The 78th annual Festival d'Avignon, recognized as the world's leading theater festival, will feature two standout Polish productions in July.
Audiences at the Courtyard of the Popes Palace will be treated to a total of nine performances from renowned Polish theater directors Krzysztof Warlikowski and Marta Górnicka.
The Avignon Festival, running from June 29 to July 21 in the Provence city, is both a showcase of theatrical performances and a vibrant cultural hub featuring dance performances, exhibitions and film screenings.
With a 2,000-seat venue at the Courtyard of the Popes Palace transforming into an extraordinary performance space, the festival also hosts various side events including debates that offer insights into the world of the artists invited to participate.
Philosophy, ecology, existentialism
Poland's Warlikowski returns to Avignon for the eighth time with his latest premiere, Elizabeth Costello. Seven Lectures and Five Moral Tales.
Based on the works of Nobel Prize-winning author John Maxwell Coetzee, the play explores the character of Elizabeth Costello.
Elizabeth, according to the New Theater's website, is not just a literary figure but has become an artistic and life alter ego for Coetzee, speaking on his behalf and addressing themes of philosophy, ecology, social issues, and existentialism.
Warlikowski has previously presented works such as (A)pollonia, Warsaw Cabaret, and Krum at the festival.
Elizabeth Costello will have five performances from July 15 to 21 on the festival's main stage.
Krzysztof Warlikowski. Photo: Archiwum PAP/TVP/Ireneusz Sobieszczuk
Women and war
Górnicka, meanwhile, will present Mothers: A Song for Wartime, a full-length performance featuring a women's choir that tells stories of war, including in Ukraine, through song.
The choir is made up of 21 Ukrainian, Polish, and Belarusian women and girls ranging in age from 9 to 71, each with personal experiences of war. It draws on the tradition of female choirs dating back to the 7th century BCE.
Górnicka said of the show: "Our performance speaks about women and war. About defense mechanisms, about responsibility. About our reaction to war in Europe. About the rituals of war violence against women and civilians, which remain the same."
The performance weaves together Ukrainian children's rhymes, traditional songs, spells, and political statements to convey themes of women in war, defensive mechanisms, responsibility, and Europe's reaction to war.
Górnicka's production will have three showings on the festival's main stage from July 9 to 11.
Founded by French actor and theater director Jean Vilar in 1947, the festival aims to be a key platform for showcasing cutting-edge international creativity, transforming the city into a pulsating cultural space each summer.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP
