Musical performance (in costumes) with circus motifs, by the theatres “Gardzienice” from Poland and “Stella Polaris” from Norway:
Love and Contempt, Peace and War.
The story of Mieszko’s daughter Świętosława, Olaf the son of Tryggve and the X century,
when a new world was born
FORMAT – STAGE ESSAY
as part of the “Practising History” project
The Christian origins of both countries, myths and common places in culture, the rituals of the Middle Ages, clashes and collisions of the Vikings with the Piasts and other powers of Europe in the 10th century, the times of great male and female rulers, furious warriors and great women.
The sources of the texts given on stage are medieval chronicles including:
Ibrahim ibn Jacob (an Israelite from Tortosa); Master Wincenty Kadlubek of Karwow; Ahmed ibn Fadlan of Baghdad; Snorri Sturluson of Iceland (author of the sagas); Thietmar of Merseburg (disliked Bolesław Chrobry); Bruno of Querfurt (liked Bolesław Chrobry); Widukind of Korbea; Nestor of Kiev; Michael Psellos of Constantinople; Chronicle of the Angles and Saxons; Chronicle “Praise of Queen Emma”.
Song ‘Ormen Lange ‘ – written in 1865 by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson (author of the Norwegian anthem, Nobel Prize winner), transl. Lucyna Chomicz – Dąbrowska
concept, set design: Włodzimierz Staniewski
direction: Staniewski and Per Spildra Borg
music: Mikołaj Blajda
Cast of the Polish premiere in Lublin:
“GARDZIENICE” THEATRE: Mariusz Gołaj, Joanna Holcgreber, Marcin Mrowca, Anna Dąbrowska, Paweł Kieszko, Anna Bielecka, Anna Maria Słowikowska, Maria Matosek, Oleg Dracz, James Jack Bentham, Elliot Windsor, Charles Sobry
THEATRE “STELLA POLARIS”: Marie Satyami Vik, Egil Birkeland, Stefan Mazur, Emilie Ørneseidet Larsen, George Attwill, Marcin Styborski, Gergø Popa,Violetta Sliusar, Yevheniia Barlet
Soprano saxophone and flutes: Leszek “Hefi” Wiśniowski
recordings backing music and playing instruments: Marcin Styborski
piano: Tetiana Oreshko-Muca
accordion: Bartek Godula
light operating: Maciej Dziaczko
sound operating: Łukasz Orzeł
multimedia operating: Piotr Kaciuczyk
creator and performer of the masks: Ryszard Hodur
creator and maker of the wings & costumes of 2 kings: Anna Maria Rudzińska
author and builder of the Viking boat: Tomasz Samoszuk
administrative coordinators of the Practicing History project: Thorunn Hagberg and Wojciech Goleman
Norwegian premiere of the performance: 13 June 2022, Oslo – Kulturkirken Jakob
Polish pre-premiere: 8, 9 October 2022 in Gardzienice
Polish premiere: 15 October 2022, Meeting of Cultures Centre in Lublin
Event organised as part of the project: “Practicing History. Norway and Poland – rediscovering time and space. Inter-disciplinary undertaking of theatres: “Stella Polaris” and “Gardzienice” Centre for Theatre Practices (with partners) in thefield of theatre and film, music and dance, visual arts and academic reflection”.
Entry tickets for the event on 15 October to be collected at the box office of the Meeting of Cultures Centre
Event venue: Centre for the Meeting of Cultures in Lublin, Plac Teatralny 1, 20-029 Lublin
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