The presentation of the 13th Academy for Theatre Practices was shaped in a rather amusing way as a “five-minute history of ‘Gardzienice.’” Young actors were given the chance to parody teaching habits of their masters and to mock iconic performances of the past. The on-stage narrative of the two “peasant women” led us chronologically from allusions to Evening Performance and Sorcery through images rooted in The Life Of Archpriest Avvakum and Carmina Burana to renditions of more recent Metamorphoses, Elektra, the two Iphigenias and Pythian Oratorio. The jovial energy of young performers culminated in the unforgettable parody of cheironomy, i.e. the language of gestures. Witty and well-crafted as it was, Gorczyński’s piece succeeded in confronting the burden of the company’s grand history with an unrestricted power of youth. The concise history of the company was jovially acclaimed – after all, many a member of the audience could recognize on stage their past selves.
Tomasz Wiśniewski
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