Jolanta Janiczak, directed by Wiktor Rubin (produced by The Hieronim Konieczka Polish Theatre in Bydgoszcz)
  • “Hunting Scenes from Bavaria” by Martin Sperr, directed by Grażyna Kania (produced by Polish Theatre in Poznań)
  • “Point Zero. The Kindly Ones” by Janusz Opryński, directed by Janusz Opryński (produced by Provisorium Theatre in Lublin)
  • “Bakersfield Mist” by Stephen Sachs, directed by Justyna Celeda (produced by Powszechny Theatre in Łódź)
  • “Dryl” by Wojciech Bruszewski, directed by Marta Streker (produced by Powszechny Theatre in Łódź).

Here are the results of the Audience Plebiscite (the spectators cast their votes both in a traditional way and by internet):

  • The Best Performance – „Triumph of the Will” by Paweł Demirski, directed by Monika Strzępka (produced by The Helena Modrzejewska National Stary Theatre in Cracow)
  • The Best Actress – Milena Lisiecka for the role of Maude Gutman in „Bakersfield Mist” by Stephen Sachs, directed by Justyna Celeda (produced by Powszechny Theatre in Łódź)
  • The Best Actor – Łukasz Lewandowski for the role of  Max Aue in „Point Zero. The Kindly Ones” by Janusz Opryński, directed by Janusz Opryński (produced by Provisorium Theatre in Lublin)

„Mothers And Sons” by Terrence McNally, directed by Krystyna Janda (produced by Polonia Theatre in Warsaw) and „The Dresser” by Ronald Harwood, directed by Adam Sajnuk (produced by National Theatre in Warsaw) were the masters’ presentations and therefore they did not take part in the plebiscite.

 Thank you for your votes. Our sincere congratulations to all winners!  


BIP